Not attracted by the Law of Attraction
Okay, a couple of caveats up front: First, I've never read The Secret and I have no plans to read it. All I know about the so-called Law of Attraction is what I've read on Wikipedia. Aside from being my favorite resource for playing Where are they now? with 1970's TV stars, I realize that it's hardly an authoritative source about anything, especially since this particular article is already flagged as being problematic in its current form.
Having said that. . .
I think this Law of Attraction stuff is a load of hooey.
According to the Wikipedia article, proponents claim that the roots of the Law of Attraction lie in quantum physics. Under this theory, thoughts contain energy, and this energy attracts whatever it is the person is thinking of to draw it nearer. In order to control the law of attraction, practitioners must do the following:
1. Know exactly what you want.
2. Ask the universe for it.
3. Feel, behave and know as if the object of your desire is already yours (visualize).
4. Be open to receive it and let go of (the attachment to) the outcome.
Following this line of thought, thinking of things in terms of not having them becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
To me, this is a dressed-up version of closing my eyes and wishing really, really hard for a pony. Believing that wishing will provide is natural for little kids until they figure out that it doesn't actually work, but I have a very hard time believing that adults willingly buy into this.
I think there's a much more reliable way to attract success and make all your wishes come true. All you have to do is:
1. Set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) goals
2. Work hard, but only at the right things (i.e., don't waste time on busywork)
3. Know what finished work looks like and deliver it only when finished
4. Follow through on commitments
5. Mean what you say, say what you mean
6. Use tact and good judgment
7. Respect others
8. Make friends wherever you go
9. Rinse and repeat
If that doesn't get you on the road to success, you can see this video for a backup plan. The key words that brought it to mind were If you vote for me, your wildest dreams will come true:
(In case you're wondering, thanks to this, Pedro beat the popular girl and won the election for school president. It's all in good fun, folks.)
What do you think: Am I being too judgmental about the Law of Attraction?
9 retorts:
I agree. I have read/heard people praise 'The Secret', and I remain skeptical without reading the book. Wishing will get me what I want? Really?
There's a new book out by Barbara Ehrenreich that addresses this whole "power of positive thinking" movement and how it's a bunch of BS. I saw her talking about it on the Daily Show, and she pointed out that the whole "think positive" concept is causing people to do a lot of thinking, rather than taking action to change negative situations. I have it on hold at the library; I'll follow up when I'm done with it and let you know if it's worth checking out.
There is one thing I know: I always had to sweat for all that I have. Yes, an optimistic individual may be more open to opportunities but just wishing for something will not cut it.
Yesterday I was feeling blue and thinking that I would never be able to find a good job again. Within minutes of that, my phone rang and I got an interview for some freelance work. Today I spoke to the people who called me and I will follow-up with a nice thank you note and set a time to discuss further. I don't know if this will work out or not. It surely lifted my spirit. I was in a very negative mood...
On the other hand a lot of people don't do or get what they really want because of their negative thinking about it. For example not applying for things (jobs, college places, grants etc.) because they think someone like them will never be chosen. Or not saving money because they don't believe they will be able to hold onto it long term (e.g. all people in the financial sector are crooks etc.)....
Frugal - next you'll tell me you don't believe in astrology or witchcarft either. Shame on you... :-)
I agree with mOOm's point. I don't think that wishing for something to happen is going to make it happen, but I do think that there are people who self-sabotage by refusing to try for something, who refuse to accept that good things can happen or accept them when they do happen.
But that's more a situation where someone's just got to let go of the baggage, already! (and with all the job searching, I can see how that kind of baggage can develop, so I have a little sympathy for it, but still...)
It's like people who sabotage their relationships and wonder why they're alone.
If you want something, make it happen. Actively work for it, do good things for good people, be a stand-up individual. And if/when it does, good, take it and run with it. That's all.
I have to agree with the commentators before me: I have also found that an unbelievable number of people self-sabotage through lack of confidence and a general belief that there might be something better in life for them. If a mistaken belief in quantum physics gets them out of that rut, why argue?
I would also say that while all your advice for getting ahead in your career is sound, those "law of attraction" rules are not as silly as they appear. If you approach your work from a perspective as if you had already been promoted, people will more easily be able to imagine you in a position of higher responsibility, and it will help your promotion prospects. I know this worked for me at least once (all while I also implemented your other rules).
I'm somewhere in the middle. You do have to keep an open mind. But as someone who, like Ehrenreich, got awfully sick of people demanding I be positive/thankful when I was fighting a life-threatening illness, I know how wearying that side of things can be too.
Do I think you can attract money merely by wishing? No. On the other hand, the process does keep you focused on your goals, and determined to achieve no matter what. That probably accounts for the success of such endeavors.
That said, I've also had success with "putting it out in the universe." Need something? Do the footwork, and tell people in case they see it. But sometimes the exact thing you need just sort of falls in your lap. Certainly not always. And it could simply be coincidences that stick out in memory because they favor you. (Like how you remember the times you win at the casino, but not the times you lose.)
However, my mom found one of those personal shopping carts for lugging groceries. It was just sitting by the dumpster. She found it perhaps a month before we left for AZ with her car and she would need such a thing. When Tim and I moved here, I did tons of searches for desks and TV stands. But nothing that was either affordable or would fit in our sedan. By the dumpster, we found the perfect TV stand (missing only two wingnuts which we replaced in short order) and a computer cart. Which could be better, but for right now will work great. Now I'm just keeping an eye out for a chair.
You can call it luck or positive thinking or whatever. I just say that sometimes the universe does seem to look out for you. On the other hand, I also believe in creating your own luck. Maybe I'm schizophrenic in this approach. But my general philosophy is that you hope for the best, while doing all the grunt work to be sure that - just in case the universe isn't paying attention - you get what you need anyway.
I think having a positive attitude and believing in oneself is absolutely vital to success. To me, however, that's vastly different from believing that if I wish really, really hard, the universe will provide. I'm not religious, but I'm fond of the saying God helps those who help themselves.
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