Living the Law of Attraction

In today's blog I want to ruminate some more around the power of our thoughts as well as the words we use to create our reality, which is what the Law of Attraction is about.  The reason for this, is that we are all living the Law of Attraction, whether we acknowledge it, or not.

A quick search on the Internet will give you access to all kinds of material on the Law of Attraction, so why am I writing about it?  Personally, I cannot claim that I have mastered using the principles of the Law of Attraction in my own life, and from the number of articles and explanatory material out there, it would seem that others are having difficulty in achieving mastery as well.

This problem, in my opinion, is connected to what I have been blogging about, which is how we have all been Programmed and Indoctrinated in ways to bring about negative consequences.  One of the main ideas has to do with believing that only the physical, which includes our actions, has any significance.   We have been conditioned all of our lives to discount the idea that words are anything but just words.

Also, in general, few can imagine anyone attracting negativity into their lives; "shit just happens," right?  It may help to understand this Law, if one can bring oneself to understand that, willy-nilly, we are all living the Law of Attraction.  I remember when the book The Secret was on the best seller list, a popular speaker and writer of business articles, in an article disparaged that very idea and the book in general.  It wasn't long after that article, he was writing his last article, saying that the newspaper had decided to discontinue it for economic reasons.  In that last article, he reported having had fleeting thoughts about the possibility his column would be discontinued, and wondering if those thoughts had had something to do with its being canceled.  It is easy to say, and think, that to believe that such fleeting thoughts could have had such a result is foolish, unless something similar has happened in one's own life..

Nonetheless, under the workings of the Law of Attraction, just such a small passing thought, or idea, can undermine our efforts.  While I expect most people have experienced how words have the ability to hurt, even so, how many people think before they speak?  Also, how many have considered seriously that thoughts are also words?  Few people, other than those who have attempted to practice, and do practice, meditation are even aware of the thoughts that run through their minds continually?
  
In this blog, I have been writing about Belief Systems, and the importance of discovering what you believe, and how you came to have the Beliefs you have through early Programming and subsequent Indoctrination, culminating for many in adopting Scientific Thinking as the ultimate in rationality.  As I have written, our Programmed/Indoctrinated Beliefs influence everything in our lives--not just how we live, but also how we die--the words we use and the thoughts that run through our minds are also shaped by them. 

It is hard enough to convince people that, what they consider a basic part of themselves--what they believe--has been Programmed and Indoctrinated into them, but that those Beliefs, along with their wispy thoughts can affect what happens in their lives.

As an example as to how our thoughts can affect our lives, many years ago I read a book called, as I recall, The First Five Seconds.  The underlying propositions of this book were that: 1) we all communicate with each other non-verbally all the time; 2) we are aware of what others are thinking about us, especially when we are in the presence of that person, and, in this context, particularly when we meet, and 3) the first five seconds is the most important period in which to influence what non-verbal communication takes place.

It is proposed in this book that we can change any potential relationship with new individuals by changing our usual mental behavior in such situations.  The usual thoughts of most individuals, in these situations, to be frank, consists primarily of uncontrolled personal judgments from first impressions.  If our first impressions are overwhelmingly positive, they may make us tongue-tied; something not to be desired.  Unfortunately, in most cases, the first thoughts will probably include some negatives--the person's weight, and other personal observations regarding their physical appearance--because that is primarily what crosses most individual's minds when meeting someone new.

The idea presented in this book, The First Five Seconds, is to take control, of one's thoughts in these first few seconds, or fractions thereof, before anyone says anything.  One does this by imposing one's will on that wild beast, the mind.  One must intend to instantly look for some positive aspect about that new person and focus strongly on that--"what a nice tie"; "great color"; "nice smile"--you get the idea.  The point is, you must choose something that is real; this cannot be a phony, "like"--that person will know if you are being insincere--it must be honest.

Since we all are living the Law of Attraction, whether we, "believe in it," or not, this information needs to be taken seriously; I see it as a Gift for our time.  The Law of Attraction is a double edged sword as it has to do with how we bring both positive and negative experiences into our lives.  As few intentionally wish to bring negative experiences into their lives, the basic underlying principle of using the Law of Attraction has to be to accentuate the positive, to bring about positive changes in one's life.  This is not something that can be faked, it must be lived.  One of the main keys to how we are doing this is our non-verbal communications--spoken, unspoken and physical--as well as practicing becoming focused in the present. 

In order to begin to accomplish this is to, firstly, make an effort to become aware of one's passing thoughts--to make a study of one's mental activity.  As to becoming focused in the present, I, personally, have been greatly influenced by my training in, and the practice of, Gestalt Therapy and its principle of, "Be Here, Now"  (In general, Gestalt Therapy is/was the teachings of Fritz Perls and his wife Laura, the founders, in the 1940s and 50s, that the average person's mental activity has to do with the past and the future, rarely the present; by staying in the present an individual can eliminate many of their perceived problems.)  

Unless one learns how to be aware of one's thoughts, and to change their focus, little progress can be made in changing one's life.  When one's thoughts are focused on the past, they usually take the forms of anger, guilt, blame, regrets, etc., etc., when focusing on the future they frequently take the form of worrying, fantasizing, etc., etc.  The term, "Be Here, Now" means to remain focused on the present moment. 

Those who have made a study of non-verbal communications have found that it is practically impossible to not communicate honestly with our bodies and non-verbally, as well as, occasionally, verbally--you may be familiar with the term, "Freudian Slip," words slipping out of our mouths unintentionally speaking truth.  Few individuals, however, have educated themselves as to such signals; most are not focused enough in the present to pick-up on such revealing information.  Such research has shown that the words we say, themselves, carry only about seven percent of the information being broadcast, the general Programming is to ignore the remaining 93 percent.

In making a study of oneself a priority, keeping a Journal is one way to start, beginning meditation can help one to become aware of one's thoughts, and/or beginning a log of what one believes, and figuring out how you came to believe whatever you believe, will help in such an endeavor.

As this blog is about responsibilities; primarily responsibilities to the self, beginning to figure out such aspects of the self is my strong recommendation.

With that I end this blog.

Shirley Gallup