The law of attraction - in simplest terms - states that what a human being feels strongly about and focuses intently on (either with or without conscious effort) will manifest in one or more ways on the physical plane. In other words what we think about can and does becoem a reality.

Is this true? To be honest I can’t see how anyone would discredit the notion.

While there are a number of debatable topics within the overall idea behind the law of attraction, on some level it must be obvious that our thinking has a very real and concrete impact on what we call the physical world. One doesn’t need to believe every minor detail found in popular books and films, but it seems to me very difficult to eliminate the possibility that human consciousness shapes the world we live in.

The current popularity of the term law of attraction began with the release of the film entitled The Secret. But the term was actually coined in the English language in 1906 by William  Walker Atkinson in his book Thought Vibrations: Law Of Attraction In The Thought World.

The term and concept law of attraction have been used numerous times since, including by renowned Christian writer Norman Vincent Peale, author of the all-time best-seller Power Of Positive Thinking. The law of attraction is absolutely not a new idea or a self-help fad.

In fact the core notion of manifesting reality is thousands of years old. It’s also worth pointing out that many scientists in fields like quantum physics and string theory study advocate the validity of the law of attraction.

So what’s the real controversy? Why the big debate as to whether or not law of attraction is real?

There are many reasons, and it’s beyond the scope of this blog to review them all. But traditional skepticism and fear are two of the leaders.

Many people recoil at the idea that a human being has any real power. We are creatures of flesh, bone, and instinct with nothing great to offer as far as some are concerned.

And of course numerous religious groups fear movements surrounding awareness of the law of attraction will somehow detract from their influence on society or “lead people astray”. This is nonsense right out of the dark ages.

I recommend everyone explore the concepts of manifestation and attraction for themselves. Look at multiple sources on the issue and decide for yourself.

This is an important time in human history. At last the idea of personal responsibility and personal power are growing on a major scale!

Before you decide to believe or not believe in the phenomenon we call the law of attraction, spend some time in research and introspection. Look at the matter from many angles and ask the core question:

Do your thoughts and actions create your reality or is life something that just happens to you beyond your control?

People from all schools of thought want to pick the issue apart and argue over every nuance. This is pointless beyond a little entertainment value and the love of a good debate.

The critical issues at hand are responsibility and power. I believe it’s time humanity embraces both and creates a world we can be proud to pass on to future generations.

Here are a few recommended resources to help you begin your study of the law of attraction:

Law of Attraction

How To Use The Law Of Attraction

Universal Law Of Attraction

It’s interesting how so many recent self-development programs actually denounce positive thinking. In fact many of the speakers and authors I really like have taken the time in the past couple of years to downplay positive thinking and refer to it as if it’s “not enough”.

A popular approach seems to be: downplay positive thinking with an eye roll, then explain why these “new” ideas around the law of attraction are so much more in-depth. Interestingly enough the speaker will then provide an outline for positive thinking in a circular manner, attempting to represent it under some other name.

This is all bulls**t and I want my readers to be aware of it.

Let’s not get all caught up in names and labels. Positive thought, positive perspective, positive attitude, whatever you want to call it - good vibes, optimism, looking on the bright side, it’s all the same thing.

Please don’t let anyone with a book to sell convince you that positive thinking is somehow “not enough” or “not the same as blah blah blah”.

First of all: Thinking in verbal patterns is not the highest state of mind anyway. You can radiate positive mental energy without even forming mental dialogue or images.

Second: the law of attraction is not anything new! This power has been with humanity since the beginning, and has been referenced in many ancient texts.

Authors in various transformational niches have been using the exact term “law of attraction” since at least 1906, but the concept is thousands of years old. And at it’s core is the state of mind and projection of energy we sometimes refer to as positive thinking.

But here’s what’s really important: This is ALL experiential and cannot be fully transferred from one person to another in spoken or written words.

So it’s LUDICROUS to get all hung up on the terminology. And it’s somewhat dorky to spend a lot of time saying “Wait… no this is better than positive thinking and here’s why. Here’s why positive thinking is not enough and why this (so-called) new approach is so much more complete and blah blah blah”.

Don’t let the current superstars in the self-transformation and self-discovery arena lead you down the path of terminology and categorization. Just relax and stay - you guessed it - POSITIVE!

And don’t get me wrong. I love reading Joe Vitale, James Arthur Ray, Mike Dooley, and so many others.

But the fact is their messages are not brand new technology in most cases; furthermore classics like Power of Positive Thinking and Magic of Thinking Big, while perhaps not as sophisticated on some levels as the Attractor Factor, Harmonic Wealth, and others, are still very much on the mark in terms of being highly empowering philosophies.

It’s fun to get caught up in new ways of expressing old truths. And it’s certainly great marketing to promote yourself and your message as different and innovative. But it’s just silly to say things like “positive thinking doesn’t work” or “positive thinking isn’t enough”.

IT DOES AND IT IS! PERIOD!

Your inner world creates your outer world. What you think determines what happens to you and around you in life.

People can choose to accept this fact and thus take control of their destiny. Or they can choose to blow this off, mumble something about “new age hippie nonsense” and continue to suffer.

I’ve given up on trying to convince people of anything. If you want to suffer, that’s your right and I wish you the best on that journey.

On the other hand, if you’d like to empower yourself and become instantly happy here’s the key:

What you think, you are. Your thoughts become things, and your thought patterns build the world around you.

We could talk all day about in-depth specifics, and I’ll definitely devote future articles to this topic. But the simple, awesome truth is what we think is the core contributing factor to the events and circumstances we live out in our physical lives.

I have to think you intuitively know this. Still there are people who want to argue the point.

My favorite example is the person who angrily insists that our thoughts have no power and we are all in fact the playthings of an angry, childish God who likes to make us suffer as a way of “testing us”. This is a great storyline for a fantasy novel but a very poor explanation of life, in my opinion.

Our thoughts are raw power. They are the basis of the phenomenon we call life.

If we choose to think in terms of anger and self-pity, our life will be one of anger, frustration, and sorrow.

If we choose to think in terms of grattitude, joy, inspiration, and just plain fun, our life will be one of great happiness and excitement. I challenge any skeptic to put this to the test for the next 30 days and see for themselves.

And I invite those in the know, those who already live by this philosophy, to share their thoughts as well.