Monday, May 7, 2007

The Law of Attraction

I gave in and bought the unabridged audio book called The Secret. It seems it's the latest fad and everyone's either read the book or seen the movie, at least those with an interest in metaphysical and/or esoteric subjects. I started out listening to it as I walked on the treadmill this evening. I plan on listening to the rest of it each night as I do the same routine. (It seems that listening to an audio book while walking on the treadmill makes the time go by faster.)

From the beginning of the book I think I have an idea of what the rest of the book is going to be about, since they flat out tell me that the secret is basically the Law of Attraction. It seems that with the Law of Attraction, I am simply a magnet that can draw towards me anything I want. Since I already believe that thoughts can manifest one's reality, I don't think the Law of Attraction is far from reality. Just ask my husband, who for the past year or longer has been having daydreams of owning a brand new speed boat. Even though I discouraged the big spending amount, he still ended-up with the boat. OK, I'll get serious. I will admit that something that has been on my mind for quite a while has come true for me. It's personal, so I won't go into it. It doesn't have anything to do with material possessions, though.

I think that thoughts can alter the way we perceive the world. What I mean by this is that a negative person who thinks mostly negative thoughts is going to believe that we live in a bad world. On the other hand, those who think positive and are considered "positive people" will think we live in a good world. If thoughts have the power to alter our perception, how far can they go in altering reality?

What are your thoughts on The Law of Attraction? Has it worked for you? Have you read the book or seen the movie?

20 comments:

Unknown said...

I saw the movie. We can influence our reality with our mental attitude, for sure. The trick, though, is to keep the secret a secret. Otherwise it does not work. The guardians see to that. One cannot break down the gates of heaven with a battering ram.

Sophia said...

Leighton, so true this is. Of course, maybe I just made a mistake and blurted out the secret to the world. Of course, now with the movie and the book in the public, it's going to be hard to keep the secret from being over-used, and I am sure there are those who will abuse it and use it for even more power. I haven't gotten very far yet, so I don't know if the book addresses this. We'll see.

By the way, I like your new avatar. :)

Unknown said...

Yes, it is easy to commit hubris and think that the universe will jump to your command

And if you want to make $1m and it's all you care or think about, you will make it There is nothing esoteric or mysterious about this and it's not a 'secret' if you look at it

So, like many things these days, marketing puts a greater spin on things than is necessary Why? I think people are running away from boredom

PS The Secret, although Australian made, is very American In the UK, most people don't 'buy' the spin as we don't share the 'American Dream'

Unknown said...

Glad you like the icon. It was designed by Suzisuperglue of 24 Carrots.

brad4d said...

I saw Werner Erhart when he still did all the EST trainings (70) He was funny and so full of magic, but during the break someone said, "IT has gotten to the point were I won't even do business (realestate) with anyone unless they have taken EST." I responded with, "This teacher has offered you an instrument of insight and perspective, like binoculars, but you might be looking through the wrong end." He didn't seem able to explore THAT concept.
Science is exponentially shortening the shelf-life of their "truths" everyday.
The secret 3Rs; relation, response, respect . . educate to create

Anonymous said...

I learned a new word today: ANT.
It means automatic negative thinking. 'My brain is full of ANTs. I think we talked about this some time ago. How to stop thoughts. Altho I don't really advocate thought-stopping, sometimes I just want to stop thinking. And I just read that singing or simply humming the tune of the music will stop some bothersome thinking.
And this afternoon I realized I still tend to think negatively about myself. I just can't help judging and condemning myself. I am far from being enlightened. :>)
Maybe there are still people around me who don't like me.
While I can be very mean sometimes, I seem to be attracting a lot of friends and they keep giving me things. Things I don't really need. I have to learn to give in return.

Sophia said...

Hi Graham, I don't think it is so much a secret as it is something that brings it more to our awareness that it works. I haven't gotten very far into the book yet but I'm hoping that it's not mostly about how to make money, because to be honest I'm not a very ambitious person and money doesn't interest me that much. I just want enough money to eat and have shelter. I can't understand why some people want the big house and expensive toys. (Kinda like my husband wanting his boy toys!) But, I know we're all different and therefore want different things. I like the simple life, but wouldn't mind learning how to attract more positivity into my life. I'm already a happy person as it is, but I think one can never have too much happiness. So, the more happiness I attract towards me the better.

Sophia said...

Leighton, SuzieSuperglue has style. The design reminds me of those little puzzles where you slide the squares into place to form a picture.

Sophia said...

Hi Bradford, I've never heard of EST before, but I just did a wikipedia exploration on it. From what I gathered from a part of the article, it seems like military boot camp to get people to improve themselves. Is the feeling I'm getting from it correct?

It's amazing that this self-help movement was around in the 70s. It seems so new to me the past couple years that I hadn't realized it had already been in society before. I guess like styles of clothing everything goes through a 20 or 30 year cycle. I really shouldn't be so surprised that self-improvement has been around for ages.

Sophia said...

Anonymous, I don't know why some of us can be so self-critical. What was your social experience like as a child?

Singing or humming might be an excellent method to stop thinking so much. Also, I read on Graham's blog yesterday that saying the names of objects you see out-loud can put you more in the moment.

I suffer from minor self-critique, but it has to do with my weight gain that I've had the past year or so. Extra weight is really bad for the self-esteem.

Somehow I can't imagine you being very mean.

I know how you feel about receiving gifts. When I receive them, I too think that I need to give something back to the giver. However, I have learned that "paying it forward" is also just as nice, and most givers would be very satisfied knowing that you paid it forward. Also, many givers are thrilled just knowing that you enjoy their gift and that you are thankful.

Anonymous said...

My mother pampered me when I was a little boy. Then she began to reject me as I grew older. I don't know why.
I used to suffer from social anxiety. Sometimes it comes back especially when I'm tired and feeling miserable. I think the misery makes my anxiety worse. But when I allow it, it doesn't bother me. My mind somehow gets used to it and settles down. In fact when I tell myself to be miserable, I forget my misery. Maybe I have reverse psychology.
And very often I am extremely relaxed. People can sometimes become confused with my behavior. Most people don't believe I suffer from self-consciousness; they think I am fearless. And I can be very spontaneous, in fact to the point of being shameless and crazy. Sometimes I can talk so fast without pausing and people can't seem to follow me. Fortunately I never think I am crazy or insane. I think this is very important, not to condemn yourself to insanity. You must believe in yourself. Unconditionally. ;>)

Anonymous said...

sophia,
Let me tell you something from my own observation: I think if the cause of depression is physical, it should be treated with medication. And maybe it means dependance on medicine as long as the physical cause is present. Or you may have to endure the pain, the misery and the anxiety whenever it comes.
I don't think I suffer from depression. I just feel tired and miserable sometimes. The problem is when you start to doubt yourself and give in to bullying by people who would like to pronounce you insane and unfit to function in polite society. When you lose your confidence, that's when you become depressed, even if there is no physical cause. And often trying to escape from the misery and suffering can make it worse and make you dependent on drugs and develop forms of addiction. Just some personal thoughts.

Sophia said...

I am sorry your mother began to reject you as you grew older. You must have felt a void in your life because of this. I do not know much about you so I cannot speculate as to why she did this, but I don't think it was because of you. She might have had her own problems, so do not feel guilty.

I also used to suffer from social anxiety. In fact, at times it still rears its head. In a month or so I'll have to start traveling and giving presentations to large corporations. I am terrified of this. But I have decided to just go with the flow. Whatever will be will be. I don't know how to say it, but I am just going to stop worrying about it. When one takes this attitude, it becomes easier to release that anxiety. Before you know it, you'll develop more self-confidence.

About depression, I am no expert but I have to say that I know an awful lot about it. In fact, I know terribly too much. I wish I did not know what I know about it. I know about it because I've been there, so I can now understand others better who are going through it. I guess that means I have more empathy. Maybe these are lessons we have to learn in order to care for other people more, or to be more thankful for life after the depression is over.

The question is, do you feel tired and miserable often? I am not a psychologist so I cannot claim to be able to help you, but I can claim to be a friend who is here to listen to you should you ever need one. Sometimes friends are better than psychologists and psychiatrists anyways. I know this because I feel more relief from talking to a good friend than from talking to a mental health care professional. Friends invest more in the relationship. They are available most all the time, not just one hour a month. Plus, they don't charge a fee.

Jim said...

Not charging a fee for talking to me, that is a good start for anti-depression therapy, no wonder I didn't get anywhere with that psychologist!

I wish I was a big corporation so you could come and give a lecture to me!

There is definetly something to this Law of Attraction, you go on and read that book and see.

Everything is re-cycled in our American culture, all the selfhelp stuff and even evangelism. No matter tho, everyone should choose from the lot of it and get what works for them.

Good to read you Sophia, keep treading and reading, it sounds great!

Always, thinking of you lady. Love and Peace Dear Friend.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sophia,
I guess this is a hot topic. I had a lady write in about the same book. I did not read it yet, but I am slightly familiar with the Law of Attraction Theory.

It has some good suggestions, and techniques, but I don't know if I can live my life, forcing myself to look through rose colored glasses, hoping it comes my way... That is just me. I am not a negative person. In fact, I live my life in a very positive way.

I do belive what you put into the universe does come back, but I also believe there is fate and destiny. if it is not meant to be, it won't be.

Have a nice day :)

Anonymous said...

sophia,
I guess that's what I am up to. Soliciting sympathy or asking for empathy. Glad you felt that.
Actually my mother and I had became close again after my father died when I was sixteen. I won't mention too many things yet. I've told you enough about myself. ;>)
Maybe I will tell you more as the opportunity presents itself.
Let me give you a little tip that might be helpful in overcoming social anxiety. And I will be brief. Practice speaking a little slower than usual for some time. I heard that if you speak a little slowlier and more carefully you will be able to prevent anxiety and at the same time make people want to listen to you more attentively. I haven't tried this yet; I will try it myself.
Thanks for lending an ear to me. Much appreciated.

Sophia said...

Hi Jim, I sometimes think if I didn't have so many of my own "problems" that I would actually enjoy being a psychologist, but it would be hard for me to make any money doing it because I'd want to help so many people for free.

It seems that many styles are recycled about every 20 years or so. This goes for both clothing and movements. The self-help movement, for instance, seems to be one of these.

I've been thinking about you, too. Hoping your research is paying off.

Sophia said...

Hi Lucid,

The book doesn't say it so far, but there seems to be some limits. For instance, if I think thoughts every day and night about feeding all the hungry people in the world, it's not going to happen. Some of the people might be fed, but not all of them. Granted, any change is better than no change, but I would like to know where to draw the line.

Hope you've had a lovely week!

Sophia said...

Anonymous, I am here for you to give you freely any sympathy or empathy that you allow me to give you. Only tell me what you are comfortable with telling me, and as time goes on, who knows, maybe you'll feel like telling me your whole life story. :) I don't know how to prove it, but I will tell you I am a very trustworthy person.

I think that I'm someone you'd like to call a friend. I think that you're someone that I'd like to call a friend. :)

Thanks for the tip on speaking more slowly. I will give this a try the next time I feel anxious in social situations.

Joe B said...

Hi Sophia, it's been awhile since I left a post. I've seen the movie, the ORIGINAL. The current version is watered down, leaving out the Abraham Hicks scenes. The Abraham Hicks portions are very necessary to understanding how this works. The Secret is more of a lead in rather than a hands on instruction for the law of attraction. It's focus is to get newbies started looking at how the world really works. Contact me outside the blog if you want more info.