The Law of Attraction (Continued)
If your focus is on attracting a big-ticket item, such as an expensive car, from the universe – to a great extent that out-sources a great deal of effort and responsibility to some invisible, intangible “force”. It is wonderful that this magical, mystical way of tackling life’s issues, serves to take the limits off your thinking and expectations – I respect that. But at the same time I feel that it also encourages fantasy and ridiculous expectations rather than realistic expectations. It all comes down to the concept of escapism that I related at the beginning of this series of blog entries.
It would be wonderful if we could all just close out eyes and think of all the things we would like to have, do or be – then wake-up one day to see them manifested in our lives. But it does not work like that because we are the ones who have to do something about it. Anything worth achieving in this life requires hard work, wisdom, dedication, confidence and a level-head capable of making good decisions; I would also add to this list the need to have a good personality that gets on well with others.
Self-help methods like The Law of Attraction are appealing to neurotics because they do away with the need to attain and maintain these human personality traits – the type of things that they struggle with. Instead, they invite us to change nothing about ourselves, stubbornly maintain their character flaws, kick-back and allow the “universe” to deliver its plenteous bounty on their doorstep – as if by magic.
“Magic Thinking”
Hale Dwoskin, the President of Sedona Associates which conducts training in the Sedona Method – uses an analogy in his training on goal setting to demonstrate something that he calls “Magic Thinking”. This analogy is not used to demonstrate the futility of thinking big and reaching for the impossible. This analogy is used to convey the need to put yourself in the same frame as your goals and affirmations. A person could make a goal such as, “My apartment is clean.” This seems like a plausible at first, until you ask the question of whom or what is going to clean your apartment? Do you expect some little fairies with brushes to sweep and tidy your apartment while you sleep?
This might sound ridiculous as we know that it is you who will clean the apartment (or you will pay someone else to do it for you). But the subconscious mind needs to see you in the frame, as it is by your own effort that you will reach your goal of getting the apartment clean. Therefore, a more precise and realistic goal statement would be, “I clean my apartment.”
I borrow this analogy of “Magic Thinking” in order to convey the way in which New Age methods of goal-setting and affirmations, primarily The Law of Attraction, tend to divert the focus away from the development of character, the need to commit to a course of consistent effort and good decision making – towards focusing on a fantasy lifestyle in the future.
When it comes to using affirmations and setting goals – I would be inclined to drop the New Age speak, anything which sounds magical and mystical; words such as, “universe” or “vibration”. I suppose it would be alright to use such words only if they are in the type of context that a non-spiritual person would used, such as, “I am the type of person who people resonate with – I have the kind of personality that gives off a positive vibe”. In summary, I would opt for plain language and commonsense, attainable goals.
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