The Complete Guide to Understanding and Using the Law of Attraction

The law of attraction has become a dominating theory in self-help circles in recent years largely due to widespread exposure from books like The Secret and movies like The Matrix.

The basic premise is that positive thoughts bring about positive experiences, while negative thoughts bring about negative experiences. By focusing your thoughts on what you truly desire, you can theoretically attract those very things into your life.

While this concept has been around in some form for decades, it remains controversial. Does the law of attraction really work as claimed or is it just wishful thinking? In this complete guide, we'll examine what the law of attraction is, its origins, whether there is any scientific evidence to support it and tips for how you can use it in your own life.

Section 1: What is the Law of Attraction?

The law of attraction is centered around the idea that your thoughts create your reality. The basic principles are:

• Similar energies are drawn to one another - Optimistic thoughts attract favorable occurrences, while pessimistic thoughts draw in adverse experiences. This is embodied in sayings like "birds of a feather flock together."
• Focus on what you want, not what you don't want - Focusing energy and attention on lack, problems, or negative outcomes attracts more of the same while focusing on prosperity, solutions and desired outcomes attracts those instead.
• Be aware of your thoughts - Your thoughts affect your external world, so it's important to monitor them closely to keep them aligned with your desired frequency.
• Use visualization - Vividly imagining and feeling your desired outcome helps attract it into your life by sending out consistent energy frequencies.
• Let go of resistance - Allow what you want to come to you instead of resisting it with negative energy like anxiety, frustration, impatience, or doubt.
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Some popular mantras and sayings related to the law of attraction include:

• "Think and grow rich" - Focus positive thinking on desired wealth.
• "Ask, believe, receive" - Articulate the desire, trust it's coming, and let it flow to you.
• "See it, feel it, achieve it" - Envision and sense the reality of your goal repeatedly.
• "Ask the universe and get out of the way" - State the desire then hand over control.
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Of course, many are skeptical of the validity of the law of attraction given the lack of concrete scientific evidence supporting it. More on that later.

Section 2: A Brief History of the Law of Attraction

While the New Thought movement of the 19th century helped popularize the law of attraction as a self-help tool, its principles have been around for centuries as spiritual wisdom. Some key origins include:

• Hinduism - Principles like karma mirror the "you get what you give" nature of the law of attraction.
• Buddhism - Buddha's teachings on manifesting reality through intention align with the law of attraction.
• Hermeticism - "As above, so below; as within, so without" reflects the idea thoughts create tangible effects.
• Transcendentalism - Transcendentalists believed thought could transcend into physical form.
• New Thought Movement - Authors like William Walker Atkinson wrote about thought energy's influence on tangible reality.
• New Age - Esther and Jerry Hicks authored Abraham-Hicks' teachings on how thoughts create reality.
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Some notable authors on the law of attraction timeline include:

• William Walker Atkinson - Wrote "Thought Vibration" in 1906, one of the earliest books about thought waves impacting the material world.
• Napoleon Hill - Best known for 1937 book "Think and Grow Rich" focusing on the mental steps and attitudes to achieve wealth.
• Napoleon Hill - Later books like 1960's "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude" furthered positive thinking concepts.
• W. Clement Stone - A self-made millionaire, he collaborated with Napoleon Hill and owned Combined Insurance.
• Esther and Jerry Hicks - Channeled teachings from the nonphysical entity "Abraham" starting in 1976.
• Rhonda Byrne - Gained fame for her 2006 bestseller and film "The Secret," which brought the law of attraction back into the mainstream.
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Section 3: Does the Law of Attraction Really Work?

The debate about whether the law of attraction really works as claimed comes down to the classic battle between two perspectives:

Arguments that support the law of attraction:

• The mind impacts matter - Your thoughts, intentions, and energy radiate out and directly influence physical reality.
• Power of positive thinking - Maintaining an optimistic attitude naturally attracts more positive outcomes.
• Placebo effect - Believing in the law of attraction makes it work as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Objective reality is influenced by perceptions of it - Observation affects results in quantum physics experiments.
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Arguments skeptical of the law of attraction:

• Confirmation bias - You only take note of events that confirm your belief in the law of attraction.
• Selective memory - People remember the hits but forget the misses when assessing the law of attraction's efficacy.
• Regression to the mean - Results tend to gravitate toward average over time regardless of previous extremes.
• No scientific basis - Hard evidence that specific thoughts directly impact external outcomes is lacking.
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Controlled studies on the power of thought show promising results, but they focus more on one's attitude than on manipulating external events. For example:

• The Mayo Clinic found optimistic thinkers have longer lifespans.
• Duke University found optimists are healthier and have stronger immune systems.
• Harvard researchers found a positive outlook correlated with better health outcomes.
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However, these studies examine general mindsets over time versus the law of attraction's claim that focused thought can instantly change the physical world.

In summary, while more research is needed, adopting a positive mental outlook remains worthwhile but should not replace practical efforts toward goals. Those practicing the law of attraction should be aware of the cognitive and statistical biases that can make it appear to work more than it may.

Section 4: Tips for Using and Applying the Law of Attraction

If you want to experiment with the law of attraction in your own life, here are some tips:

• Start small - Manifest something straightforward you truly believe is possible like finding a free parking spot or coin on the ground instead of a million dollars.
• Be specific - Maintain a laser focus on exactly what you want without deviation or doubt. A vision board can help crystallize desires.
• Let go of how - Avoid fixating on or trying to control how what you want will come about. Allow the universe to orchestrate.
• Act as if you already have it - Imagine and feel yourself already in possession of your desire. This energy attracts more of the same.
• Use affirmations - Reinforce your desires and beliefs via short, positive statements stated in the present tense.
• Visualize often - Regularly take time to imagine having what you desire vividly as if it's already happened. Engage all your senses.
• Express gratitude - Feel abundantly thankful for real and imagined blessings to signal you're ready for more good.
• Release resistance - Avoid dwelling on or voicing doubts, anxieties, or impatience. Stay in a state of allowing.
• Take aligned action - Pursue activities likely to get you closer to your goals to reinforce energy alignment.
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Tips for overcoming common roadblocks:

• Negative self-talk - Notice negative internal voice and consciously transform dialog to affirming statements.
• Lack of confidence - Affirm your worthiness and ability to have what you desire.
• Focusing on "how" - Let go of controlling details and maintain faith in universal forces to orchestrate ideal results.
• Trying too hard - Allow the process to unfold instead of forcing a rigid approach.
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With consistent practice, you can train your mind to focus predominantly on positive energies and desired outcomes. Whether or not they attract exactly what you envision, a positive outlook carries its own psychological and even physical benefits. Approach with an open yet discerning mind.

Conclusion:
While the metaphysical aspects of the law of attraction remain up for debate, its foundation remains solidly established in psychology:

maintaining a positive mindset serves you far better than a negative one for both mental health and the achievement of goals. By regularly visualizing and affirming your desires with gratitude, you can manifest positive changes in your life, even through known psychological factors rather than supernatural attraction. While continuing to take practical action, hold thoughts and feelings consistent with your dreams to attract more good into your life, whether through scientific or mystical means. At worst, you'll feel better and see the world with greater optimism.