Law of Attraction
The Law of Attraction is the greatest discovery I have made in my personal journey and is an integral part of my coaching practice. The Law of Attraction, LOA, is the belief that positive or negative thoughts attract positive or negative experiences into a person’s life. During difficult parts of my life, I had developed the habit of “awfulizing”, or expecting the worst possible outcome of all situations. This expectation usually brought about what I was expecting. I developed a negative inner-dialogue that created a victim mentality and convinced me that I was helpless, this is learned helplessness. My discovery of LOA eventually brought me to understand that it was victim mindset that was attracting more things to feel victimized about. I learned to be grateful for what I did have, which in turn brought me more things to be grateful for. I realized my perspective over events was mine to control, this shifted me to understanding that my reality is based on my perspective, and since my perspective in in my direct control, I am in control of my reality! This empowering thought process made me resilient, this is learned resilience. I have used this concept to help change thousands of people’s thinking process and begin a new way of thinking. I have used this concept with individuals and corporations, yielding incredible results. I use many concepts and methodologies in coaching, but LOA is the foundation.
Law of Attraction and Success
Napoleon Hill’s classic self-help book, Think and Grow Rich, was written in 1937. Mr. Hill had interviewed many wealthy individuals in hopes of finding a common denominator for obtaining wealth. It is also important to point out that much his research took place during The Great Depression, when the economy had experienced the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. Mr. Hill assumed he would find a certain personality type, or business plan that was shared by those of great wealth. What he found was the opposite, some of those interviewed were brilliant and showed great focus, others were disorganized in thought and seem to lack intelligence. Some were from wealthy backgrounds and some were self-made.
Mr. Hill did find one shared factor in everyone he interviewed, a deep, unrelenting belief that the interviewees knew they were going to be successful. Their wealth grew, despite economic conditions. Mr. Hill had discovered the basic concept of The Law of Attraction, what we believe our reality to be, is what our reality becomes.
Mr. Hill’s findings supported the principals suggested in the book As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen, written in 1903. Mr. Allen believed that humans attract what the feel and believe.
In 2006, the book The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, brought the LOA concepts to millions and became an international best seller. I believe The Secret is the best “introductory” book on the concepts of The Law of Attraction, I have given away many copies.
Law of Attraction and Addiction
Early in my recovery from addiction, I noticed I would attend 12-Step meetings and often feel worse after the meeting, I didn’t understand why. Some of the people sharing would offer hope and I felt encouraged, but others spoke of how bad things were and how bad they wanted to act out addictively, even after many years of recovery. I would often hear how the disease of addiction is not curable, followed by the seemingly long list of things I wouldn’t be able to do. It was reinforced, frequently, how powerless we were. These themes were present in many of the rooms, it is as if the concept was to brag who had, or is, suffering the most. There were a few rooms that did focus on the hope of a better future and offered examples of those who lift lives free from their addictive behavior and seemed happy, these rooms did seem to have a benefit.
When I discovered how LOA worked, I could see clearly why certain meetings caused me to feel worse. The negative energy caused by the victim mentality attracted more things to feel miserable about. I was able to re-frame my thinking and use the concepts of LOA to drastically change my perspective. My addiction was horrible, but my recovery actually strengthened me. While I readily admit I am powerless IN ACTIVE ADDICTION, I am incredibly powerful in my recovery. These concepts may seem insignificant but make a huge difference to people who are having trouble finding recovery. I am not trying to bash the 12-Step program but show there are other ways to find sobriety and purpose of life. My goal in working with clients is to help begin a process that will create a life of fulfillment and meaning, a part of that goal is remaining abstinent from addictive behavior.