Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe 3 LawsHow to Use ItImpactTipsPotential PitfallsHistory

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The 3 Laws

How to Use It

Impact

Tips

Potential Pitfalls

History

Close

The law of attraction is a philosophy suggesting thatpositive thoughtsbring positive results into a person’s life, while negative thoughts bring negative outcomes. In other words, a positive mindset will attract more success and happiness than a negative one. And this “law” applies to all areas of life including health, finances, and relationships.

The Laws of Attraction

How does the law of attraction work? Essentially, the energy of your thoughts manifest your experiences. So positive thoughts manifest positive experiences and vice versa. Advocates suggest there are central universal principles that make up the law of attraction:

How to Use the Law of Attraction

So how do you get started with the law of attraction? According to this philosophy, you create your own reality. What you focus on is what you draw into your life. It suggests that what youbelievewill happen in your life is what does happen.

Some things that you can do to incorporate the law of attraction into your own life include:

While the law of attraction may not be an immediate solution for all of life’s challenges, it can help you learn to cultivate a moreoptimisticoutlook on life. It may also help you stay motivated to continue working toward your goals.

Relationships

You can use some elements of the law of attraction to work toward your relationship goals. One way to do this is to become more aware of the things that might be holding you back when it comes to allowing love in your life.

If you notice that issues like afear of vulnerabilitykeep you from forging strong romantic connections, you can start taking steps to overcome those fears. Approaching your relationships with positivity may help you formhealthier relationships.

Work

The law of attraction can also be useful for achieving yourprofessional goals. While people sometimes mistakenly believe that simply thinking positively about your career aspirations will manifest positive changes, the key is to use your long-term goals to make specific, concrete changes in the present that will help you take steps toward your goals.

For example, simply hoping for higher pay isn’t enough. Taking actions such as acquiring marketable skills, seeking promotions, or even pursuing a new position are steps you can take that will pay off in the future. According to the law of attraction, focusing your energy in positive ways will bring positive changes to your life in the future.

Money

Manifesting financial changes in your life requires small steps and steady progress. Instead of simply wishing for more, it’s important to assess your financial life and set goals for what you want to achieve both now and in the future.

The law of attraction encourages people to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. Instead of focusing on what you lack, practice feeling gratitude for what you have. In doing so, you’ll be better prepared as you work toward your financial goals and take advantage of the opportunities presented.

How to Use Positive Affirmations

Impact of the Law of Attraction

While the law of attraction lacks scientific support, proponents suggest that it can produce positive changes in a person’s life. Some reasons why people may experience benefits from this philosophy include:

Spiritual Effects

The law of attraction may produce results because it taps into people’sspirituality. Spirituality itself is connected to a variety of health benefits including reduced stress, better health, lower depression, and better overall well-being.

Better Well-Being

When we believe we don’t deserve good things, we behave in ways thatsabotage our chances of happiness. By changing ourself-talkand feelings about life, we reverse the negative patterns in our lives and create more positive, productive, and healthy ones. One good thing leads to another, and the direction of a life can shift from a downward spiral to an upward ascent.

“Our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviors, so we need to be mindful of the words we use when speaking to ourselves. Our self-talk can become our reality,” says Rachel Goldman, PhD

Research on optimism shows that optimists enjoy better health, greater happiness, and more success in life. They possess traits that allow them to focus their thoughts on their successes and mentally minimize their failures.

One of the foundations of many types of therapy is that changing your self-talk can change your life in a positive direction.Cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT), a widely used and effective treatment for many conditions, is based on the idea that identifying and changing automatic negative thoughts can produce positive effects and help people achieve better mental well-being.

Golman continues, “And if we are feeling good, that shows! When we feel good about ourselves, we present ourselves differently and we become like a magnet and attract others with similar energy.”

Tips for Practicing the Law of Attraction

There are some exercises that can help you learn to put the law of attraction into practice in your own life. Some ideas include:

Reducing Stress With Positive Energy

Potential Pitfalls of the Law of Attraction

One problem with books such as “The Secret” as well as with some people’s interpretation of the law of attraction is that it suggests it’s thebeliefthat good things will come to us that will bring us all that we desire, without any sort of action behind that belief.

It is the optimistic viewpoint that drives proactive behaviors that, in turn, bring optimists such great results in their lives. Optimists don’t receive their benefits from their attitudes alone—it’s thebehaviorthe attitudes inspire that creates real change.

In order for beliefs to affect behavior, it is important to also have things such as:

Critics of “The Secret” and other books about the law of attraction also point out the very real concern that people may start to blame themselves for negative events that are outside their control, such as accidents and injuries, layoffs due to afinancial downturn,or major illnesses.

We can’t always control our circumstances, but wecancontrol ourresponses tothem. In this vein, the law of attraction can provide the optimism and proactive attitude associated withresiliencein difficult situations, but it must not be used as a tool of self-blame.

Your responses to the challenges you face can make you stronger. In that way, the law of attraction can be useful when it encourages such strength. However, it should not be applied negatively or it can be more destructive than helpful.

While the law of attraction has received quite a bit of attention in recent years, the concept is not exactly new. These ideas have philosophical roots that date back to the early 19th-century approach known as “New Thought.”

There was a resurgence of interest in the idea during the 20th century, particularly with the 2006 release of the film “The Secret,” which was then later developed into the best-selling book of the same title and its 2010 sequel “The Power.”

Why Toxic Positivity Can Be Harmful

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wachholtz AB, Sambamthoori U.National trends in prayer use as a coping mechanism for depression: Changes from 2002 to 2007.J Relig Health. 2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-yConversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA.Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2010;6:25-9. doi:10.2174%2F1745017901006010025

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wachholtz AB, Sambamthoori U.National trends in prayer use as a coping mechanism for depression: Changes from 2002 to 2007.J Relig Health. 2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-yConversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA.Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2010;6:25-9. doi:10.2174%2F1745017901006010025

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Wachholtz AB, Sambamthoori U.National trends in prayer use as a coping mechanism for depression: Changes from 2002 to 2007.J Relig Health. 2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-yConversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA.Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2010;6:25-9. doi:10.2174%2F1745017901006010025

Wachholtz AB, Sambamthoori U.National trends in prayer use as a coping mechanism for depression: Changes from 2002 to 2007.J Relig Health. 2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-y

Conversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA.Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2010;6:25-9. doi:10.2174%2F1745017901006010025

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