A lot of us may have heard this famous quote by a noted Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Why does an erudite author like Paulo Coelho make such a statement in his bestseller novel, The Alchemist?
That’s a question that I would ponder about quite a lot. And hence, I decided to find whether these words are mere fiction or indeed a factual statement.
Believe it or Not?
To my sheer surprise, I found that Paulo Coelho’s statement isn’t only true but also supported by something known as ‘Law of Attraction.’ Now before you think I’m speaking about some mumbo-jumbo, I’ll clarify a bit.
Law of Attraction isn’t something that’s scientifically proven, though it has millions of followers worldwide.
The scientific community, therefore, deems Law of Attraction as a Pseudoscience. Or in simple words, something whose existence cannot be proven.
At the same time, there’re several other things whose existence can’t be proven beyond doubt to a common person like me. One among them is the existence of life in outer space.
I do believe that aliens could exist somewhere in the vast universe on some distant planet. But it’s not necessary for me to have a close encounter with a flying saucer or its occupants to believe that aliens indeed exist.
Therefore, I will explain why I believe in it, how the law of attraction works and ways to use it. But before I proceed, let me assure you, Law of Attraction is working wonders in my personal life. And maybe, it would work for you as well.
Religious Validity of Law of Attraction
This might shock you: Law of Attraction isn’t some new theory. It dates back to several thousand years.
Indeed, lots of ancient religions speak directly about the Law of Attraction through their holy scriptures.
- The holiest Hindu scripture, Srimad Bhagavad Geeta speaks of Law of Attraction in these words: “Humans are made of their beliefs. As they believe, so are they.”
- The Hindu concept of Law of Attraction finds mention in Buddhist, Jain and Sikh teachings as well, since these three faiths draw from Hindu scriptures as well.
- Founder of the Buddhist faith, Gautama Buddha also speaks of the Law of Attraction. He said: “With our thoughts, we make the world.”
- In Judaism, specific scriptures in the Torah also refer to the Law of Attraction in various forms.
- In Christianity, the New Testament of the Holy Bible also has clear references to the Law of Attraction.
Interestingly, no religion paid much attention to this ancient teaching for centuries. Till ‘The Secret’ a book by author Rhonda Byrne took the world by storm.
‘The Secret’ caused a massive flutter among religious leaders and spiritual teachers while sending them scrambling to find the basis of Law of Attraction and its religious validity.
If we consider these religious scriptures as sacrosanct, the same corollary holds good for Law of Attraction. That it exists and is tangible and has religious validity.
Therefore, whatever your personal religious or spiritual inclinations, you can use this to become successful in your life and lead a happy, fulfilling life.
Scientific Validity of Law of Attraction
As usual, the scientific community stands vastly divided on the validity of the Law of Attraction.
Some psychologists argue that the Law of Attraction negates the basic human instinct of survival.
If humans could simply attract prosperity, happiness and other good things to life through the Law of Attraction, there would be no need for activity of any sort such as business or employment.
This would take away the struggles of life necessary for our survival and growth. If the Law of Attraction existed, the human race wouldn’t have seen any progress since people would have simply wished for things to come true and realize.
However, supporters of the Law of Attraction aver differently. They believe that it works on a person’s entire thought process. Psychologists affirm that people with positive thoughts have better lifestyles.
Meaning, their positive thoughts help them behave in a specific manner that attracts what they desire.
This explains why people with minimal skills and education but positive thoughts become highly successful while the highly educated with negative thoughts suffer from a plethora of problems.
Regardless whichever thought you follow I can definitely affirm that Law of Attraction works for me. Indeed, it is helping me achieve a lot of things I would otherwise think were impossible.
So, what exactly is the Law of Attraction? I’ll explain it in the simplest words possible.
Understanding the Law of Attraction
Whether you follow a religion, spirituality or believe in atheism, it's undeniable that our thoughts dictate the quality of our life.
Here’s how it works. Our five senses- sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch continue to bombard our brains with endless information throughout the day.
Our brains process this information in many ways. Some of it remains as mere knowledge while others develop further as thoughts.
These thoughts generate emotions. Yet others generate extremely powerful emotions.
These extremely powerful emotions usually compel us to take action.
Psychology, Neurology, and Psychiatry among others, recognize and accept that such a process indeed occurs in our brains.
And it’s upon this very basis that Law of Attraction works.
When our thoughts are positive, our emotions and resulting actions are purpose-driven and fruitful.
However, when we have negative thoughts, our actions are half-hearted and hence, don’t fetch the necessary results despite our best efforts.
So, let’s look at how to use the Law of Attraction in our day-to-day affairs.
Using the Law of Attraction for Happier Life
Indian spiritual teacher, Parmahansa Yogananda says: “If you have a strong mind and plant in it a strong resolve, you can change your destiny.”
While the statement appears as one sentence, it actually consists of three different parts of human life.
Part-1: Strong Mind
The first is a strong mind. This is the basic necessity to use the Law of Attraction for a happier life. Because a weak mind falters and is usually very fickle.
Most people aren’t even aware of what they want or have definite goals for life. Indeed, a majority of us have copycat goals that emulate our parents or some successful neighbor in our childhood.
This is clearly seen in the career choice that most Indians make. Everyone aims for a secure career that would fetches steady and high income. Few are willing to even think outside the box and get wealthy or famous.
Another classic example is people suffering from chronic disease. They’re willing to spend a lot on expensive medicines and conventional treatment.
Nobody thinks about unconventional treatment that can cure the disease since they fear intense suffering or premature death.
This happens because people don’t have a strong mind to believe they can exceed their own expectations or limitations and live an exceptionally happier life.
Victims of disease, scared of suffering as they are, would rather pay for expensive therapies than believe that something unconventional can actually cure them.
There’s a fabulous book by author and alternative medicine proponent, Deepak Chopra by the title ‘Quantum Healing.” In this book, he speaks about how a woman with a brain tumor was able to cure affliction using internal powers of the body and brain.
This is a classic example of how the Law of Attraction works. The woman had a strong mind and believed she could be healed of the brain tumor completely.
She took steps suggested by Deepak Chopra such as meditation. And her body responded to her mind’s desire of getting healed.
The first rule to remember: Using the Law of Attraction requires a strong mind. A mind that will think outside the box and try unconventional ideas and methods to succeed- whether it’s a career or healing from some affliction.
Part-2: Strong Resolve
How many of us have a strong resolve? Not many if we take some time and introspect. A classic example is our New Year Resolutions we set every year. How many of us are able to keep those? Or even one among those? Not many.
The reason is simple- we resolve to do a lot of positive things but don’t have a very strong resolve to achieve them.
Therefore, one of the things that very important to use the Law of Attraction is strong resolve.
If we look at countless success stories around the world, we’ll find that a strong mind combined with strong resolve plays an important factor for everyone. There’re several rags to riches stories that have no common explanation.
Noted TV host Oprah Winfrey and bestselling author JK Rowling of the Harry Potter fame are two such examples.
They had a strong mind and a strong resolve to overcome poverty and horrific living conditions. Both these women are billionaires and avid philanthropists now.
Part-3: Change Your Destiny
Yes, with a strong mind and strong resolve, one can indeed change destiny. However, I’m not a firm believer in this notion known as ‘destiny.’ Because I firmly believe that the future of any human isn’t predestined by any power- natural or supernatural.
This is clearly seen in the quote by Parmahansa Yogananda.
It clearly states that we humans can change our destiny. Meaning, if we were destined for something by some natural or supernatural force, we could have done nothing to alter the same.
The very fact that a strong mind and strong resolve can shape our destiny is a clear indicator that the Law of Attraction works in this case.
Therefore, a strong mind and strong resolve are prerequisites to using it.
Does the Law of Attraction Work for All?
The only way I can answer this question is yes and no. You may have anticipated such a response. But I will explain why the Law of Attraction works and why it doesn’t.
The first thing you require to make the Law of Attraction work is faith in the law itself. You have to believe that it works and continually use it through positive thinking.
Another important factor is maintaining that unwavering focus on your set goals, without any distractions.
There’re countless distractions that divert our attention or dilute our focus. And unfortunately, most of us fall victim to these distractions, lose sight of our aim and go wandering around aimlessly.
Remember, the Law of Attraction isn’t a miracle. It takes time to realize in your life.
Therefore, if you have faith that the Law of Attraction indeed works, the next thing you require is action. There’s an old axiom that explicitly states: “Faith without action is dead faith.”
So, let’s see how to put your faith in the Law of Attraction into action.
Action for Law of Attraction to Work
As Gautama Buddha said: “With our thoughts, we make our world.” Therefore, every positive thought we have needs to be put into action instantly. Because it doesn’t take long for a positive thought to degenerate into a negative one.
And what are these actions? They could be something at studies, home, work or business.
American billionaire and business magnate Peter F. Drucker rightly says: “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into action.”
If we think deeply, we can find that all of us make excellent plans. However, we never really start working on them or abandon the work midway because we could not see tangible results.
When you don’t take action, you’re actually blocking the Law of Attraction that you had initiated in the very first place. And when positive thoughts turn negative, the results are undesirable of course.
Another excellent example of action for Law of Attraction is Walt Disney’s famous words: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Therefore, take every action that will attract what you desire the most to make the Law of Attraction work in your life very effectively.
Remember, there’s a vast difference between wishful thinking and actually working to realize the Law of Attraction.
