It has been some time since the Law of Attraction was made famous by the movie The Secret and the book too. Despite this, the hype behind this concept does not seem to have reduced or questioned enough. Goes a long way to tell us what a dissatisfied lot we are, that we want to continue manifesting more happiness, more wealth, bigger cars and larger homes!

To understand this craze around this positive thinking philosophy, I have read the book and many others related to the Law of Attraction and then I ventured to see the movie too (honestly, I could not focus on the full thing because it was a whole lot of repetition as if someone was trying to brain wash you).

What is the Law of Attraction (LOA)?

For the uninitiated, it needs to be stated that the Law of Attraction is basically a philosophy that states that your thoughts are manifested into your life. Positive thoughts bring about positive experiences and negative thoughts will give arise to negative situations. ‘Like attracts like’ is a basic mantra of the law as is ‘Think and it shall be’.

The law states that people and thoughts are constituted of energy and therefore when we use this mind energy to send out positive thoughts and vibrations in the world, the universe throws back positive results back at us.

There are three basic steps that need to be followed to practice this law:

• Ask – know what you want and ask for it in the right way using the right words aka affirmations
• Believe – in the law and the wonder of it and have unflinching faith while believing that you are already living the life you want
• Receive – be aware of your surroundings and ready to accept your gift when the universe brings it to you

There are many offshoots of the Law of Attraction. People have made millions telling others the right way to create affirmation lists and how to repeat them daily. There are websites dedicated to affirmation lists that have been generated by various people on any topic that you can think of – happiness, confidence, homes, family welfare, health, security, finance and more.

Then there are vision boards and there are businesses dedicated to explaining how the thoughts can be made stronger with the use of visuals.

Aspects of LOA That Make Sense (to me)

Now, I am a strong believer in a lot of things rational. However, I also realize that everything cannot be explained. Whether it is due to our limited knowledge or the nature of universe (random), the fact remains that accepting some things as they are is probably essential to a happy existence.

So, I do not discount the entire theory completely. The whole concept of sending positive vibrations into the world agrees with me. It is true that when you look at everything with love, you get love back. When you accept people as they are, you get accepted. This is more to do with your own way of thinking and perceiving the world than anything else.

‘Think and it shall be’ – is one phrase I have thought about a lot. A small diversion is a recent discussion I had with my son. I was complaining that there is little work these days and I am more bored than I have ever been in my life. His perspective shook me because he felt that reading, writing blogs and watching Netflix was the best life anyone could ever have! And so back to my point that if you think life is good, it feels good. But if you think life is bad (because of x, y, or z reasons), it is bad.

The Long List of Issues I have with the LOA

1. Material gains – One of the biggest issues I have with the LOA is that it promises people material gains. Think of a car, think you already have it, draw a picture of yourself riding the car, create a vision board with various car models you desire, and the world will drive the car to your doorstep. A pregnant woman I knew once was convinced she would be able to ensure that she gives birth to a boy because she was using the Law of Attraction to ensure that. She would see herself holding a baby boy in her arms. Tell that to the Y chromosome that was missing from the fetus!
2. Where does that place Karma – If I need to think and envision my dream job, dream car, and dream home, then where does that place karma? Do we need to take any action at all towards achieving our goal? If not, then one should just sit and send ‘car’ or ‘house’ vibes into the world. If yes, then who is to say that it is the universe bringing the job to me or my efforts that have helped me land the position I covet?
3. Risk management – One of the key things that the Law of Attraction states is that dwelling on negative outcomes can hinder the manifestation of the law. So basically, do not think about the things that can go wrong ‘at all’. Just believe whole-heartedly that what you want will happen. This one sends shivers down my spine since hoping for the best and preparing for the worst has been a major driver throughout my life.
4. But the secret is out – One percent of the people on this earth hold more than 96% of the wealth and this is not by accident is what the LOA states. It claims that these are the people who know how to use the law to their advantage (Hmmm, maybe one should personally ask Zuckerberg, Gates, Ambani and Bezos whether they have time to practice this law at all). But then, now the secret is out. Everyone knows about it, has read extensively about how to practice it. So why is the wealth of the world not distributed more evenly now? Founders and proponents of the theory state that people have not learnt how to use it. Nice excuse!
5. Hyperbole – If you see the movie and read the books, the hyperboles will shock you. You can have it all – happiness, health and wealth. You can have, do and be whatever you want. You can be a billionaire, have the kind of success you want, the kind of house you desire. Wallace Wattles, a founder of LOA states, “Do not talk about poverty; do not investigate it, or concern yourself with it. Do not spend your time in charitable work, or charity movements, all charity only tends to perpetuate the wretchedness it aims to eradicate”. It practically asks you not to think about the less fortunate or the diseased because if you do, you attract those things towards you. (gasp!)
6. Anecdotal success stories – Of course, the people in the movie and those sited in the book have personal stories to tell you about how the Law of Attraction changed their loves. For one, these people have obviously made millions by associating themselves with the wave of craze that took over the world (a case of being at the right place at the right time – which is what it is almost always). Success stories are published and talked about more often giving us the feeling that this theory does work. Additionally, we have a need to ascribe a reason to random events that take place. All these add to the feeling that this works.
7. Perfection – We are told in this law that we can imagine and visualize the perfect life and the universe will bring it to us. The perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect partner, and the perfect family are within reach if only you can believe and imagine it right! Simple fact is that life is not perfect. Humans are not perfect (and that’s the fun of it all – perfect is boring). Wishing for perfection only causes misery and continued unhappiness.

How LOA Explains Misses

Simply put those that are skeptical about the law of attraction are set aside because they obviously do not have unflinching, complete faith in the Law of Attraction and therefore it is obvious that their thoughts do not manifest themselves in the way they should. This is a brilliant one since anyone who doubts the Law of Attraction is a non-believer and therefore not someone who can gain from this universal law.

If one sites examples of those who have complete faith and yet have not been able to realize their perfect jobs or perfect homes, the problem is with the execution and not the law itself. The blame is placed on the improper execution of the process. The affirmations are not right! The faith must be complete! You cannot have a single shred of doubt! Your manifestations are doomed if you have one single negative thought! Such statements make people who practice the law even more desolate – its right there and I am not able to practice it right!

Do yourself a favor and practice the LOA the right way – give up this dream for perfection and material gains! Learn to stay happy with whatever you have while doing your karma without getting attached to the outcome of your actions. Plan your future, manage risk and Stay Happy!

To get more in-depth understanding of the Law of Attraction check out Throw Away Your Vision Board: The Truth About the Law of Attraction

To read ‘the book’ on the Law of Attraction, click away The Secret

And someone who ardently believes and has had positive results using LOA recommends Your Sacred Self

[polldaddy poll=10269717]