The Law of Attraction, originally a concept from the late 18th century New Thought movement, regained its popularity when Rhonda Byrne wrote the movie "The Secret" in 2006, and then the book in 2007. Some might say it has had a huge impact on the mass consciousness, others are skeptical, while others still believe but haven't harnessed its power in their own lives. That said, there is clearly a bit of confusion on its general application; especially when it comes to your health. Let's talk about a few ideas you can start to implement in your daily life that just might make way for some big shifts!
#1 - Energy, Thoughts and Visualization.
The main idea behind the law of attraction is that people manifest their reality not through their thoughts alone but through their energy. The universe will respond to the energy generated by a particular thought, not just the thought itself. That means your mindset, mood and energetic state need to resonate on a higher frequency. While this may seem difficult to access if you're not feeling your best, deep breathing, meditation, mindful movement, or making room for whatever brings you most joy and relaxation can help to get you there. From this state, you can start to manifest what it is you desire, and after a while, the energy and feeling becomes the reward, and the material items just appear after the fact. This might sound a little woo-woo, and I can understand your doubt; but did you know there are scientific studies confirming the benefits of affirmation, visualization, and stress management in weight loss. In a 2018 article posted in the Journal of Molecular Biochemistry Xenaki et. Al. had an intervention group attended an 8-week stress management program that comprised of diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided visualization and instructions about healthy nutrition/dietary habits; this group had a significantly larger reduction in BMI then the control group. They also reported better scores in depression, anxiety and improve locus of control. So focusing on not just the workout and diet but on the way you show up to the workout may be key in getting the best results.
#2 - Letting Go of Resistance
The level of internal resistance people have to the things that they want is not completely understood. Most people have a limiting belief in some area of their life that they would like to change. When they have certain problems or issues, for example with weight, they then create an identity for themselves out of these problems. “I’ve always struggled with my weight, it’s harder for me to lose weight, it’s just my genetics” - sound familiar? When something comes along that is at odds with our idea of ourselves in some way, we resist the new change - this is otherwise known as cognitive dissonance. The dissonance causes a discomfort because we now have two conflicting beliefs that we must reconcile or one we must release. By default, without careful intentionality we end up with the most stable of the beliefs as our basis, typically the one that serves us less. This can be observed when people win the lottery and wind up homeless 10 years later- beliefs and patterns of money spending don’t change, and typically they overspend just as they had before, landing themselves in an even worse spot. We have to be an energy match to a new reality and let go of attachment to our former convictions. Otherwise, nothing will change. Many people are resistant to the idea of the law of attraction and will refuse to believe their existence could be more simple. They will then continue to struggle believing that this is just how life is. They will hold onto the beliefs that limit them and avoid the difficult work of resolving the cognitive dissonance. Take this for an example: "My body just doesn’t work and I can’t lose weight" or, "I’ve never truly committed to my ideal body and lifestyle for more than a few days or weeks". If you can start to release the beliefs about the possibilities; your energy will help bring about changes that transform who you are!
#3 - Don’t Get Too Precise
It is important to understand the energy equivalent of what you want. You can have an image or a feeling about what you want that makes you feel good. But as you get more precise about how it is supposed to manifest, the universe has fewer ways that it can give it to you. If you think "I have to weigh 120 lbs because that’s what I weighed in college/when I was happiest", you’ve shut down a ton of possibilities. Not just possibilities to have a healthier body, and life, but a happier one as you’ve determined you aren’t allowed to be happy until you weigh that number. The easiest example of this outside of body weight is in your work or business. There are millions of ways to get rich. But if you can only possibly contemplate one or two methods which would involve years of work and labor, you say no to a ton of things that may have been potentially beneficial. Consider that most every successful business has changed up their business model, and they do so regularly. They might have a general idea about where they want to go, but they definitely innovate and change as these opportunities present themselves. So by opening our minds to the likelihood of a positive outcome, we are shifting our set point, and our energy, and start to attract and resonate with the endless possibilities that exist in this space.
It might be easier for some to see proof of the law of attraction if you consider that it is always working. The negative thoughts, beliefs about oneself and ones life, fear and anxiety, attracts more of the same. We've all be in a bad mood before and from there felt the snowball effect of everything seeming to just go wrong. "When it rains it pours", right? While this might be depressing to think about, let it serve as a reminder of how absolutely powerful your thoughts are. You have the potential to make big changes when you consider this truth and make a concerted effort to let the law of attraction work in your favor.
So let's commit to doing everything we can to shift our thoughts and hopes and dreams for the future into the positive, and try not to get too precise about how it will materialize when visualizing. This is not to say completely change the process every other day, but be open to the possibility that what didn’t work before might work now, or what has worked before isn’t what will work now. Be curious. Be open. and live BIG.
