Shaboom, Inc. Personal Growth Coaching for Accidental Entrepreneurs- HOME Shaboom! is about the bigger life dream of successful self employment Personal Growth and Small Business Coaching for Accidental Entrepreneurs Personal Growth and Development Workshops for Accidental Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners Keynote speaking and facilitation The Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide to Self Employment Success, a blog on personal growth and development Small Business Marketing  for the self employed />
          <area shape=

March 8, 2007 10:53 AM

What Abundance Gurus Don’t Tell You About the Law of Attraction

If you have, ummm, “issues” related to abundance and scarcity, it’s likely that you have explored positive thinking, visualization, and the Law of Attraction. If you are getting what you want from applying these principles, you can stop reading now.

(But wait! Please read on and then tell me what you think about all of this in the comments section below.)

When a sweet idea turns sour
If you love the idea of attraction but stub your toes when it comes to getting consistent results, believe me, I understand.

Perhaps, like me, you remember a time when you first realized the power of your thoughts. Wow! There you were, confidently stepping into a future that was not determined by your past, and the whole enterprise was imbued with enthusiasm (en-theos; filled with God) and lightness. What’s not to love?

And then perhaps, attraction and positive thinking seemed to stop working. No matter how you badgered yourself, regardless of how much inspirational literature you read, you appeared stuck in an unsatisfactory current reality. And then, maybe, you tried harder.

It's hard to steer when you are holding on for dear life.
Trying to make the Law of Attraction work against apparent evidence to the contrary is like climbing onto a unicycle at the top of a hill and trusting momentum to keep you from falling. The more energy you put into your carefully crafted (and sincere) intentions, the harder you hit the ground when intention crashes into Reality.

When the Law of Attraction is working, the rewards far exceed your efforts. When it isn’t, no matter how much energy you put in, you stay stuck. Fortunately, there is an explanation for both outcomes, and it can restore you to right relationship with infinite possibility.

A short, painless, detour through physics

It’s impossible to get more energy out of a system than you put in. That’s the law of conservation of matter and energy, and neither you nor I are in a position to contravene it. When the Law of Attraction produces results that outstrip your efforts, the only possible explanation is another source of power.

I call that power Reality. You may call it God, Spirit, Consciousness, The Universe – the name is immaterial. What matters is recognizing that attraction works by virtue of a power other than and greater than yourself.

Good news and bad news
The good news about the Law of Attraction is that it works. The bad news is that you are the Tonto to Reality’s Lone Ranger, the Sancho Panza to Reality’s Don Quixote. And that, friends, is why your best efforts can run you ragged instead of producing the results you long for.

Whenever you use The Law of Attraction to escape something undesirable or get to something you think will be better, it is doomed to failure. That’s because you are objecting to Reality, the senior partner in your enterprise.

When you try to manifest change without accepting Reality, you are working without the benefit of leverage and traction.

When a lever is just a stick in the mud
The Law of Attraction magnifies intentions and actions to produce significant change just as leverage amplifies a relatively small force to produce a relatively large result.

Investors use leverage when they borrow money in the expectation that the rate of return will exceed the cost of the loan, thus enabling them to earn a return on an investment they couldn't otherwise afford.

In mechanics, leverage is produced when you push down on the long end of a stick resting on a fulcrum so that the short end moves upward with great force.

In physics and metaphysics, no fulcrum = no leverage. If you can’t repay a loan, you won’t profit from borrowing money. Push on a stick without a fulcrum, and, at best, you sink the stick in the mud.

If you rely on the Law of Attraction to produce results without grounding your vision in current reality, no amount of positive thinking or visualization will be sufficient to get what you want.

Reality is the fulcrum without which the lever of attraction is useless.

Power without traction equals spin out
If you’ve ever hit the gas when driving on a wet or icy road, you know that adding power when you don’t have traction results in loss of control. You can go fast, but without traction you have no control over where you are going.

Similarly, when you use affirmations and positive thinking to ramp up your energy without being firmly rooted in acceptance of What Is, you will spin your wheels every time.

Accepting – even loving – Reality is where the rubber meets the road. It is the key to traction.

The power of attraction starts with loving what is
Accepting yourself and reality here and now is the missing piece of the attraction puzzle, but how do you do that? What if you find yourself devoutly wishing that someone would just put you away so you won’t have to deal with yourself for a while? (Or am I the only one who occasionally feels that way?)

When the truth is that you don’t like the way things are, then that’s where acceptance begins. Stop. Look. Listen to yourself. Make room for the uncomfortable thoughts and beliefs that you are so eager to get rid of.

Consider the example of the Tibetan saint, Milarepa. One day Milarepa was meditating in front of his cave when the demons of anger, greed, and fear arose before him. They were truly horrible beings with flames spurting out of their nostrils and pus flowing from their eyes.

Rather than push them away, Milarepa invited the demons into his cave for tea. One by one they entered the cave, and in the light of his clear regard, they dissolved.

Eventaully, only one demon remained. The most terrifying of them all, it roared and howled, and rather than dissolving in Milarepa's presence, it grew larger and more foul. Regarding the demon with great humility, Milarepa stood and bowed, baring his neck and thrusting his head between the creature's fangs. As he breathed in the sulfurous stench of the demon’s breath, Milarepa whispered, “Teach me your pain.”

When your own demons howl in protest at what is, when doubts assail you and you feel like divorcing your own sweet self, it’s time for tea and radical surrender.

Are you still with me? I hope so, because there is a magic formula that restores balance to the Law of Attraction. It is to aknowledge, accept, and question (not argue with) your stressful thoughts, then sit in the answers that arise from within.

How do you do that? The best way I know is The Work® of Byron Katie. The Work is a direct route to acceptance, and from acceptance, creative ambition can’t help but flower.

Check it out. Do The Work. Then come on back and tell me what you found.

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.shaboominc.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/138

Comments

I could not agree with you more. There is a missing link that so many working with the Law of Attraction are missing. It is about being in the now. It is about letting go of the past and not anticipating the how's and why's of the future.

I have been working with this concept for awhile and developed a method called I Surrender This ® .

I hope you'll take a look.

Blessings to all,
Lisa Sullivan

Posted by: Lisa at March 9, 2007 6:06 PM

I wonder what would happen if someone applied "The Work" to their disbelief in "The Secret" and experienced accepting the opposite?

How specifically does creative ambition arise and flower from acceptance?


drBob


Posted by: drBob at March 10, 2007 4:49 AM

Wow! This is certainly a fresh approach to this idea set. Very clear and concisely stated. Thanks!

Reminds me of the movie "Cars", "Turn right to go left..." So to get what's going to make me happy in the future I have to be happy first. Well, darn. I thought there would be an easier way that didn't require me to give up my bitterness.

And isn't it true that sometimes we like to enjoy our bitterness more than we want to get what we say we want?

Great post!!!!

Heather Flanagan
www.visualizepossibilities.com

Posted by: Heather Flanagan at March 13, 2007 10:02 PM

A half a world away from home (Japan to BI), Googling for some advice to help me decide whether or not to do The Work: a homegirl, she of the crazily painted VW bug in the Grand Old Fourth Parades issues a challenge. Synchronicity at its best.
Thanks, Molly

Posted by: Colleen at March 14, 2007 1:27 AM

Newsletter Signup
First Name
Last Name
Email

Spam Free RSS | Privacy Policy

Font size too small?
Click here for options.

Subscribe to this blog

Good Stuff from Good People

 

 

 

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

 

 

 

Are We Connected?

Follow Molly at Twitter

Molly Gordon's profile on Facebook

Biznik - Business Networking

View Molly Gordon's profile on LinkedIn

JUST-RIGHT BIZ

Why You Can't Measure the ROI of Social Media (unless you're a real person)
How Honest Are You About Business?
A Reality Check for the Self Employment Dream
Are you in a faux flow trance?
Spiritual perfectionism, strategic procrastination, and feeling yummy
Q&A about Getting Biz from Big Companies
What if Self Employment Could Be Easier?

ART BIZ

Wildcard Wednesday: success, fanaticism
How to Get Organized Without Dowsing Your Creative Fire
How Prospective Clients Can Teach You Marketing: The Surprising Relationship Between Marketing and Empathy
Only the Cows Know: 21 Economic Models
Artists, Should You Lower Your Prices?

DON'T SAY NICHE

In Praise of Small Ponds: Why Being Picky Is Good for Business
How Prospective Clients Can Teach You Marketing: The Surprising Relationship Between Marketing and Empathy
Are You Overlooking This? How your weaknesses make you a one-of-a-kind perfect fit for your just-right clients.
Talk to me: how does my non-traditional background serve you?
Marketing to Mr. and Ms. Right

AUTHENTIC MARKETING

Why You Can't Measure the ROI of Social Media (unless you're a real person)
How to Add a Stream of Income that Makes Your Clients Smile and Makes You Money
Why Appealing to Fear Is a Good Thing
How to Make Free Stuff Valuable
Fear and Loathing in Marketing-Land

HONEST SELLING

How to Add a Stream of Income that Makes Your Clients Smile and Makes You Money
Why Appealing to Fear Is a Good Thing
Bug Your Customers (They'll Love You for It)
Interview with a Whale Hunting Woman
Self Employment TV: Free Stuff, Should You Give It?

JUST RIGHT PRICING

How to Make Free Stuff Valuable
Self Employment TV: Free Stuff, Should You Give It?
How to Feel Good About What You Charge
The Co-Dependent Entrepreneur: Why Self-Employment Feels Hard
Are You Worth It? How to Establish the Value of Your Work Even When Times Are Tough

CLIENT CARE

Are you really listening to prospective clients?
Why I Don't (Seem to) Care About Mistakes
Content Is King, but Connection Rules
10 Mistakes Accidental Entrepreneurs Make When Worried about Money
Talk to me: how does my non-traditional background serve you?
Money Magic: How to Stop Hiding When Clients Have Money Issues
The Grace of Rejection: How to Turn Disappointment into Work That Fits Just-Right

MONEY

The Art, Science, and Grace of Thriving
How to Add a Stream of Income that Makes Your Clients Smile and Makes You Money
Spiritual perfectionism, strategic procrastination, and feeling yummy
How to Feel Good About What You Charge
The Co-Dependent Entrepreneur: Why Self-Employment Feels Hard

PRODUCTIVITY

The Pomodoro Technique
A Reality Check for the Self Employment Dream
Are you in a faux flow trance?

Wildcard Wednesday


Sunshine came softly through my window today

Administrivia or Momentum?

BOOKS | TOOLS

The Pomodoro Technique
Q&A about Getting Biz from Big Companies
Recycle Electronics
The Books Are Here
Consumerism and Depression - A Link?
Going Sane: Working on Your Work
Why Mike Dooley Rocks

FEAR

Why Reducing Anxiety Doesn’t Help Your Business
Stop! Do *Not* Trust That Guy!
Spiritual perfectionism, strategic procrastination, and feeling yummy
Fear and Loathing in Marketing-Land
What if Self Employment Could Be Easier?

SPIRIT

Wildcard Wednesday


Sunshine came softly through my window today

How to Use Affirmations to Get What You Intend and Intend What You Get
I'm Not Cinderella: The Split in the Soul of the Accidental Entrepreneur
Confessions of a Moody Marketer or Self Employment for Aspiring Grown Ups
Why Trust Is the Most Valuable Currency (or Why Makes Marketing & Sales Are Duties We Owe Our Clients)

LIFE SKILLS

The Art, Science, and Grace of Thriving
Zen and the Art of Paving: Off Topic
Why Reducing Anxiety Doesn’t Help Your Business
Success in Pink Polka Dot Pajamas
The Pomodoro Technique

THE WORK of BYRON KATIE


Ajax CommentLuv Enabled 108416996a693056b333f7715907a0c5



Track referers to your site with referer.org free referrer feed.

Powered by FeedBlitz

 

* * *
Molly Gordon's blog, The Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide to Self-Employment Success, is listed in:
Blog Flux Directory | Blog Directory | LS Blogs | Globe Of Blogs | Blog Universe | Blog Directory | Blogdigger |BlogRankings.com
BlogSweet.com
| Weblog Directory | SynBlog.com | All-Blogs.net | Blog-Watch.com
Shaboom, Inc.
© copyright 2005-2009 * shaboom inc * all rights reserved * design by superwebgroup.