We talk a lot about the law of attraction. People who subscribe to this theory believe the energy of your thoughts create your experiences; in other words, positive thoughts attract positive experiences and negative thoughts attract negative ones. I am a big believer in the law of attraction. There’s no doubt in my mind that thoughts and words are things, and they have power when it comes to your life, happiness, and success.
In addition to that, there are times when it’s helpful to take a more active approach and reinforce your positive thoughts with action. A few days ago, some neighborhood kids reminded me that sometimes you have to hunt for what you want.
On Saturday afternoon, I was at home with my dog Pearl when I heard knocking at the front door. Over Pearl’s excited yaps, I could hear equally excited giggles and squeals. I opened the door to find three little girls at the door. One girl was holding a list and a pillowcase.
“It’s my birthday and we’re having a scavenger hunt! Do you have an avocado, some clothespins, and an old-fashioned fountain pen?”
It turns out, I had all three. I have an avocado tree with plenty of fruit, and we’d used clothespins to secure some netting to keep Pearl out of the pool. And anyone who knows me well is aware of my fondness for pens of all kinds. The girls were thrilled with their haul. “We’re going to win for sure!” They thanked me and ran down the driveway.
Now I’m all for the law of attraction, but I know that if those girls had simply thought about what they needed, they wouldn’t have gotten the results they were looking for. Instead, I believe their thoughts and optimistic energy LED them to my door, and that’s where the combination of positive thoughts and action came together for the win.
Awareness + Goals = What You Want in Life.
There’s a saying that “what you measure improves,” and it applies to all areas of life. When you consciously keep track of something, like eating healthy, exercising, or saving money you are almost sure to start seeing better results, without even trying. For example, I read that people who wear a pedometer “magically” walk at least one extra mile per day on average.
I believe there are two reasons for this. One is that the very process of measuring something increases your consciousness of it. You’re AWARE of the fact that you’re counting your steps, so you park a little further away from the grocery store, knowing the extra distance you walk will register on your pedometer. You are AWARE of your eating, so you portion out your food instead of mindlessly snacking.
The second reason is that when you’re conscious of something, you really can’t help yourself from setting a goal. Maybe that goal isn’t concrete. It might just be continuous improvement. If you’re measuring steps, your goal may just be to walk more. If you’re tracking your food, your goal may be to eat more vegetables and less sugar. If you’re keeping a list of what you spend money on, you may have a specific goal, or simply want to aware of your finances.
This all sounds very practical, and not exciting and magical like the law of attraction – but trust me, there’s magic here! You just have to help it along.
When you think positive thoughts, you’re opening yourself up and letting the universe do the work. That’s a start! But like the girls doing the scavenger hunt, it’s a lot more effective to go out and actively look for what you want.
Here are some examples you can try today to help yourself succeed at the “scavenger hunt of life!”
– Think about what you want in life and use the law of attraction to help make those things happen. Then take it one step further and track not just your thoughts, but your actions. Be sure to note positive progress and results, no matter how small.
– Look for people making a difference. Keep a journal of the positive impact people in the world are having and track the good news, instead of focusing on fear-based stories.
– Make it a point to follow positive people on social media. If a celebrity, influencer, or friend’s posts make you feel sad, worried, or “less-than” – unfollow!
– Search for ways to volunteer, or support people and organizations that make things better. Actively seek opportunities to “be the light you want to see in the world.”
– Consciously look out for signs that let you know you’re on the right path.
I want you to have the very best life. Like the little girls discovered on Saturday when they arrived at my door – a positive, optimistic attitude combined with awareness of what you want and what is around you can be like the wind in your sails, helping you on your journey.