Is The Law of Attraction A Con?

In 1988 a British politician and Margaret Thatcher wannabe named Edwina Currie, decided that she wasn’t satisfied with having a face that merely looked like an Ass, she wanted to talk like one too.

At the time she was a Junior Minister for Health looking to make a name for herself within the Tory Party. Well she certainly achieved that when she made the asinine statement that “Most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella”

Even if it were true and even if she did believe it it’s not the kind of thing you’d expect a Minister of the Crown to be saying. As you can imagine egg sales plummeted, farmers revolted and Currie had enough egg on her face to kill her stone dead in seconds.

That is the epitome of making an outrageous claim without outrageous evidence to back it up. As it happens, most eggs weren’t infected with salmonella, but the damage was done nevertheless. Of course a lot of people rolled their eyes as they tucked into their egg and soldiers for breakfast that morning, but a great many didn’t. They took what they heard at face value and stopped buying eggs or eating products that contained eggs.

Think of any major conspiracy theory and you’ll usually find outrageous claims with little or no outrageous proof to substantiate them. I was a huge JFK theory conspiracy theorist for many years. I was almost obsessed by it and JFK is still one of my favorite movies.

Then about 5 years ago the BBC ran a program on the magic bullet theory. I settled down eager to have my theories confirmed only for a computer simulation to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it could have happened as suggested at the time. I and many others had an outrageous claim, but no outrageous proof and I was genuinely devastated. I wanted it to be true because it was more fascinating to me that way.

A lot of people have been, and still are, making outrageous claims about the Law of Attraction, without any proof to substantiate those claims. There are a million and one anecdotal stories about how the LOA worked for this person or that person, but nobody has proved a single thing. Does that mean it’s nonsense? Well not necessarily, but it sure increases the likelihood that it is and suggests a much closer investigation is worthwhile.

The Secret was the main reason people became familiar with the LoA. The fact that the film is littered with inaccuracies and contradictions seemed to have bypassed most people’s critical judgment on first viewing (including my own). That may be because people WANT to believe in something like the LoA. The Secret sold it as a short cut to success and let’s face it, who doesn’t want a short cut to success?

But for every person that stuck a picture of a house on a corkboard and then bought that house, how many thousands didn’t? For every person that mocked up a fake headline and it came true, how many didn’t? For every person that was cured miraculously from a life threatening illness, how many didn’t?

The law of averages dictates that things like this MUST happen from time to time. For every 10,000,000 people that don’t win the lottery, one has to, and to them it will seem unbelievable. Coincidences have to happen in nature, they’re an absolute certainty even if they seem very weird and very personal at the time.

Have you ever heard an amazing story told by somebody that was booked on a flight that later crashed and everybody on board was killed? Often the lucky soul will believe it wasn’t their time or that their guardian angel was looking out for them. The simple fact is that almost every commercial flight that takes off has at least one passenger missing for some reason or other. The businessman that misses his connection isn’t thanking his guardian angle at the time; he’s just pissed off that he’s’ going to miss his important meeting. Except of course if the plane goes down, then he forgets he was pissed off and realizes he was the chosen one.

Prior to The Secret the ground had been laid by the likes of Thomas Leonard and of course by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Leonard the co-founder of Coachville and ICF (International Coaching Federation) is often described as the father of modern day coaching and was without doubt a highly influential figure.

He wrote an interesting book called ‘The 28 Laws of Attraction’ (formerly 28 Principles of Attraction). It begs the question though, how useful was being able to manifest abundance to Thomas Leonard? Well not much as it turns out, because as the more astute of you will have noticed I referred to him in the past tense. He died in 2003 at the tender age of 48. I would have thought manifesting a bit more life would have been higher up on his to do list.

Esther Hicks is a brilliant live performer and she may indeed be a conduit for higher beings. On the other hand, she may be a highly skilled con artist. When I say con artist, that would still apply even if she has positive intentions because she would be knowingly deceiving people. I honestly don’t know which one it is, but I do know this. She uses classic cold reading and artfully vague language techniques beloved by clairvoyants and wannabe soothsayers the world over. You seldom get any specificity from her whatsoever, why is that?

One of the most distasteful aspects or more accurately by-products of the LoA is the high and mighty attitude of some of the devotees. Don’t get me wrong; there are some thoughtful, considered and intelligent people that support the LoA and they have my respect. However, there are also a lot of evangelical drum beating, smug types that hang around on message boards and think non-believers are heretics deserving of their wrath and occasional sympathy.

As the risk of seeming flippant, what the hell are these people doing on message boards defending their position. Can’t they do something more productive with their unearthly powers? Maybe they could manifest food for the starving, shelter for the homeless or a head of hair and waist size less than 40” for Joe Vitale.

There was a debate on Zen Habits a few months ago about the LoA. In the comments section one woman claimed to believe in the LoA because she decided to try it out by manifesting a big red object into her life. A few days later she saw a red hot air balloon over her town, so the LoA must be true. I have a fairly vivid imagination and even I don’t think I could make up something so preposterous as that.

There has been a noticeable shift recently from people previously claiming you can manifest something into your life by thought alone, to you can manifest something into your life by thought and then some action too. Er, yeh right. So let me get this straight. You think about something and then do it and that makes it more likely to happen? Cool, that certainly is a radical concept and food for thought.

Visualization is a very valuable tool and does work. I wrote an e-book in which I explain how and more importantly, why it works. It’s not especially complicated and doesn’t require divine intervention to make it succeed. When we focus on something we want there are a number of reasons that make it more likely to happen than if we give it scant consideration.

The LoA isn’t a law in any scientific sense of the word. In actuality it’s a theory that few scientists take seriously. Just because it’s been embraced by so many (often successful) people including Oprah, doesn’t necessarily make it true. Lot’s of people believed the earth was the center of the universe, masturbation would make you blind and George Bush would make a great President. I’ll let you judge the accuracy of those beliefs.

I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but I honestly have mixed feelings about the LoA. It concerns me that some supporters are too quick to brush off legitimate questions about natural and not so natural disasters like the Asian Tsunami of 04 and the Holocaust. If it is a LAW, then how did these people bring their own destruction upon themselves?

It also worries me that some people see the lives as a mess and think it’s all down to them. The mother that loses a child in labor and thinks it was her fault or the life coaching client that sits down and says “My life is shit and I know it’s my fault because I’ve seen The Secret” I’ve now heard the latter or words to that effect, three times from clients n the last 18 months. That is not helpful.

On the other hand I know some people that have made extraordinary changes for the better in their lives and site the LoA as the reason. Belief is probably the most powerful thing known to man and if these people believe so strongly in their ability to change, then it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that they will. We don’t need a LoA to explain such incidents.

Having said all that I strongly believe we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to the potential of the human mind. Whether that potential includes manifestation or not only time will tell, but if you’re going to convince me beyond any reasonable doubt, you’d better let me have some outrageous proof.

I know a number of people that read here believe without any doubt in the LoA. I hope you don’t think I’ve disrespected your views and I’d love for you to open the debate up and tell me I’m wrong!

Enjoyed this post? Please share it!

Digg it | Stumble it |

Email this post to a friend

85 Comments So Far.

Comment by Carole on 9 November 2008:

I’d debate with you, and defend my beliefs, but I’m a bit busy manifesting right now…. :P

(Seriously, I AM a believer, but I’m not going to argue with anyone. I don’t need that sort of negativity in my head, or in my life, so I just won’t go there.)
Comment by Tim Brownson on 9 November 2008:

@ Carole – We’re friends, right, so I can say this to you and know you’ll take it the right way ;-)

That’s exactly the response I normally get and it’s what frustrates the hell out of me.

I almost think to some people (not saying you here) that it’s like a pseudo-religion, that it’s above reproach.

You can debate something and not get negative, especially if you’re beliefs are strong enough and based in sound reason. I dislike negativity, but I could get into a discussion about that and not fear I would become that way.

I do think that some people desperately want to believe in the LoA and as such don’t want to question their own reasoning in case it falls to pieces. Again, I’m not saying you fall into that category.
Comment by El Baugher on 9 November 2008:

I’m a believer. I don’t think LOA is a quick fix though, and it definately shouldn’t make one high and mighty although some people go that way. But people who go that way generally already have inferiority issues and LOA is just another way for them to try and be better than you are.

LOA is a spiritual thing for me. I’ve developed a personal relationship with God or the Universe or Source or whatever your personal word is. I meditate on how grateful I am just to be alive. When I turn my attention to things I want, they seem to totally flood my awareness within hours. Last week, I expressed huge amounts of gratitude. I spent time at my kid’s school and with other kids and gave away some money to little ones without spending money at the school “book fair”…. the next day (after intending some extra money into my life) I literally FOUND $300. $200 was on a gift card that appeared and no one in the house knows where it came from and $100 was cash on the ground in the middle of the supermarket parking lot. Both things happened within 2 hours of eachother. Coincidence to some, but not me…. I’ve been living my dream for years and I couldn’t be happier. It works for me.

Peace & Love,
El Baugher
Comment by Jessica on 9 November 2008:

Thanks for this!

I read The Secret and I think believing in the Law of Attraction as laid out there is a bit ridiculous. The author writes that EVERYTHING that comes to you is something you’ve attracted. That even includes children who are abused and rape victims. Well you know what? I think if you live in a high-crime area and are forced to walk outside at night you are more likely to get attacked, regardless of your mood, attitude, or intentions.

One thing that I think is actually crazy that most LoA people seem to ignore is that The Secret says you can actually live forever. No one has lived forever yet because they have allowed negative thoughts to creep in. Read it–it’s there!

I believe in the LoA inthe sense that I believe in self-fulfilling prophecy. A lot of the time what you believe is more likely to come true. If you expect positive things in your life, more postive things come to you. There are psychology research studies that show this, and I think that is what is occurring when the LoA “works.”
Comment by Jamie Simmerman on 9 November 2008:

I don’t belive the law of attraction is a magic formula for success and happiness.

“Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”

Jamie Simmermans last blog post..Getting Up Close and Personal
Comment by Lyman Reed on 9 November 2008:

Hi Tim,

Excellent, excellent, excellent post.

Just to first qualify myself, I’m one of those who falls in the “believers” camp.

But I do recognize that it’s just that… a belief. Can’t prove it at our current level of thinking, and can’t disprove it either. It’s also far from negative to question or examine the belief… as a matter of fact, blind faith in *anything* is one of the most dangerous things in the world.

My main criteria for whether to continue to hold any belief is “Does it serve me?”

Right now, my belief in the LoA does. So I’ll continue to hold it, until it doesn’t.

Personal opinion on the Secret and many other LoA teachers – Many are great, until I start hearing those famous words “It’s been scientifically proven…” Then I usually know that some major BS is coming.

Thanks for the post, and the opportunity to write a mini article in your comments section! :)
Comment by Lorraine Cohen on 9 November 2008:

Great post to invite conversation Tim

I believe in Universal Laws that include the Law of Attraction. I believe we are energy beings at our essence and one of the Laws that opeartes in the Universe is the Law of Attraction that means that we attract into our lives what we are in vibration with. To view The Law of attraction as a technique to manifest your heart’s desirs without understanding how the Universe works, our soul purpose, the effect our beliefs on what we manifest…. is like looking at life as flat rather than dimensional. If you put your attention on lack, you attract it. If you live in fear, you attract things that feed it. Your outer world is a reflection of who you are being.

Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God addresses that we are the creators of our reality. It is our consciousness that has created the world we live in and it is within our power to eliminate the pain and problems in the world if we would collectyively CHOOSE to live in a love vibration rather than in fear. Once we stop finger pointing and blaming others for what the world looks like and start taking 100% responsibility for what we attract and manifest through our thoughts, words, and actions, then we will experience creating heaven on earth. Personally, my life is a reflection of richness and joy because of who I choose to be and continue to become.

Blessings,
Lorraine
Comment by Si on 9 November 2008:

Oh wow, where to start.

@jessica – I largely agree with your sentiments, but your examples are terrible! *laugh* It’s a VERY well documented fact that attitude drastically alters likelihood of getting attacked in rough areas. Attackers look for victims, not people striding purposefully & confidently (eg, I spent 5 years in THE roughest area of London & never had so much as a conversation with anyone dangerous). re living forever, I suggest reading up on Aubrey De Grey – now that’s practical not attitudinal, but it’s also very well documented the wear-and-tear that stress puts on the body.. and what’s stress but an attitudinal reaction to your environment resulting in many negative thoughts?

re LOA – the difficulty is this. People are very complicated. We have hundreds, if not thousands of layered thoughts at the same time. Mostly these thoughts conflict & jumble back & forth with each other. Is it hardly surprising that people don’t see the LOA working if half their thoughts say it’s bunk? This is where taking massive action helps – “actions speak louder than words” – so taking action in the direction of your goal helps overwhelm those negative, doubting or contradictory thoughts.

Yes, this stuff is damn near impossible to test scientifically – until we can decode ALL thoughts in real time, it will remain so. So, all you can do is test it out for yourself. If you think it’s complete bollocks, well, that’s cool – there’s tons of other great methods out there for getting what you want. Yes, if you think it’s advisable to sit on your arse & not DO anything, well, that’s going to make it a LOT harder for you (note, I didn’t say impossible, just much harder, since ALL your thoughts will have to be aligned. Not impossible, just harder).

Ultimately you have to make your own call on these things. Obviously Tim thinks LOA is bollocks, while Carole, El & Jessica think otherwise. Luckily you only have to live your own life, so it doesn’t really matter what someone else thinks :)

In my own experience, for my entire life I’ve always had the knack of manifesting two things super reliably – women, & houses. I just get a clear picture in my head, and within a few days or so, exactly what I was picturing turns up. Now, with houses I do still have to go out & look at them, but with women? No, they come to me, with NO physical effort on my part. That’s the LOA in action.

Other areas in my life have been trickier – because I have more conflicting thoughts/emotions – but as I’ve been reducing those conflicting thoughts, I can see those areas start to come much more closely into alignment with what I want too.

You could say, I’m a skeptical believer :) I’ll act as if it’s true, but I’m still constantly searching for empirical evidence.
Comment by Stephen on 9 November 2008:

I love the smile on that donkey’s face! :)

I must say I agree with a lot of what you’ve said in this post. I think that a lot of what is in The Secret is misleading. It was also excessively geared towards material possessions. As if that would equal happiness.

However there are some indications from quantum physics that something along the lines of consciousness being the chooser is active in the manifest world of matter.

I do think that it is possible that we can develop a skill of visualization and focus that will help us take hold of opportunities and take action to achieve what we want. However I also think it is a big universe. There are many forces at play.

For example in quantum physics there is the question: if consciousness is the chooser that collapses the quantum wave function what happens when two people are driving towards a set of traffic lights from different directions and both wish for the lights to be green for them?

Stephen
Comment by Evelyn Lim on 9 November 2008:

Like Lorraine, I believe in Universal Laws that include the Law of Attraction. I have to admit that it was The Secret movie that sparked my interest. However, I knew better than to believe that it will be a shortcut to success. The movie put me on a journey to investigating and finding out what truths there are.

I’ve always known myself to be a very skeptical person. But I realize that if I want to investigate, I need to have that leap of faith first. Any doubts will hold me back and prevent me from exploring an expanded possibility.

I’ve been rewarded ever since. Not just financially but spiritually, mentally and emotionally. So you may call it a belief or some kind of religion….my journey has led me on a track to more empowered living!

Evelyn Lims last blog post..The Lipstick Indicator To Great Wealth
Comment by Carole on 10 November 2008:

“I do think that some people desperately want to believe in the LoA and as such don’t want to question their own reasoning in case it falls to pieces. Again, I’m not saying you fall into that category.”

I definitely don’t fall into that category, because the more I examine my reasoning and experience, the more strongly I believe that it works. I can look back over my life and see how I’ve attracted the things that have happened to me, both good and bad.

That doesn’t mean that I think I’m consciously affecting everything that happens to me all the time, or anything like that, but I do believe that, OVERALL, what I think about, and what I expect, is what I draw to me.

I think visualization and positive thinking are PART of the Law of Attraction. When you think about things, it affects what you say and do and that, in turn, affects what happens to you.

I’ve seen it at work too many times to believe otherwise.

As far as, “But for every person that stuck a picture of a house on a corkboard and then bought that house, how many thousands didn’t? For every person that mocked up a fake headline and it came true, how many didn’t? For every person that was cured miraculously from a life threatening illness, how many didn’t?”:

Not every person that sticks “a picture of a house on a corkboard” or “mocked up a fake headline” believes that it is going to have any effect on their lives.

I would actually wager that MOST people who do it don’t really expect anything to happen because of it, and so nothing does.

They’re basically going through the motions saying, “yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.” But some things have to be believed BEFORE they can be seen.
Comment by Carole on 10 November 2008:

@Lorraine Cohen

“If you put your attention on lack, you attract it. If you live in fear, you attract things that feed it. Your outer world is a reflection of who you are being.”

Another way I think about that is that YOU SEE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. And you make your decisions based on what you see.

- you have a thought
- your thought leads you to notice certain things
- the things you’re noticing affect the way you behave, and the things you do
- the way you behave, and the things you do, affect the way people react to you, and the things that happen to you

So, what you think about affects the things that happen to you.

Isn’t that the Law of Attraction? : )

Caroles last blog post..Record Any Audio on Your Computer, Including Streaming Audio from the Internet
Comment by Laurie on 10 November 2008:

Tim, Has hell frozen over? Is it the end of the world? Do we actually agree? I too find the Law of Attraction to not be so attractive.

Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God is hogwash. The law of attraction is hogwash. If it were true I would be prettier, skinnier, and wealthier. I have been focusing on these ideas for years now and I am still average looking, a little plump and very middle class. Maybe I’m just not vibrating right…

Masturbation makes you blind?….I can’t believe you said that Tim. You should have asked your tweeter friends if you should go there! ;O) PS How’s those glasses? Helping you see a bit better? ;O)
Comment by Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome on 10 November 2008:

One of the more successful LoA proponents is Michael Loisier. He’s found succes through his books and his speaking career (and his connection with Oprah).

I like his book because it has concrete exercises that includes actions, which is something a lot of others miss.

In looking at his career path, however, I saw something that many people who want to believe the Secret don’t want to hear:

It took Michael ten years of hard work to build his success.

Success does not come quickly nor without any work. It can however be fun, but you have to enjoy what you’re doing. And that’s why many people will say that it’s not work – because they enjoy what they do.

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndromes last blog post..Creating Room to Grow: Akemi Gaines Interview
Comment by Guilherme on 10 November 2008:

I’m not sure if there is a Law of Attraction. But let’s suppose it exists. It would be a paradox if a completely non-believer founds out a proof of the Law. It would be against his/her deep thoughts, and consequently against the Law. I think that the closer that someone can get of a proof is some statistical experiment. If you are inclined to believe, something that happens 1/1000 times happened in a experiment, it is a final proof for you. For a non-believer, it would be a coincidence.
Comment by GreatManagement on 10 November 2008:

One of the best posts I’ve read in ages – excellent stuff.

I don’t believe any of it, Secret, LoA.

I prefer good old fashioned proven methods / facts.

Andrew

GreatManagements last blog post..Public Speaking – How To Make Your Next Presentation The Best Ever
Comment by nudgeme on 10 November 2008:

Thought provoking post Tim. I’m with Si in that I’m a sceptical believer, and then only up to a point. Coming from a position that there are no such things as firm beliefs or values, right or wrongs etc, suffice those that I create for myself between my own two ears, I’m still constantly amazed that people try and convince people otherwise. I did watch the Secret and I’ve had many people tell me it’s helped them no end, and if that’s the case then great, why would I want to persuade them otherwise. There are other people I know who think it’s all a load of baloney, and if that works for them then cool too. In my case, I do think life can be improved by taking positive action as well as having positive thoughts (and no, not of the make me thin, rich, etc kind, but more focused on taking actions around goals) but I can’t prove this. What I do believe is that you get what you focus on, and if that’s I’m useless and I’m going to have a dreadful day, then that’s probably exactly what I’ll get ie, my choice is to look on the positive as that’s so much more pleasant than focusing on the negative. I also believe that someone who consistently focuses on the negative reinforces that position.

Thanks Tim – looking forward to reading more comments as they unfold!

All the best

Tamsin/nudgeme
Comment by Adam Sicinski on 10 November 2008:

Personally I feel that the Law of Attraction is something that is very much misunderstood. Getting what we want in our lives requires us to peal back the “onion layers” that represent our different psychological boundaries.

Within these layers we find our values, beliefs, convictions, emotional tendencies, rules, morals, attitudes, the language we speak on a daily basis, the questions we persistently ask ourselves, how we focus our thoughts and mind, our habitual patterns of behavior, and a plethora of other layers that make up who we are.

If these layers are not fully synchronized and do not compliment each other, than conflicts will arise, and no matter how deperately we may want to manifest something into our lives, we will struggle to do so, simply because we are not tuned correctly on all levels.

I created a Chart on the IQ Matrix Blog that I call the MasterMind Matrix: Psychology to Personal Success & Achievement which presents all of these psychological layers in a visual format. It represents a systematic process on how to align and synchronize the different layers of our psychology in order to increase our chances of manifesting what we want most in our lives. The chart isn’t a “walk in the park”, however it does provide a path that all of us can follow.
Comment by Ali Hale – Alpha Student on 10 November 2008:

I appear to be in the minority here in that I really do not believe in “the law of attraction”.

I *do* believe that by focusing on your goals (and visualising, or writing about them), you can vastly boost your motivation to reach them. That includes boosting your ability to think laterally, make connections and have “what if…” moments.

As Tim says, far too much of what people offer as “evidence” of the “law of attraction” is down to either coincidence, or to them actually getting up off their arses and *doing* something.

But for me, positive thinking is not connected to trying to manifest “things” into my life. If I think “I want to be fitter” and this encourages me to go to the gym more, great. If I focus all my energy on THINKING it harder, it’s frankly not going to have any effect.

Ali Hale – Alpha Students last blog post..Using quotations effectively in your essays
Comment by Jenny Mannion on 10 November 2008:

Hi Tim,
I am with Evelyn, Lorraine and Stephen on this one. The Secret is what jump started me into my spiritual journey and for THAT I am thankful for it — but yes, it was very limited in the way it portrayed the LoA — it actually left out(or limitedly discussed) action which is crucial as well. What I took away from it were the issues of health and gratitude and it led to me reading much more comprehensive texts on it such as Charles Haanel’s “Master Key System” and Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”. BOTH paint a much clearer picture.

The reason I kept religion out of my life for so long was I did not like the way it separated people “My God is THE way and yours doesn’t exist”. Yes, if people go GUNG HO LoA just like people fanatical about ANY religion there is a sense of superiority and that does not serve anyone. For me, I took what I could use in my life from the LoA, learned about it from different sources as well as the other Universal laws and then applied it to my own life as I saw fit. It put me in a MUCH better space to heal and YES, I attribute learning about the LoA AND the mind/body connection with my healing. BELIEF is important but action is just as important. If I had sat around saying “I am healthy” but not taken the actions of meditation, gratitude, shifting my self talk and negativity and constantly learning more — I most likely would still be ill.

For me, who cares if the LoA is a proven law or not? To sit around arguing about it takes energy and will not PROVE anything. What matters is what works for YOU. The LoA and everything associated with it works for me. I made a vision board in January and more than 1/2 of the things DID manifest this year. It kept those things in site for me. Paying gratitude and visualization work wonders for my manifestations. I applaud anyone who seeks out to learn more for their spiritual journey and finds something that resonates with them. Yes, the mind is oh so powerful and I wish they taught THAT in school. I studied psychology at the graduate level and NEVER did positive thinking, LoA or anything even similar come up. But we DID spend semesters on drugs to combat different “diagnosis”.

Learning about the LoA when I did “saved” me from being on drugs and fulfilling MANY doctor’s prognoses that I would be in a wheelchair, on tons of pain meds and in chronic pain for the rest of my life — so I will always be grateful for it. Do I think that it means it is the answer for everyone for everything? No, I feel that’d be pretty silly and close minded…. It helps me in my day to day life, it helped me to change YEARS of negative thoughts and it brought me my health which came with a change in my son’s outlook on life as well as he watched me heal myself and saw the difference…. When he got rave reviews from his teacher recently at a parent/teacher conference that he “finds the good in everyone and is very positive” I told him I was very proud of his academic achievements but THIS made me happiest of all — his response was “well mom I know all about the law of attraction because I saw what you did and what you study — how would you EXPECT me to act?”. 2 years ago when I was sick he was very negative and fearful (mirroring me) so I SEE the difference it has made in my family’s life.

Didn’t mean to babble — got me on a sensitive topic here and I am very grateful you opened up this discussion. Thanks Tim – great post as always!

Love,
Jenny
Comment by Tim Justynski on 10 November 2008:

Tim,

Wow! What an article. I have to say that I agree with you 100%. I have read the Law of Attraction and seen “The Secret” movie. While I thought it was an interesting concept, I, like many of the others above, find it hard to believe that a rape victim wished that upon themselves. When I was reading the Law of Attraction, I kept asking myself, when do I get to the part where they tell me how to do it? Same thing with the movie, it was very vague. Filled with lots of success stories but no real explanation.

Now what I do believe in is positive thinking. I think that if someone is happy and positive, they can rub off on other people, and make them happy as well. A negative person by nature, is a drag and is not wanted.

Nice to read that I am not the only one that has doubts on LOA.

Your Central Florida Neighbor,

Tim
Comment by Writer Dad on 10 November 2008:

Great post Tim, and fantastic discussion. The Law of Attraction, reduced to its denominator, totally makes sense. If you want something, be mindful of it, and it will come. The realistic implication is that if you put something front and center in your mind, than of course you will be more focused on it, but the way that argument is laid out in the Secret hovers above ridiculous. A word I saw above was “Vague” and that’s about as accurate as it gets.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 10 November 2008:

Wow – thanks a lot everybody for some brilliant responses and I hope you’ll forgive me grabbing a few selections and replying otherwise I could be here all day and I’ll also end up repeating myself!

Firstly, to a large extent I’m playing Devils Advocate, I don’t disbelieve in the LoA, but equally I don’t believe in it and I’d actually quite like to.

I really wish this was an online or even ‘real world’ chat so we could throw stuff backwards and forwards.

@ Lyman – Actually I have to concede that is as good a reason as any for holding onto the belief. As a life coach it would be churlish of me not to agree. If it serves you, keep it.

@ Si – Considered response as I would expect.

I got beaten up in London once. I was wondering through Piccadilly with a mate and we got jumped from behind. I spent a lot of time in London and was pretty street smart (I was probably about 20 at the time). I was confident, knew where we were going and in a good frame of mind, then wham! I got a flying kick from behind as we got jumped by 20 skinheads. Not sure what that tells us, but to say we were surprised was a bit of an under-statement.

@ Stephen – That made me think of ‘What The Bleep Do We Know’ which is a far superior movie imho than The Secret. At least it took a much more scientific and measured view of quantum physics. That movie made sense to me and even though the water experiment was debunked (apparently) there was still some way cool stuff in there.

I like your question too!

@ Carole – But the LoA is at work all the time and ALL your thoughts have to be effecting it in some way shape or form. If this is a ‘law’ of physics then it can only work that way and it’s academic what you consciously think of for an hour or whatever other time span you care to mention, because the other 23 hours will wipe that out if you have contrary unconscious thoughts. I don’t believe that unconscious and conscious thoughts are any different in terms of vibration etc.

@ Andrew – Wow that is some mind map! Not sure if I can follow it but it’s impressive.

@ Alex – Of course we’ll never know, but maybe everything would have panned out exactly the same for Loisier without the LoA, although I suppose he’d have no book and no income ;-) I have read his book or rather listened to it, as well as the Hicks stuff and some of Thomas Leonard. All of them left me feeling unfulfilled and wanting to know more.

@ Jenny – Let me tell you a secret. Hypnosis doesn’t exist. It’s impossible to hypnotize anybody that doesn’t want to be hypnotized. It’s all about the belief of the client. If they believe it will work, then it will.

I think what you did was brilliant and I think it can be explained by everything you said without needing a LoA. You had belief in yourself (irrespective of how it got there), you demonstrated gratitude which reduces stress and basically did what you needed to do. The body is brilliant at healing itself if we can get out of the way.

Having said that, I could repeat here what I said to Lyman because your belief serves you. I just like getting under the skin of things to learn and this helps tremendously.

Again, many thanks for all of your fascinating comments. I appreciate you taking the time to share your opinions!
Comment by Steve C @ MyWifeQuitHerJob.com on 10 November 2008:

Hi Tim,

I saw the secret movie and I personally thought that it could have been summarized in 5 minutes or less. While I agree with the principles in general, I hardly think that it’s worth devoting a book and a movie to. I’m a scientific person and I need proof which the movie did not provide! Great comprehensive post. I’m new here and I’ll be coming back.

Steve C @ MyWifeQuitHerJob.coms last blog post..When Getting Good Grades And Entrepreneurship Don’t Mix
Comment by Lissa on 10 November 2008:

I think the Law of Attraction and The Secret — as presented — are utter loads of crap. I also think christianity is the most successful con in human history, and people foolish enough to hand over direction of and responsibility for their own lives to a “stronger and more powerful entity,” convinced that such a power must be good and will thus take care of them on a microcosmic level, deserve exactly what they get.

So in this case, Tim, I’m of no value as a debater — I’ll merely point to your post above and say of your disbelief, “yeah, that’s a far more polite way of saying what I think.”
Pingback by Is The LoA A Con? on 10 November 2008:

[...] why does the majority of the serious scientific community dismiss it out of hand? Let me have your proof here, not hyperbole, coincidence and instincts because they are meaningless in the great scheme of [...]
Comment by Hunter Nuttall on 10 November 2008:

The thing that makes LOA debates tough is that everyone takes an all-or-none approach to them. They ask, “Do you believe in The Secret?” as if it were a yes or no question. The Secret makes lots of points, so which point are you talking about?

Do I believe that every unborn baby in Hiroshima used the ask-believe-receive process to attract a nuclear bomb? No, I don’t. (And just think, if only one of them had thought happy thoughts, we’d all be speaking Japanese right now.)

Do I believe that strongly desiring to lose weight will help you lose weight? Of course! But that doesn’t mean your thoughts will magnetically repel cheeseburgers. If you really want to lose weight, you’ll eat right and exercise, because you know that’s what you have to do, and you’ll have the motivation to stick with it. If someone claims they want to lose weight but they don’t take actions consistent with that, then they don’t really want to lose weight that much. The problem is with their thoughts, which determine their actions. For anything to happen, their desire to lose weight has to be stronger than their desire to eat quadruple quarter pounders with cheese. Duh.

Now, here’s the point where people say “But that’s just common sense!” Of course it is! When have you ever read something worth reading that wasn’t common sense? They’ll say “But we don’t need an LOA to explain this!” OK, maybe we don’t, but we don’t technically need puppies either. Still, I like them.

The Secret is ridiculous exaggerated, but everyone could benefit from using positive thinking and the inspired action that will naturally follow (though The Secret is flawed for severely downplaying the amount of action needed). Seriously, how many people do you know who use positive thinking most of the time? None?

Hunter Nuttalls last blog post..Mirroring: Your Top Secret Psychological Weapon
Comment by Fred on 10 November 2008:

Hey,

As far as science as concerned, like repels like. We live in a cause and effect universe. Therefore, a person’s circumstances as arising from numerous causes, many of whicvh we have no control over, are subject to chance and some that we do have control over. The LoA as you put it is nothing more than wishful thinking, in much the same that way that prayer is supposed to give humans some control over a chaotic universe. Only the LoA makes humans the God.
Comment by Michael Panebianco on 10 November 2008:

Tim,

Great thoughts. I am not the biggest believer in LoA, though I do believe that resonating positive energy in your head leads to an advanced possibility of cohesion with what you desire. I dont believe that this is enough though. I am a firm believer in building the tools to make the success of those energies or events possible. Hope cannot reverse the nature of things. I believe you addressed this with your comparison to coincidence, or circumstance, and even luck.

I find more comfort in observing the nature of things and aligning myself with the nature of what I want to happen, rather than relying on the resonating energy in my thick skull. They must work together. I will address my area of expertise in the violence analogy brought up earlier. I am a Coach as well, not a life Coach, but a self-defense and conflict management Coach. Do I believe that our personal behavior can attract or repel an attack? Certainly, but only for 97% of attackers. The other 3% are products of their environment, or their formed nature, and they are going to take, beat, kill, steal, rape, or pillage whatever they want. That is their nature. Hope, Faith, and positive thinking are great, but they will not help you in the skinhead stomp that Tim underwent. Hope that you dont have to take a life, Faith in your training and physiology, and positive attitude about your chance of surviving the encounter will be your best chance at enjoying another sunrise. Thats the nature of violence. In those few incidents, what you think and believe will be your downfall in a critical moment that you need to be acting to survive.

While I think that LoA believers would like to think that concentrating on peace may prevent an attack, linking that desire for peace with a strong ability to defend can empower things like empathy, choice speech, and non violent postures. Those are real tools that can get you out of the situations with the 97%ers. The 3%ers require real tools to be survived. I know this from having studied violence, seen firsthand the results of denial, fear, and ego, and have examined the nature of the people who cannot be talked down. Whether it makes you feel bad or not, some people cannot be talked down. They have no shred of goodness that you can reach with your enlightened state. Hopefully they will not require a horrific defensive display (death match) to be dissuaded from continuing their attack on you. Sometimes they do.

If left to choose between LoA, and Nature, I choose nature. However, I would certainly advocate all of the tenets of LoA to bolster my position of peace. Purely positive people have similar effects on me as purely negative people. I believe that the law of balance will be their undoing. Anything that swings too far in one direction will eventually swing hard back the other way. Too rosy a picture, and you miss the knockout blow. Too negative a picture, you waste your life and suffer endlessly.

Great discussion, thanks for the brain food Tim.
Comment by Gilbert on 10 November 2008:

I think the dangerous thing about beliefs is that you become so in love with them that you choose them consistently over facts. Devotees of any belief system are loathe to allow for facts that either directly contradict their beliefs or challenge them to examine them more deeply.

Having said that, I believe that the Law of Attraction works by priming the subconscious to recognize data and patterns that were subliminal just prior. No serious exposition of the LoA leaves out the need to *act*. Sitting alone in a room just “thinking” or “envisioning” success will have no effect unless you act on it. The LoA works by allowing you to see connections and relationships that were previously invisible to us. There’s nothing “quantum” or mystical about it.

The Universe doesn’t change until we change it.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 11 November 2008:

@ Lissa – Come on, tell us what you really think ;-)

@ Steve – Thanks for dropping by Steve.

@ Hunter – Good points, but I’m one of those that says we don’t need the LoA to explain any of that. Not one jot. Thoughts dictate our actions and therefore our results. I honestly don’t get that approach and it is not consistent with either The Secret or the Hicks work. Surely you need complete focus on what it is you want for 68 seconds according to Abraham ;-)

BTW, Esther Hicks says you need to put your thought out here just the once, whereas Wayne Dyer says you should put it out there every day.

Puppies do serve a purpose, mine has literally thrown up inside the last 2 minutes, I kid you not! You manifested that you bastard, didn’t you!

@ Fred – That certainly is an issue several people have the fact that like repels like in physics.

@ Michael – Thanks a lot for that thoughtful and interesting response. I immediately though of the scene in Trainspotting when Begbie (Robert Carlisle) decides he wants a fight in a pub. I have met people like that and nothing will stop them at that point.

I read a great book recently called ‘The gift of Fear’ by Gavin de Becker. Have you read it? Very cool and a must for any women that feel threatened on a regular basis.

@ Gilbert – I agree that beliefs can be incredibly dangerous. All fundamentalism of any type is simply the refusal to look at or countenance any other belief held by another person. I try to read all sorts of stuff that challenges my belief system and I think we all should.
Comment by Bill Skrips on 11 November 2008:

I have to step in (and probably right onto a pile of dog shit) and say “Ignorance is Bliss.” I don’t know what the hell you are talking about and I’ll run from the room if you try and tell me.

If it’s an Oprah edict, then I’m so happy I don’t watch the show (oh yes, I know that makes me callous and insensitive, but think of the side that hurts me:I’ll never be given a new car!).

Seriously, I dunno of what you speak but it has a bit of the smell of scientology. Here’s a question-why can’t people just use their common sense and suss this stuff out? Although I have great faith that everyone is born with common sense, stories like the “free salmonella with every egg” do give me pause…only yesterday someone warned me about eating tomatoes! Good grief!

Bill Skripss last blog post..Lush Bella
Comment by Amanda on 11 November 2008:

I developed Type 1 diabetes at the age of 26 (one year ago). I was told that I “attracted” the disease to myself by a LOA believer, and gave it power by being emotional about it. If I could “detach”, my pancreas would miraculously heal itself and my body would stop producing the GAD antibodies that kill said organ.

The fact that I’m genetically predisposed to T1 and that I was lucky to escape the bullet for as many years as I did, oddly, never came up. The fact that I was enjoying my relative health before, the fact that I never had a single thought about being diabetic, was ignored.

At the time, I was appalled at her nerve. I was hurting and afraid, and was essentially told that I brought this on myself through LOA! Made me hate the concept, really.
Comment by Cath Lawson on 12 November 2008:

Hi Tim – I’ve always believed the Law of Attraction works and that belief really helped improve my life in the past.

And when the Secret was first released, I thought it was great, as it spread the word of the Law of Attraction to folk who’d never heard of it. Trouble is, it also dumbed the whole thing down to the extent that it probably wouldn’t work for them anyway.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 12 November 2008:

@ Bill – LOL, don’t worry about it! I don’t know anything about art ;-)

@ Amanda – I hear a lot of inconsistances like that and I have to say they concern me too.

@ Cath – As Lyman said, if that belief works for you, go for it. As long as you don’t give yourself a hard time when things aren’t going so well.
Comment by Jess on 12 November 2008:

I haven’t read the secret and I didn’t know there was a movie. What I do know if that, by focusing on and identifying the things that I want in my life, I’m able to make all the right moves to get myself there.
I wrote detailed, personal list of what I wanted in a husband. A month later we started going out. The great part was that I already knew him, he was a friend of mine’s roommate. By taking the time to think about what I really wanted, I was able to realize that he was already there.
Comment by Evan on 13 November 2008:

Hi Tim,

A cheap shot I’ve wanted to use for ages: It’s not a law and I don’t find it attractive.

Although I do think it can be useful to people. It can help them be optimistic and take positive action. If it does this then that’s a good thing.

A bad thing is blaming the victims and arrogance. Most of the believers aren’t like this. And it probably isn’t the LoA’s fault.

As to quantum physics. No physics experiment has demonstrated that consciousness effects the outcome of the experiment. Though there are experiments which may show communication at greater than light speed. And to arrive at some physics findings means deciding which aspect of a phenomenon is to be investigated (speed or angle or whatever). But this is true of any research: though it is the end of reductionism I think.

Evans last blog post..Blogs With Great Content and That Make a Contribution
Comment by Tim Brownson on 13 November 2008:

@ Jess – I get that I really do and believe what you say to be true. But and it’s a big but, did you get what you wanted because you were simply focusing on it and recognized it when you saw it? Or did you get it because some unproven ‘law’ of the universe sent it to you because you thought about it? That’s the crux.

@ Evan – Ouch! That’s tough – lol. I agree with what you say though and it’s a tough nut to crack. Maybe in 100 or 1,000 years we’ll know for sure, but even then I doubt it.
Comment by Lyman Reed on 13 November 2008:

After reading Tim and Cath’s comments, something came to mind.

You did mention the “beating on ourselves for attracting crap in our lives” in the post, Tim, and while I’ve stopped doing it, I *did* go through that for a while myself.

A couple of things helped me with that:

1. I realized that the beating on myself was worse than anything else I could ever do. In LoA lingo, I was attracting more things to beat on myself about (for the non-LoAer’s, translate as needed – just depressing myself more). Unconditional self acceptance became a mantra of mine.

2. I turned it into a game. Instead of saying “Look how much I suck”, I started playing around with “Now why the heck would I want to attract *that*?” That helped me to change my focus.

Maybe the kid got the bike or the chick got the necklace super quick in the Secret. But for me, adjusting my thoughts to those two things took some serious time, effort, and sometimes even tears.

Just wanted to throw those out there.

Lyman Reeds last blog post..The Cost of Selflessness
Comment by Robin on 15 November 2008:

I think we have a choice between seeing ourselves as victims of random events that happen to us, or deciding we attract everything that happens to us (usually unconsciously). (Did we get run over because the driver was drunk, or because we had lots of unresolved anger?)

In my experience, the people who argue for the former simply don’t like to take responsibility for the things that happen to them (and they confuse taking responsibility with blaming themselves) And they will use every argument under the sun to support their view. That’s their choice. Simple.

Robins last blog post..Bloggers’ Recording Project
Comment by Stephen on 18 November 2008:

@Evan – As far as I’m aware there is a large number of experiments using random number generators that show that consciously wishing for more 1’s then 0’s produces more 1’s then 0’s. The fact that this has been replicated and completed over such a large amount of number generations suggests consciousness is doing something, no?

Stephen

Stephens last blog post..The Rebel Zen Guide to Psychedelic Meditation
Comment by Evan on 18 November 2008:

Hi Stephen,

Quite possibly. But this does not refer to quantum mechanics.

I think consciousness does lots of stuff. I am not a materialist. I do however think the material is one aspect of reality. Usually consciousness uses the physical.

To say that consciousness does something is much different to saying that it can do everything (which seems to me to be the claim of the LoA – if I believed otherwise would this alter the LoA?)

I like your blog by the way.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 18 November 2008:

@ Robin – I certainly agree that people all too often use taking responsibility as an excuse to beat themselves up and that is not what it’s all about. However, I certainly don’t agree that every person that gets run over is carrying lots of unresolved anger if that’s what you’re saying? How does that explain toddlers getting run over or babies killed in motor accidents?

@ Stephen – Have you got any links?
Comment by Ron Towns on 20 November 2008:

The law of attraction only works if your mind is open to opportunity knocking!! I’ve recently learned of an amazing way to open the mind to the opportunities fulfilling your goals.

The subconscious mind is much more powerful than most give it credit for! You may not realize, but your subconscious thoughts translate into habits- your conscious mind will actually try to execute your subconscious thoughts. So, in essence, changing your thoughts into more positive ones will create more productive habits. This way, you can better achieve your goals.

I use visualization every single day to calm my nerves and create focus around my goals and desired outcomes in life.

Another method I use on top of this is the use of a vision boards. Have you ever heard of them? They are images pasted on a board that represent your hopes, dreams, and goals. Studying these boards every days plants seeds of these goals within your subconscious mind.

John Assaraf does a better job of explaining this and showing you how to do it in his new book “The Complete Vision Board Kit.” I downloaded the free chapter here at http://www.TheVisionBoardKit.com.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 21 November 2008:

@ Ron – I talk about visualization a lot here and the power of the unconscious mind even more than that. I’m guessing this is the first post of mine you’ve read ;-)

Check this post out http://www.adaringadventure.com/blog/wordpress/life-coaching/10-ways-to-change-a-habit-or-youre-money-back/

I have heard of vision boards and whisper is quietly, but I have had one for 2 years. Do they work in terns of the LoA? I have my doubts, but I do think they work in terms of keeping one focused.
Comment by Shannon on 24 November 2008:

I found this whole article very interesting. I do believe that LOA does indeed work. I’ve practiced it on and off for many years. The last LOA I conjured up was meeting Barack Obama. I had focused on the intention of meeting him for about a year and a half before the opportunity presented itself. I held the constant belief that I would indeed meet him and it was only a matter of time before it would actually occur.

I’ve been experimenting with this since I was 15 (I’m almost 30 now). My difficulty with LOA has been, if you knew you could have anything in the world – what would you have and is it really worth having. If you are unhappy with yourself is attracting and receiving that new car going to make you happy, temporarily yes but in the long run no. My struggle has been finding and developing inner happiness so that I can truly enjoy the experiences and objects I want to attract.
Comment by Evan on 24 November 2008:

Hi Shannon,

I understand your difficulty. I think of it in broader terms – where are those wanting to attract world peace?

Evans last blog post..Eight Steps for Working with a Deep Difference in an Important Relationship #1
Comment by Carol on 9 December 2008:

Read The Intention Experiment. There’s your scientific proof. And Wishing Well by Paul Pearson. It should come with a CD-ROM that plays a game that illustrates how your thoughts can affect the outcome. It’s all very interesting. I think the problem comes in with figuring out what to focus on, what do you really want, and then staying focused.
Comment by Sharon Wilson on 16 December 2008:

Wonderful post. I do believe it is a “belief” which is a matter of conscious choice. We cannot prove it or disprove it.
Comment by Sharon Wilson on 16 December 2008:

Great tips and information for other like minded entrepreneurs.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 16 December 2008:

@ Shannon – My question would be, if it works, why not use it all the time? If it’s a law then it will replicate the results and therefore we should be able to order up anything we so chose, right?

@ Carol – Unfair of me to comment as I have not read the book, but I’m going to anyway ;-) I’m dubious that it ‘proves’ the LoA for one reason. How come the scientific community haven’t swung behind it and how come Lynne McTaggert isn’t sat on a Nobel Prize for physics at the very least?

@ Sharon – Maybe not now, but who knows what will happen in years to come?
Comment by Marney Lewis on 16 December 2008:

Very interesting article. Thank you for the very useful tips. I will be reading the book to test whether it ‘proves’ the LoA.
Comment by Simon Stapleton on 18 December 2008:

Well written article!

I am a believer in LoA, in the same way that I claim to be a Christian but not go to Church.

Practicing LoA works for me because it stirs internal focus and energy. It is cause and effect. I don’t care if manifestation is caused by deity, or just coincidence. I just know it has the effect I want so I do it.

Why I like this article is it’s a honest view of the trash often associated with these ‘faiths’. We shouldn’t look for deeper meaning in something when there is no need to. Nor should we try to push faith onto other people.

Simon
Comment by Bamboo Forest – PunIntended on 22 December 2008:

I believe that by believing in ourselves, we can make wonderful things happen.

I do not, however, believe that everything that happens in our lives is the result of our thoughts. There are other principles going on. Many, not in our control.

The only thing truly in our control is how we respond to what happens to us. Much of what happens to us, will never be in our control.

Sure, this isn’t an excuse to throw our hands up in the air; we can and should be relentlessly proactive in our lives.

But in a deeper sense, what I’m saying is, much is out of our control. And that’s OK – because that’s the way it is.

Bamboo Forest – PunIntendeds last blog post..Holiday Riches
Comment by Elliott on 30 December 2008:

Well can we call it the “Hypothesis of Attraction”? I don’t think there’s enough data to call it a “theory”. Calling it a “Law” is just irresponsibly manipulating the language.

I think sometimes you find what you look for. I think you can put a thought in your head and your brain decides to look for it. I think that is more the “Law of Being Observant”.

However, there is some “evidence” of thoughts literally having energy. Dr. Tiller, from the Secret, has done some seemingly authentic studies to prove this (See Conscious Acts of Creation). And of course quantum physics has been theorizing about this stuff since the early sixties. So there may be some thought vibration that is in “harmony” with another thought vibration. I guess the question is how does one find the MONEY thought vibration? And why ask for just a little extra cash? Why not go big?

The thing that got me about the secret is the idea they were selling. That the universe is a free grocery store, you just have to take what you want. Obviously its that kind of snake oil ShamWow that hurts the overall positive message of most self-improvement literature, etc.

I think there are a of of things we control as well as things we don’t. Part of it is the hand we’re dealt and the other part is how we play that hand. If the Law of Attraction is a true universal function then do we really want to change our hand? For me, I would be very careful with that idea on several levels.

Great article Tim.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 30 December 2008:

@ BF and Elliott – Between the two of you I think you have nailed how I feel and make some excellent points.

From now on I shall call it the Hypothesis of Attraction. I like it!
Comment by Dave Lakhani on 4 January 2009:

Brilliant post and you make very good points.

I’d have a lot less problem with this is people really tried to leverage science to show how you can be more successful.

For example, you tend to see more opportunities around what you are focused on because that is where your attention is.

There is a great free audio anyone can download by a persuasion expert, a television producer, a minister and a doctorate level psychologist you’ll find it here http://www.thetruthisthesecret.com

Keep up the good work!
P.S., you may also enjoy this blog, I think you’ll love the analysis of the New Age movement http://www.whirledmusings.com.

Regards,
Dave
Comment by Tim Brownson on 4 January 2009:

@ Dave – Thanks for the feedback and I’ll check out the links.
Comment by Michael N on 7 January 2009:

To be fair, I haven’t read any of the other comments.

The ‘magic’ behind the LoA is BS. Reticular Activating System, anyone. In any case, people will believe whatever they want to believe. If the LoA works for them, who am I to stop them? I am a firm believer that life is not limitless – there are things that simply cannot be done (try ending poverty by next Tuesday and you’ll see what I mean). Regardless of this truth, if you believe that you can do something, why not go for it – it’s all you can really do.

Cheers,
Michael N.
Comment by Dean Hunt on 9 January 2009:

Dean Hunt here… your buddy from Twitter, you know, the one who you plan to buy a Mexico based alcohol consumption centre with.

Here is my 2c…

I generally think/thought that The Secret was a load of old hoopla.

And to some extend, I still do…

I dont think that the universe will attract stuff to you, but i DO think that by creating a goal and focus, you are greatly improving your chances of success.

I have proof, I have evidence, it is a mind blowing story, and I am not sharing it with you… YET.

Speak soon.

Dean

Dean Hunts last blog post..Dealing With Fear of Failure
Comment by Tim Brownson on 11 January 2009:

@ Michael – Pretty much the sentiments of a lot of people that have commented. You did miss some really fascinating comments though, maybe better than the post ;-)

@ Dean – Good to have you drop by and of course I will deny vehemently till the day I die that I ever suggested we run away and buy a bar together in Mexico. Again, I pretty much agree. The Secret was a brilliant piece of marketing and a classic case of style over substance imho.

BTW, I have had all my shots, bought my sombrero and I’m ready to go whenever you are.
Comment by Sharon Wilson on 13 January 2009:

As a spiritual life coach I really endorse this mindset and believe in it force very much.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 13 January 2009:

@ Sharon – Sorry I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Endorse which mindset?
Comment by Dean Hunt on 13 January 2009:

Here is weird example, fresh from my brain-sack/mind-chamber.

Have you ever bought, or were planning on buying a specific car, and then you suddenly notice that every day you see the same car on the road…

to which you think, “damn, I never saw this car on the road prior to owning one, and now they are everywhere… weird!”

I have done this, and I know a LOT of people that have had the same experience.

Now, you could say that the universe is attracting these cars to be around you.

Or, you could point out that since this car is now in your focus, you are noticing it.

Same rules apply. If you truly focus on money for example, the universe is not going to magically send you money, but you will start to notice the opportunities that have been around you for years.

Also, you are more likely to make important calls, emails, business deals, etc… all the things that drastically alter the probability of you making money.

Just my 2c.

Dean Hunts last blog post..Is a Long Salespage Essential?
Comment by Tim Brownson on 13 January 2009:

@ Dean – What a truly lovely comment ;-) And yeh, I agree.
Comment by Andrew on 13 January 2009:

I’m much in agreement with Dean. LoA isn’t some magical thing that operates on the universe. It’s a mindset that helps you achieve your goals – you manifest your own reality by your own actions.

Is it a con? I don’t think so, at least not intentionally. Its proponents seem to really believe it, and if that’s what works for them, well, more power to them. I think the mindset is healthy, in that focussing on positive aspects of your life causes you to notice and celebrate them more, which in turn serves to make your life better (than the alternatives).

I regard it very much like I regard the concept of Ki in japanese martial arts. We’re taught that it’s a force, an energy. I came to the (personal) conclusion some time ago, that it’s a mental model that helps you subconciously understand motion flows and psychological redirection, and it’s your enhanced understanding that makes things happen (It’s also not something I have the words to explain well).

Andrews last blog post..A year without fiction
Comment by Tim Brownson on 13 January 2009:

@ Andrew – I was being provocative with the title because I don’t really think that advocates of the LoA are trying to con people. There may be a few of con artists that have jumped on the bandwagon but on the whole I think they’re honest people.

Are they misguided? Well that’s another question altogether. Thanks for your comment.
Comment by Ceci on 15 January 2009:

Hello Tim! This is my first comment here but I’ve been enjoying your posts for a while now.

I started reading The Secret a few days ago and it got me really excited at first, but then after chapter 2 I couldn’t bring myself to read any more. I realised they were asking me to believe blindly in a law that has no explanation but still works every time. Also, they were telling me that just by wishing I’d get things. That seemed wrong so I got discouraged and stopped reading and have not touched the book since. I would have liked the book if it had said that a positive attitude and visualisation can have a massive effect on our results, given the power of our thoughts, but making clear that it is still up to us.

It’s very difficult for me to believe in something that works “magically” and has no explanation. How can a thought become the thing you want? There are so many variables it just doesn’t seem right that a thought can make every single detail turn out the way it has to in order to fulfill our wish.

What I take from this whole thing is that thinking positively can have a wonderful effect and it surely helps us. Imagining what we want is also great. It all motivates us. But believing there is a law and that the universe gives me back what I ask for doesn’t make sense at all to me. It kind of feels like transferring my own responsibility for achieving what I want.

I haven’t watched the movie nor finished the book, so I apologise if I am making wrong assumptions. I just saw the article and felt the urge to comment.

Cheers,
Ceci
Comment by Tim Brownson on 15 January 2009:

@ Ceci – Thanks a lot for dropping by and taking the time to comment! If you feel the urge, go for it and don’t feel any need to apologize ;-)

I agree that positive thinking is awesome and if nothing else the LoA encourages that, so there is that side of it to be thankful for.
Comment by Aaron Krause on 19 January 2009:

Hi tim.
Very interesting point of view, and I have to say that I agree. Quantum Physics is quite a compelling feild with some rather strong facts.

From what I gather,LoA does not contain as much proof as Quantum Physics. But I do appreciate the concepts of it. Possitive thinking, perseverance…. getting off your ass. :)

k thanks bye,
Aaron
Comment by Sheila on 29 January 2009:

The thing that gets me is that, according to the LoA, success doesn’t depend AT ALL on ability. Now, I’m quite willing to believe that more people fail from lack of confidence than lack of ability – it’s very hard to keep putting the effort in if you don’t think it’s going ot work – but surely ability comes into it somewhere. I consider myself bright, but I don’t think any amount of belief is going to manifest me a Nobel Prize for Physics.

I’m all for optimism, but when it gets completely unrealistic, it can get you into deep trouble, and might cause trouble for other people too.

What happens when your confidence exceeds your ability by several orders of magnitude? You invade Iraq.
Comment by Suzie Cheel on 5 February 2009:

Interesting:)
Like Lorraine and Evelyn I am a believer
I am in opposition to your views.
I work with The how to guy of Law of attraction and using his simple 3 step process has changed my life for the good and so many other people have experienced this too

I see that you have provoked some very interesting comments

Thanks for starting the conversation

Suzie Cheels last blog post..Law of Attraction Insight #2: Words Send Vibrations
Comment by Optimum attention on 10 February 2009:

Welcome to the american culture. I want it and I want it now. Secret gives you exactly what you want to hear. You can get things done without any hard work.
Bruce Lee made a wise statement:
“Knowing is not enough, you must apply
WIling is not enough, you must do”

The secret can do wonders for you if you apply the statement above. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting great things, but lets combine western and eastern philosophy: Wish like you are an american but work like you are chinese. That is the only secret you need to know.
Comment by Shawnski on 8 March 2009:

Most porn fans (this IS still the Internet, and you all know what it’s For…) learn that “the L.O.A.” doesn’t work, very early on. The above does not include me, as I try to avoid learning if at all possible (not usually possible, but, we try). Never the less, the fact remains that the “visualisation” thing is doesn’t work in terms of the desires of the vast profound majority of that particular segment of er, um, “practicioners” no matter how intensly they visualise. If visualisation worked, vaseline would be a wonder drug. Take that any way you want. Also, there would then HAVE be to be a movie someting like: “The Secret: Pervert Edition”. C’mon, tell me it wouldn’t sell.:-D Also, the car thing Dean mentioned just means you’re in a culture pocket. I vote Green and I want a prius (bcause the local public transp. is all “public”, and very little “transp.”), but I live in a right wing community, so every day on my way to work I see a MINIMUM of 3 grand cherokees. Not the regular cherokee. Not blazers. Not even Broncos, and with “Ford people” being how obsessed they are, you would think it’d be ALL broncos.
Comment by Jan Barley on 9 March 2009:

The problem with LOA is that if it you believe in it and it doesn’t {appear} to work for you, then you feel like a complete miserable failure.

I believe that our thoughts create intention, intention creates action {and opportunities} and action creates results, but can that be quantified as LOA?

Certainly some things have happened to me that I have ‘asked’ for, but as Tim says, many of the things I have ‘asked’ for have not yet happened. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.

One thing is for sure is that if you have a negative mindset, you do tend to attract a lot more crap in your life. If we believe that things will change for the better, I think we have a greater chance of pulling things towards us that we want. On first sight change doesn’t always look good, sometimes it looks pretty rotten, but eventually some good always comes out of life events.

My dad died last year from cancer. It was a pretty rubbish death and very sudden for us his family. But I changed so much afterwards, became more focused, stronger and authentic and am so grateful to have the opportunity for that.

So maybe {in deep thought} it is more about how we react to what does or doesn’t happen to us that counts. If you have the strength to shrug your shoulders, accept life’s dollop of crap falling on your head, grab a cloth, wipe the crap off and move on purposely, then maybe, just maybe you are creating a much better life for yourself.

What a fantastic debate you have opened up Tim. What I really like about you is your courage to say what you think, without trying to win friends or influence people :-)
Comment by Theresa on 12 March 2009:

I just happened across your blog and read every single comment. I am a LOA beliver, but also believe that The Secret “dumbed down” the concept (as a previous posted said) and that there is more to it than can be presented in a 90 minute DVD.

I have examples from my own life of how LOA worked which had nothing to do with simply noticing the things I want or need more (although that has certainly happened too). Though some might call these examples coincidences, how many coincidences can occur before the Law of Averages states that they are no longer coincidences?

For me, the overarching element that is missing from this conversation is the spiritual one. Those who ask questions such as: “how could the victim of assault have secretly wanted that to happen and drawn it to themselves”? are functioning from a purely physical mindset – that we are human beings, nothing more, and that no human would wish for an event that causes damage to his/her body or his/her death.

If we consider ourselves spiritual beings merely passing through physical form at this time, then we can look at things from a much bigger perspective and a lot of things make more sense (to me, at least). Abraham-Hicks claim that some beings are born disabled because they want more of a challenge in the physical experience, for example. Also, sometimes events that seem horrible at the time can seem like blessings in hindsight, because the impact they have in the long run or changes they bring to our lives. Finally, if death is no longer perceived as the end of our existence here, then “checking out” from this phase of existence and moving on to the next is no longer necessarily a negative thing to be avoided. The “blame the victim” mentality is a misuse of the whole concept. The idea that we are eternal spiritual beings who may have deliberately chosen difficult physical circumstances to be born into, in order to offer us opportunities for growth explains how we could be responsible for a situation in which we seem to have no choice(like being abused by our parents), while removing stigma from the picture.

The thing I found most compelling about The Secret is that it mirrors what all of the greatest spiritual teachers have said throughout history. Jesus, the greatest of them, said “Ask and ye shall receive”, stated that we are “in this world, but not of this world” (physical for now, but based in the spiritual) and that we could do all the things that he did and more(e.g. manifesting fishes & loaves, curing illness, and making water into wine). If we were created in the “image & likeness” of God, then why wouldn’t we be able to create in that way? I think, somehow in this physical form we have lost sight of our abilities and purpose, and now we are stuck in a mire of negative thought and needing physical proof for everything.

Someone asked why scientists haven’t all jumped on the bandwagon, if LOA is true? Scientists historically have notoriously refused to acknowledge info which did not fit into their predetermined belief systems. A lot of possible evidence is overlooked by those who are not looking for it.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 12 March 2009:

I keep forgetting to check back with comments to older posts and my apologies to all of you that really added to the debate and took the time to make some considered and intelligent comments.

@Shawnski – You’re flying in the face of lots of scientific research and I happen to think Dean nailed it, but different opinions are cool.

@Theresa – “ Scientists historically have notoriously refused to acknowledge info which did not fit into their predetermined belief systems.”

That isn’t a real argument because if it were where would the breakthroughs come from….ever? It’s science that drags thing forward and it’s science that is the state of the art.

Just because they don’t jump on every theory with gay abandon doesn’t mean they are necessarily stuck in any one belief system, any more than it means they hear so many half-cocked ideas that they realize proper research is necessary before embracing them all.
Comment by Ralph on 18 March 2009:

Here’s the thing, I loved the vizualization idea found in The Secret and I’ve used it often but I thought it was odd how the movie said nothing about working for what you want to accomplish.

I found even stranger that all of the other LoA books and blogs repeated this pattern. I grew up with a tireless work ethic and the high profile supportes of LoA (Oparh, Will Smith etc.) all have an intesive almost insane work ethic also. Smith even said once in an interview that the only way he’ll be outworked by anyone is if he’s dead!

I am really big on how your thoughts effect your life and I constantly monitoring my thoughts to make sure that they are in the positive realm. However, actions do determine outcome.
Pingback by The Law of Attraction requires action – Forty Plus Two on 21 March 2009:

[...] See also Is The Law of Attraction A Con?. [...]
Comment by Arun Kumar on 2 April 2009:

Nice article-but let me quote from the Holy Bible

Mark 11:23 (King James Version)

23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Does this sound similar to the essence of the LOA?
Yes-the secret may have window dressed a lot of things-may have talked about materialism. But the reason is that it was AIMED at such an audience. when someone is struggling to pay their bills they are really not concerned with spiritual freedom. Also, material success is usually the first step that leads to self discovery. The other thing is that the Secret teaches you to take responsibility. My childhood was scarred because of my parents, my love life sucks because of my partner, I am poor because of this scheming world that is out to get me-these are self defeating and destructive thoughts-that completely sap your enthusiasm to work and achieve things.
Being positive, realizing that you are the one responsible for yourself-is at once extremely empowering and downright scary-it finally depends on how you want to look at it.
Comment by Arun Kum on 3 April 2009:

Another thing to remember is that we often ask-if the LOA is so true, then why do people attract disaster or difficult lives to themselves? You are right, the LOA IS bullshit and these things are just thrust upon people-in the same way that villainous or ‘miserable people’ roles are thrust upon actors in Hollywood. Why did a perfectly nice man such as Anthony Hopkins take the role of Hannibal-in the Silence of the Lambs. I think he was subjected to the role by the director’s decision.
See where I’m going? Anthony Hopkins enacted a serial killer in the movie, doing the most despicable acts, yet-he was lauded for his work. Now for argument’s sake, let’s assume that for a while, we all FORGET that we are watching a movie. Jodie Foster forgets that she is acting, and all the characters believe themselves to be what they are in the movie. Now, from this perspective, the question to ask would be-I am sure there is no director-for who would allow this man to commit such despicable tasks? The fact that Hannibal is a killer proves that there is no LOA, and he was just made a killer due to circumstances and not due to his own choice!!!
When we realize the movie that this life is-then all the death disease war etc makes sense. Its all part of the grand story. And when the movie’s over-the actor is as clean as he started-with no effects of the actions of the movie visible on his persona.
Comment by Life Coach on 7 May 2009:

Life Coach is someone you hire to help assist you with your personal development, especially in the area of setting and achieving specific goals.Think carefully and honestly about where you are now in your life. Consider work, recreation, relationships, finances and anything else that’s important to you.
Comment by Aldohas Personal Development on 8 May 2009:

There is no problem with different
:)
as far as we respect each other

Aldohas Personal Developments last blog post..Personal Development For More Succesful Life
Pingback by Top 50 Personal Development Bloggers | Health Money Success on 22 May 2009:

[...] also writes on controversial topics such as “do you believe in God” and “is the law of attraction a con?”. He has great knowledge on the subject of personal development and his willingness to write about [...]
Comment by a m y on 25 November 2009:

I am a believer and i smile saying that!

And to the non believers i say experience is the evidence. If one is not a believer and the loa is all ways working than wouldnt the universe give what you put out there, I wonder how many skeptics are conscious of the energy they put out into the universe, would they possibly get more reasons to question…dont get me wrong question everything. I just see a lot of folks who do not walk in a conscious state