Law of attraction

As we move through life I think we collect multiple personalities. Well I certainly have. When I left high school I developed a personality that was a bit of a hippie. I call him Willow. Willow wears comfortable shoes, is into alternative medicine, green tea and meditation. At parties he is a ‘close talker’ and lives by the mantra ‘a stranger is a friend I just haven’t met yet’. However as I moved through university and became a scientist Willow was starved of oxygen. A new personality began to rise up. I call him Gordon. Gordon has elbow pads on his jacket, enjoys the witty humor of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and lives by the mantra ‘if you cant measure it doesn’t exist’. 

Over the years Gordon and Willow have had many clashes and debates as they move with me through life. Gordon’s weapons of choice are regression equations and graphs, while Willow uses love and sage. 

When the book ‘The Secret’ came out Gordon and Willow had a serious clash. You see this book is all about the ‘law of attraction’. This states, that to have anything you want all you have to do is focus on it and it will come to you. It claims that we are all connected by energy and you can simply ask the universe for your hearts desires. Eg, if you want a Ferrari just think lots of Ferrari thoughts and over time it will come to you. 

When I read this book Gordon wanted to throw up on himself while Willow did a little fist pump (not too big because he realises that a butterfly flapping its wings can create a cyclone on the other side of the world). I really struggled with this book because I thought it promoted complacency and laziness. 

Recently I got a call from Marg Booth from “Great Expectation”. She said “Ad’s, how would you like to present at the ‘2013 Happiness and It’s Causes Conference’ in June? Oh and by the way the Dali Lama will be presenting there”. I yelled ‘YES’ so fast it almost broke the sound barrier. Moments later when I was reflecting on this amazing opportunity I remembered that four years before I was sitting at the same conference watching the Dali Lama present and I turned to my mate and said, “I’m going to speak at this conference!” At this moment I started to reflect on the many times I had articulated an intention and then down the track they came true. Of course Gordon freaked out while Willow took time out from reading my aura to give me a smile. 

To be honest I am still confused by the ‘law of attraction’. The cynic would say the opportunity came to you because you have been working your butt off for 10 years, while the believer would say that we are all connected by energy and you put it out there. The other option is it was just pure luck.

I was passing my quandary by a friend Michelle McQuaid an expert in positive psychology. Her take on it was biological. From the research we know that when you are optimistic and in positive emotion your peripheral vision is wider so you are more likely to notice things and your brain is more creative and resourceful. In addition the curiosity of focusing on what is possible drives up dopamine in our brain which increases our desire to take action. She believes the clear intention and hope simply puts you in a state of higher performance, making you more likely to achieve what you want.

What’s the verdict? Mmmmmmmm not sure. Maybe its a bit of both, maybe Willow and Gordon can live together as the odd couple. Maybe the answer is;

• Get really clear about what your intention is,
• Focus on it with all you have,
• Oh and by the way work your butt off too!

While you are pondering this if you would like to attend “Happiness and It’s Causes”  conference as a guest of mine you can get a greatly reduced price. It is one of the premier conference of the year. If happiness, well-being and performance is important to you there is no better conference going around.

Book by 21 December and you could save up to $565! Download a brochure HERE and use promo code XYEZ.