When I first embarked on my healing journey, I could only sink to the fetal position and cry for most of the day, not sure how I was going to get through each one as they came. The devastation of divorcing the man that I thought would be in my life forever was debilitating. I poured any leftover energy from the day’s emotions into figuring out how to heal. I scoured YouTube, Googled books to help process the grief, searched quotes of inspiration and hope. Through this searching something recurring kept popping up: The Law of Attraction or more commonly known as Manifesting. It sounded magical, out of the realm of my reality, and off limits to me due to the devastation I was feeling. There was just no way this could work. But I had nothing else to lose. So I tried it.
What is The Law of Attraction?
"The Law of Attraction states that whatever you focus on, think about, read about, and talk about intensely, you’re going to attract more of into your life." ~ Jack Canfield.
The Law of Attraction is a simple concept. You only need to focus your thoughts and energy on positive desires, ones you want in your life, and you will attract positive experiences and outcomes. Essentially, you manifest what you want into your reality.
How do you manifest what you want?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you are implementing the Law of Attraction.
- Retain positive thoughts to attract positive outcomes.
- The core belief of how the Law of Attraction works is that by concentrating on what you want (positive thoughts), you are more likely to attract those things into your life.
- Don’t think about negative thoughts because negative thoughts attract negative outcomes. Focusing on negative thoughts or fears can lead to attracting negative experiences.
- Stay focused on your desires. Be sure to clearly define your goals and desires, and visualize them in detail.
Where did I begin the manifestation process?
I started where I always do: writing. I used a simple composition notebook to make a list of everything that I wanted to bring to my life. I did not write about what I didn’t want ie: I don’t want… . I felt that if the negative words were still put out into the universe, they might be confused with what I did want. I didn’t want to risk confusing what I was trying to attract. I kept this list in my notebook and read it over each night before I went to bed.
After a few weeks of repeating this list nightly, I rewrote the list on bright, pink paper and hung it on my wall so it was in a visible location each time I walked passed. I saw it everyday without having to look in my notebook. It served as a daily reminder of what I wanted.
The third thing I did was create a vision board with pictures. I bought poster boards and markers and searched the internet for pictures related to the things I wanted: maps of places I wanted to travel, a home in which I wanted to live, and a picture of a happy couple, which I wanted to be part of one day. Using Canva (a graphic design software platform) I made a visual of my published memoir. I printed all the pictures out and taped them on the poster board. Then I hung the board with captions on my wall. Now I could read the words and see the visuals that represented my desires.
Of course, there’s a caveat with this concept. In order to attract the things you want, you can’t just sit around and wait for them to come to you. You have to take some action steps that will get you closer to your desires. If I wanted to publish a memoir, I had to write one. I used the early morning hours to work on the first draft. If I wanted to travel, I had to schedule the times and places. I looked up Airbnb’s and hotels in the cities I wanted to visit and booked them.
Most of the items on my list and vision board have come true. I met my current partner who also has many of the same desires that I have, including travel. Some of the things haven’t manifested yet. I still don’t have a house of my own, but I do rent a house that’s affordable and in a safe area. I still don’t have a published memoir, but I am taking the steps towards that goal. I continue to say the things I want out into the universe on my way to work each day.
At first, I had my doubts about the Law of Attraction. But there have been too many things come to me over the years for me to dismiss it as “woo-woo.” I personally believe in the power of manifesting. It might not be entirely scientific, but there is an aspect of logic. Some research suggests that focusing on positive thoughts can improve physical health, and that adopting a growth mindset can improve mental health. Thoughts create your reality. And when you repeat those thoughts daily and believe that you deserve them, they really do become true. What about you? Have you ever thought of giving manifesting a try? If so, what was the outcome?
