Thoughts are Things...

You reap what you sow
What you put out into the world comes back to you
Ask and ye shall receive

These are all sayings that basically define the Law of Attraction.  I learned about this four years ago and have analyzed it ever since.  At times I've been an adamant believer, at other times a total skeptic.  I can see how I've created my life with my thoughts and beliefs.  I am living the life I desired and believed in most as a child.  But the skepticism comes in when I see "bad" stuff, whether in my own life or someone else's.  How could someone bring terrible things into their lives?  Doesn't the Law of Attraction in essence blame the victim?

Lately I've revisited the Law in reading and, the thing is, the bad stuff comes through our unconscious attracting.  Most of us, despite the sayings, have never truly put two and two together.  When we immerse ourselves in fearful thoughts, we're going to see more scary things.  When we believe that people are mean, greedy, stupid etc, we are going to see those traits in the people that cross our paths.  Then, of course, the more we see it the more we believe we are on to something.  

Creating Our Experience For Good or Bad

So the reality is our thoughts create our experiences and our experiences create our beliefs and our beliefs become life as we know it.  If Sally wants more girlfriends but has had experiences that led her to believe women are backstabbers then any friend she makes will eventually treat her the way she expects.  If she wants a raise at work but has long ago accepted that women only earn 65% of what men do then she will never make as much money as the guys in her office.  Finally if Sally wants to lose 20 pounds but is convinced that she's got heredity and age working against her, she will work her ass off but never lose that weight or if she does she'll quickly gain it back.  Sally doesn't do any of this on purpose, but she holds these beliefs so strongly that her desires can't compete.  If Sally really wants to change she's got to address her beliefs.

Expect the Best

I'm in a pickle myself right now when it comes to what I'm attracting.  There's a tug of war going on in my head and I'm trying to use my power to pull to the right side.  It seems pretty common these days that when I tell people that I have a literary agent shopping my Young Adult novel I get one of two responses.  The first response is: You're gonna be the next J.K. Rowling!  The second response is:  The publishing industry is in serious trouble right now, it's impossible to get a book deal and, if you do, don't expect much.  I have a lot of really awesome cheerleaders in my life, so luckily I get the first one more than the second, but still that second one is pretty damn powerful.  So I'm spending my time trying to expect the best.  There was a day a few years ago when I was working on my first novel and I walked into Border's.  I stopped in front of the end display of Twilight novels and thought that is going to be me someday.  That moment happened before I talked to anyone else about my writing.  It was before I met any other authors and watched their struggles.  It was before I knew the publishing world was changing.  It was before I let the outside affect the inside.  It was a moment of pure desire and pure faith and I'm trying to remember it so I can harness that feeling and that power.  

Faith Like a Child

I recently read a book that had a little story about having faith like a child.  It went like this.  A large group of people gathered to pray for rain but only one little girl brought an umbrella.  When the rain started, she and the minister stayed dry under the umbrella.  It was her belief that was strong enough to bring the rain for the whole group.  I'm not really sure this story is true, but it definitely illustrates the point.  If you want something, you've got to expect it, believe it's already yours.  

So...

When you're praying for rain, bring your umbrella!

What about you?  Are there any big dreams or desires that you've brought to life?  Have you ever uncovered and released an old belief that was holding you back?  Do you have any tips on staying positive while working toward goals?