The Law of Attraction is a Dangerous Delusion

March 31 by | 80 comments | Lifestyle, Productivity | Tags: , , , , , , ,

One of the biggest bandwagons that has rolled through the self-help community in recent years is the so-called Law of Attraction (LoA). This claims that you attract into your life whatever you think about.  Before I explain why I believe that this is not a law, not true, and not helpful, let me differentiate the LoA from some associated but different self-help concepts that actually do work.

1.  Positive Thinking. There is considerable evidence that having a positive, optimistic, can-do frame of mind will lead to much better outcomes in many circumstances than having a negative, pessimistic or cynical approach.  Studies show that positive thinkers generally do better, live longer, and are healthier and happier than negative thinkers.

2.  Focus, Goal Setting and Planning. There are many benefits in having a clear focus on what you want to achieve, in setting goals, in measuring progress against those goals and in taking corrective actions when you fall short.  Many successful people base their day on having an action plan that they work through.

3.  Visualization. Visualising a successful action can assist you to achieve it.  If you are nervous about making a speech then visualizing yourself giving a confident, dynamic performance will help you to do just that.  Visualising a great golf swing or a good tennis backhand stroke can help supplement your training and practice.

4.  Self-Belief. Most successful people have enormous self-belief.  They know that they have something special to offer and that they can achieve great things.  They use this self-belief as the basis on which to build the plans, improvements, learnings and actions that lead to success.

5.  An Attitude of Gratitude. Most of us have a great deal to be thankful for.  Counting our blessings and giving thanks help us to get our difficulties into perspective and engender a positive frame of mind.

So having listed those self-help mantras that actually work let us turn to the big idea that does not.  The Law of Attraction as expounded by Bob Proctor, by Rhonda Byrne in her best-selling book, The Secret, and by her many followers claims that all you need to do is to think about the things that you want in your life and the ‘Universe’ will supply them in abundance – whether they are positive or negative.   So if you think about money you will get money; if you focus on your debts you will stay in debt.   If you think about being slim you will become slim whereas if you constantly worry about how fat you are you will stay fat.   Unfortunately for the proponents of this ‘law’ there is no scientific evidence to support it.  There are plenty of anecdotes from people who believe the law worked for them but for each of these stories there are many other possible explanations.   No one has carried out a controlled experiment showing that the so-called law actually works.

Furthermore the law runs up against some very practical difficulties.  What if several people all want the same promotion and think about it furiously?  How can they all get the same post?  The law implies that whatever difficulties you have in life are the result of you thinking the wrong thoughts.  So it appears that an abused child, a rape victim or a prisoner in a concentration camp was somehow to blame because they thought negative thoughts.  This is offensive to victims and flies in the face of common sense.

According to the LoA if I want to win the gold medal in the 100 metres in the next Olympic Games or become President of the USA or get Jennifer Lopez as my girlfriend then all I have to do is think about my goal and it will come to me.  If we want a cure for cancer then we should stop spending money on research and just think about it instead.

The appeal of the LoA lies in its lazy proposition.  You do not need hard work and discipline to lose weight or get rich – you can do it by thinking.  Unfortunately this just is not true.   The LoA is delusional.  It is dangerous because it misleads people into believing that imagery alone will work without action.   To succeed in life you need things like talent, diligence, persistence, skills, hard-work and maybe a little luck.  You can achieve great things – but in order to do so you have to do a lot more than just think about them.

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Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.

  • Kristoffer

    Either I have misunderstood the law of attraction, or you have.

    The way I’ve understood it it has much in common with positive thinking, and goal setting. Basically if you think about what you want you’ll eventually come up with a way to get it. And that way to get it is what the ‘Universe’ will supply.

    Hard work in and of itself won’t help you if you don’t have a plan, and the LoA can help you figure out that plan, either consciously or subconsciously.

  • http://www.lewissmile.com Lewis

    If I ride my bike into town with a friend

    and I’m paranoid and fearful of someone stealing my bike

    and I think about that possible outcome all day long

    And yet my friend has no such fear

    and he is positive

    and truly believes life will provide a positive outcome because of the “law” of attraction

    The FACT that the LAW of attraction is constantly working will mean my padlocked bike will get stolen, but his unlocked bike will be safe.

    HUH?!

    What a pile of crap

  • Brent

    Obviously, you can construct scenarios where the Law of Attraction breaks down. It shouldn’t be called Law, I agree. But the idea does have merit.

    “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” -Buddha

    That was the Law of Attraction said over two millennia ago. It’s not a new idea that who we are is what we think. Our brain can only conciously think about so many things during the day, so the things we do think about become huge influences in our behavior and those around us.

  • http://MichaelRRoberts.com Michael R Roberts

    Nobody can say the law of attraction works in and of itself. It will work only when the concerned person puts in effort and work. Otherwise everyone will be claiming to sit still and let the LoA do all the hard work for them.

  • Peter

    “To succeed in life you need things like talent, diligence, persistence, skills, hard-work and maybe a little luck. You can achieve great things – but in order to do so you have to do a lot more than just think about them.”

    What a load of delusional BiaS. What’s the point of this article other than to take a potshot at a warn out topic.

  • Oriol

    You should separate the concepts of LoA and the application of LoA.
    I agree, it shouldn’t be called “law”, and “The Secret” book and movie and successors have put a lot of confusion about the “application of LoA”.

    In fact, the Law of Attraction is an attitude itself, I mean, if you live thinking you will achieve that, then you’ll act somehow conditioned for really achieving that. It’s a truly lifehack.

    “The LoA is delusional. It is dangerous because it misleads people into believing that imagery alone will work without action.” Hey, you think people is idiot? If you stay thinking about applying to a new job from the sofa because it follows the LoA.. obviously it won’t work. No one will get caught on that.
    Of course, if you read about the LoA but really don’t understand how it works, it won’t work on you.
    BECAUSE there is a paradox on that.. if you WORK on the LoA, then understand it and finally you live in it, you’ll truly get that abundance.
    -but that’s not writable as that understanding is different for each one of us-

    Thanks for writing about that!

  • http://www.storyhack.com Bryce

    I think Brent makes an interesting point.

    Earl nightingale put it this way “You become what you think about.” We choose what to study, what goals to make, what to focus our time on, etc. In that way, we become what we think about. Then through our words and actions we influence the world around us.

    What I don’t believe is that “The universe supplies to you anything and everything you think about hard enough.”

  • http://nawalatribe.blogspot.com Nicole

    its weird because I also think you misunderstood the “law.” the five things you listed ARE a part of the LOA. if you watch the whole movie, the secret, they discuss the importance of gratitude, planning (vision boards), positive thinking, visualization, etc. One thing that they may have not emphasized is that the LOA is not the only universal law in place so yes there are times when its not the only deciding factor in what you attract into your life. I would learn more about universal laws and how they all work. Whether the LOA exists doesn’t change the fact that what we think is powerful. Thanks for your input though. Peace

  • jodi

    wanted to pass thanks to Nicole – you wrote exactly what I was thinking!!!

    …if you look on the bright side you’ll be surprised how the world around you sings the same song!

    =oD

  • Jonathan

    I am with @Nicole. I have always seen the LOA as living the end game. If you want to have a lot of money, then start planning and living for it. This means you give lots of thought and planning to how it will affect your lifestyle and start implementing those plans. If you want to be thin, live like a thin person and do “thin” things. Not just sit and wish. Because as well all know the old saying: “Crap in one hand and wish in the other. Then see which one fills up faster”.

  • http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan

    Hi Paul,

    The tough thing about the LOA is that it’s unfailing. Everything – even down to a post written discrediting the effect of the LOA – shapes your future.

    I don’t care if you believe in the LOA or not. If you want to make life easier, simpler, and more enjoyable, you’d consider the fact that we create our reality, however horrible or joyous it may be at times.

    Its implications are beyond your or my conscious thought. Don’t try to go there. You can’t possibly know. Just accept the fact that rough things happen to people, and the more quickly they take ownership of these things the more free they become.

    I was a victim of abuse when a child. It scarred me. Guess what I decided to do this past year? Take ownership of it. I did not seek out being abused. I didn’t ask for it. I did attract it, somehow, someway. Does “attract” mean “want”? That’s the error in an LOA dissenter’s thinking.

    Attract doesn’t mean want, desire, or seek. It means, it happened. I had a part to play based on thought and feeling patterns which I couldn’t dream of understanding. Get over it by taking ownership of the situation.

    I’ve taken ownership of my abuse, terrible financial situations of the past, my depressions, and terrible relationships.

    Guess what happened? I’ve become a rich, happy, influential person. I’ve left limited states of mind behind because I realized that somehow, I am the cause of everything which happens.

    Study every successful achiever. They take ownership of everything that happens. Did they cause it? Doesn’t matter. They own it and move on to phenomenal things.

  • AT

    Yes I also agree that LOA is infact the 5 points mentioned. When you start to think about something, you start to do things that align with your thinking, talk more on it, share with all, get passionate about it and eventually it happens. You are basically what you think. “LOA is delusion” is itself a delusion.

  • chris

    nice article
    funny that the ads on the iphone app were for the lw of attraction :p

  • Joshua

    Hmm. I, too, think you misunderstood the LOA. However, I don’t think this is entirely your fault. After all, the LOA is often advertised as “Get what you think about”, making it seem like magic.

    However, this is not the case. In fact, the LOA actually speaks a lot about inspired action. So, you have to take action, but first you have to “align” with it. And that’s done by those things you mentioned in the article.

    I don’t think the LOA is a “law” per se, but rather an effective self-help system with fairy dust sprinkled on top. You have to look through the cheesy marketing. Then you’ll find that it’s not really about magically achieving certain goals, but rather to encourage personal growth.

  • MuHu

    We all know about positive thinking, saying that it’s in the LoA doesn’t change a thing. We knew about positive thinking and have a bunch of books and movies about it. So, what’s the new thing about it’s version in the LoA?

    The new thing that this “law” claim that you don’t actually have to work on a thing to get it other than doing some positive thinking!. Now that’s obviously wrong.

    Everyone knows it, LoA isn’t about positive thinking motivating you, it’s about positive thinking bringing things to you!

    Does it encourage people to into a positive thinking state?, sure, but it also doesn’t do much in stressing on the next necessarily (and most important) steps, actually, it does quite the opposite.

    Thinking about things, visualizing them, and planning for them, all day, doesn’t make them happen. But the clear massage of the LoA tells us the opposite.

  • Ben Shumway

    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Sooooooo many people fall into the LoA trap that it’s ridiculous. Listen everybody, just because there is a lot of anecdotal evidence for something doesn’t make it a “law”. You need real scientific research to verify whether or not a behavior is useful. I’ve always hated how so much of the self-help industry is boggled in advice backed by zero research. This is why I rejoiced when I found lifehack.org, you guys do a great job of leaving the unverified, unlikely, and spiritualist voodoo crap out of the discussion. 10 out of 10 for this post! Too bad some of the readers here need a lesson in epistemology…

  • daniel

    I agree with the author but in fact I would say that I’m a little bit surprised that the law of attraction is treated seriously. That it is even discussed. I don’t mean some “old-school” truths on which loa is “based” like “either you think you can or think you can’t …”, slogans like “believe in yoursefl” etc. I mean todays, modern “secret’s” version of the law of attraction. Are we talking about a movie in which a guy tells us that he gets free parking spaces by visualizing it ? It means that he is somehow mentally moving those cars, i guess. Or mentally connecting with owners of cars and making them move their cars somewhere else. In the book Rhonda is telling a story about her sister or somebody who started to give away her stuff and immagining being in USA to get there. And then she got there.When I want to get somewhere I get a bus or a train or anything, plane is also acceptable. There is also a story about a boy who wanted to take all the rides in the lunapark without having to wait in qeues. Maybe it is me who is insane. I don’t know. I really don’t care about the nature of the universe and all that crap (and all that discussion about what the loa actually is). What I am personnally interested in are good tools to deal with life. Sitting on the ass and wizualizing checks and expecting them to come is a great tool to get into the mental hospital. I would prefer spending less than I earn and then investing it as a tool that helps to get more money. But, as I said, maybe it is me who is really insane here. Sorry for my english.

  • Tim

    I guess there are many different interpretations of the so-called law of attraction. I first heard about this on some Brian Tracy audio book I think, and it was described in a way that made sense (focus thinking, visualize etc.). I also watched half of “The Secret” on DVD, until I could not stand it anymore. What a complete esoteric rubbish, while trying to look scientific.

  • http://taoofbachelorhood.com/ Michael

    I have to agree that the author really misses the boat here – in more ways than one.

    First, the LOA has a point, and that point is not “sit on your ass and good things will come to you.” It’s intended to be MOTIVATION.

    Second, why spend almost an entire article explaining (your view of) something, then devote almost no space to explain your stance? It seems rushed.

  • http://www.OptimisticJourney.com Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey

    I agree with you Paul! I agree that the child that’s been abused or the woman who has been raped probably hasn’t thought a thought that has brought such a situation in their lives. You make a very convincing argument there. Great post!!!

  • http://frombottomup.com/ Hulbert

    Nice post Paul. Great examples you showed us here. I agree that the Law of Attraction can’t be proved through scientific experiment and I believe that there were some parts of The Secret that I thought were a little ridiculous. I do however believe that our thoughts will help us guide us towards taking the right actions to achieving our goals. I think that’s part of what you were getting at here. Thanks Paul.

  • Laura

    Couldn’t have said it better myself, Paul! I think you got it spot on… there is merit in thinking positively, focusing on goals, etc., but thoughts alone do not alter our fates.

    I would also add that perception is a big factor in “evidence” for such an idea. So many times, we see what we want to see, to confirm what we believe. A recent example from my life: my friend liked a guy and thought about him liking her. When he made gestures that could be interpretted as flirting, it was confirmed in her mind that he liked her. Unfortunately, he was just a nice guy and had no real interest in her; he didn’t even realize his actions could be interpreted as flirting – but she saw what she wanted to.

    Great post!

  • Mark

    The “law of attraction” as I understand it from Brian Tracy’s works simply states that you make your future by thinking about it. In other words, one must focus one’s thoughts on what they want. It does not mean I can think “I want a million dollars in the bank” and sit on my tail. It is all about focusing on what is important in one’s life. The result is conscious and unconscious thought and action towards one’s goals. It is not a guarantee that some mysterious force will suddenly grant you your wish. Read Maximum Achievement, it explains it very nicely.

  • Nicole

    i would just add not to judge your view on the LOA on just “the secret.” there are many other sources. “The Secret” was just the commercialized version of a deeper idea.

  • Exitao

    The LoA includes all 5 of the self help concepts you list, and perhaps one more:
    Mindfulness of your goal and the expectation that it will be satisfied by “the universe” can cause one to perceive and exploit goal relevant opportunities that one might otherwise miss out on.

    However, psychology has a name for the mindset incorporated by the LoA; “magical thinking.”
    And yes, magical thinking is very much in the same neighbourhood as delusion.

  • steve

    I think it’s weird that not once do the founders or guests in the video The Secret ever suggest thinking for anything for anyone else. Every time they talk about the rewards and the benefits it’s always about YOU. If you could think things to fruition then why wouldn’t or couldn’t you suggest thinking someone else good things as well. Watch the video….creepy the way they get an individual all pumped on personal desire…and never once suggest using their “secret” for anything else but that.

  • Guil

    I would just like to suggest reading “the master key system” by Charles Haanel. To me it has similarities to the LoA yet offers a different, more structured implementation method. See for yourselves and pick what is best for you personnaly.

  • Sheila

    The scientific evidence required can be gleaned from “What the Bleep” video and book.

  • http://-- Ryan

    I’ve always thought of the law of attraction as a mixture of the first 5 things you listed. The part that you are debunking, IMO, is the part that the lazy people buy into and conveniently forget the rest.

  • MIke

    Wow – you people who believe in the LoA are complete morons. You’re basically magnifying your ability to control external forces. And you do it without any proof. It’s a belief of yours, but reality does not mold itself around our beliefs. We must mold our beliefs around reality.

    If this actually works, how come all of you aren’t more beautiful, rich, famous, etc.? Not thinking hard enough? lol

    The lengths people will go to delude themselves is shocking.

  • http://www.freedomreeves.com Freedom

    The way that the Law of Attraction is describe in “the Secret” in inadequate in my opinion. Unfortunately, it’s the most popular representation of it. LofA is not the same as victim-blaming; a baby born w/ cancer didn’t cause it, but once he/she learns about the control we have over our thoughts, he/she can actively make the condition better through positive thinking and action.

  • http://richdadobservations.blogspot.com K. Chang

    Law of Attraction is nothing more than “I think, therefore I am” wrapped up in touchy-feely stuff.

    If you don’t realize the limitations of that statement, such as “You cannot think yourself into something you are not”, THAT is the delusion.

    If you don’t realize that just thinking about it doesn’t help, THAT is the delusion.

    If you attribute anything MORE than that to it, THAT is the delusion.

  • http://myoddfamily.com/about/ Katybeth Jensen

    The second comment “bike example” intrigues me. I’m not sure of the outcome but I am sure one guy had a crappy day all day long and one guy didn’t. I’m also pretty sure, who I would want to help, if his bike was stolen.

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  • Jason Taylor

    This author clearly doesn’t know what he is talking about regarding the Law of Attraction. Attracting something with the LoA is not done by just sitting around all day by “thinking” and “visualizing.” The LoA is real and does work, it is not some mystical law… Here’s a very simple example of me using the LoA today. I woke up and was hungry, so I wanted to attract some breakfast… What did I do, I went and got some food out of my cabinet and created a breakfast. The LoA works, you just have no clue what you are writing about…

    Read this article for a better understanding: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/08/the-law-of-attraction/

  • Yonathan Zarkovian

    I’ve never heard of the Law of Attraction before, but I couldn’t agree more with this article.

  • Stutz

    A lot of the defenders of the LoA here seem to be confused as to the difference between the LoA as literally a “Law” of the universe, and the LoA as a metaphor for positive thinking or visualization. It may be helpful to assume and act as though we can “attract” things, but it is clearly not literally, scientifically true. (By what mechanism does the physical universe supposedly give a crap about our desires? The universe is not conscious. If the LoA, is real, there must be some conscious metaphysical/spiritual force directing it, but, tellingly, nobody ever talks about that, do they?)

    The problem is that this lame fad purports to be a real “Law of the universe” and not just a metaphor or useful belief. What most people are defending here is the metaphor for positive visualization, and not this supposed universal law itself. For example, poster Mark says:

    “[The LoA] does not mean I can think “I want a million dollars in the bank” and sit on my tail… The result is conscious and unconscious thought and action towards one’s goals.”

    “Thought and action towards one’s goals” is not a universal law of attracting things via thought. Working towards goals has nothing to to with the “universe” providing you with things. My point is this: why do we have to give commonsense good advice a stupid title and pretend that it is a metaphysical “law”? It’s childish!

    Poster Brent said:

    “It shouldn’t be called Law, I agree. But the idea does have merit… It’s not a new idea that who we are is what we think…the things we do think about become huge influences in our behavior.”

    Obviously! But you’re not defending some silly law of the universe, you’re defending common sense!

    A word about negative attraction: sorry, it doesn’t get you off the hook to say that an abused child didn’t “intend” for her abuse to happen. Intentional or not, you’re still blaming the victim for not thinking positively, for having negative thoughts. You’re essentially saying she has been convicted of a thought crime by the universe. What a horrible message! How can an abused child NOT worry about her life and dwell on the negative? Not only does this ignore psychology, it violates common sense: abuse CAUSES negative thought in the victim, not the other way around!

  • James

    I agree that the Law isn’t a “Law” in the scientific sense. Like many laws, I believe there is a letter to the law and a spirit to the law.

    The letter to the law is unrealistic; simply by everyone thinking about what they want isn’t going to automagically make it happen. The spirit of the law, as some pointed out, is that your thoughts do indeed shape your behavior, actions, and perceptions of the world.

    I think the Law of Attraction should be reclassified and advertised as a Law of Attention. What you pay attention to shapes how you spend your time, what you will act on, what you get out of life and how you feel about it. If you only look for bad in the world, you’ll find an infinite amount of things to be depressed about and “attract” a negative view of the world. A positive view of the world requires attention to the positive.

    All of the self-help mantras you listed that you say work require a level of consciousness and attention. I agree that the process doesn’t end there, and the attention needs to lead into the actions you mention at the end of your article.

  • Hmmmm!

    Paul,

    I don’t often comment on posts but I will make an exception for this post. Where do I start?

    First, let me say that I don’t like the LoA outlined in The Secret. Still, the general idea has merit and truth. Rather than The Secret read Eckardt Tolle’s, A New Earth. This is a better book with more realism to the principle that you get what you think about.

    In my life, I have had too many coincidences when opportunities have come my way, while I was thinking and focused on specific things, for this not to have merit and truth. In fact, these coincidences happen often.

    Like all things in life, not everything is possible, so for you to point out the impossible things in the post above, doesn’t prove your point that this principle does not work. It only means it isn’t likely to work in those situations.

    Being narrow-minded about this topic only means that you are narrow-minded, it does not mean that it is not true. Certainly you have heard the age old adage … if you think you can or think you can’t you are right. Because you think that this principle or law is not a reality then you are right … but only for you … and not for me or others who regularly have the experience of thoughts manifesting into opportunities or realities.

    Can it be proven? Probably not. But, how do you explain what happens to me, others and even yourself when coincidences arrive in your life? I can prove that these coincidences are statistically impossible. So, if it is statistically impossible, does that in itself mean that it is true?

    One important point needs to be aired out … you say that this is the lazy way … it is not. In fact, for good things to come into your life you have to be diligent and determined to create the right kind of thought. If you try and take the lazy way, then it won’t work … at least not the good things.

    Yes, most successful people do successful things … so if you want to be successful do the things above. Just don’t forget that what you focus on (good or bad) is what will manifest in your life.

    And for anyone who is really wanting to understand this better read Ryan’s post above … he understands.

    Paul … thanks for the polarizing post. It helps people like me take a few moments and check our beliefs. I know this works! It can work for you too … but, only after you believe it is possible.

    Best wishes!

  • http://deeperissues.net Dot

    Clearly, you hit a nerve here. I agree with you about the LOA, but I wish you’d made a better argument, because I think you oversimplified the LOA to the point where you left the door open for a lot of objections.

    People also seem confused about the difference between “think” and “believe.” My understanding of the LOA is that you must truly believe that it will work, not just think about it.

    As for the person who said, “The scientific evidence required can be gleaned from “What the Bleep” video and book,” that’s not true. My blog post explaining the bad science in the movie “What the Bleep” gives the reasons.

  • http://www.elchiricano.com Richard

    The LoA is a rip off of a famous occultist book called Kybalion, allegedly writteb by Hermes Trismegustus. The book contains seven principles (not laws!) by which the universe works. All is mind (your thoughts affect the universe, at least yours), cause and effect, correspondence between the higher and lower orders, etc. Its useful if you don’t become obsessed with it and work your tail off to get what you want.

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  • gpeuhqt

    I think LoA should not be taken literally, but as a model to guide your life. It’s a rational decision to use the model, but the model itself is irrational (not logical).
    Compare to how some people view their religious beliefs. While they do not believe the Bible literally, they do not dismiss it as a bunch of fictional stories either.
    You do not need to decide if something is really true or not; instead you can accept not having a definite answer (call it superposition if you will; see also quantum mechanics) and choose to believe in something that helps you with your life.

  • http://ericlauritzen.info/blog Eric Lauritzen

    The way I see it, the argument is with forms not substance. If you do the five things mentioned above, LOA advocates will tell you that’s practicing the LoA. If you practice the LoA as usually prescribed by the proponents of LoA (not this article) you will be implementing the five things mentioned above. I’ve noticed since I’ve made a discipline of looking for ways to identify with others – to look for and focus on things in common rather than things to disagree with, things to congratulate and applaud rather than attack, as I do that I find myself better able to implement those five concepts and reap the rewards.

  • http://www.lawoftheuniverse.net/ Law of the Universe

    There are many different theories out there on how the law of attraction works and there are some people that try to go as far as to explain all of the mysteries of the universe.

  • http://pix2brix.com Alison Moore Smith

    Paul, thank you. I first wrote about the “law” of attraction when the silly book “The Secret” came out.

    Of course positive thinking is generally helpful, but there is almost nothing true or correct about either the book or the movie. (And, yes, I have read and watched both multiple times and written about them until I couldn’t stand it anymore.)

    Just a few weeks ago I read something in a blogging network that caused me to respond, “I guess I need to write another article to debunk The Secret.” Ugh.

    While reams of folks say the author “misunderstand” the “L”oA, the only conclusion I can come to is that those people have not actually carefully READ what is written. Everyone likes to think that wishing and hoping will give them a magic genie life — and so they nonsensically filter all the in-your-face silliness and obvious contradictions in the movie/book/other writings and replace it with some palatable version of PMA.

    To be clear, The Secret and that written on the “L”oA is NOT PMA, it’s not “thinking positive thoughts will give you an advantage,” it’s not “thinking about your goals will help you achieve them.” The “L”oA is VERY SPECIFIC in what it outlines and what the actions and results are supposed to be — to quote, “every time.” If you don’t think it makes such claims, you haven’t paid attention.

    Before you defend the “L”ofA, you should be very sure what you are defending. Because the actual stuff with that moniker is so easily disputed that you lose credibility by being a supporter.

  • http://win-with-1.com Alison Moore Smith

    One last thing. We are building a new home and so most of our stuff (including almost all our books) are packed in a storage unit for a couple more months. But I pulled out some of what I’ve written to get a quote from page 5 of the book for consideration. (You only have to read the bios in the intro to see the inflated nature of the entire book.)

    Rhonda Bryne:
    “It [the "law of attraction"] is the law that determines the complete order of the Universe, every moment of your life, and every single thing you experience in your life. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, the law of attraction is forming your entire life experience, and this all-powerful law is doing that through your thoughts. You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts.”

    THAT is what the book/movie teach. Seriously, would you even want to defend that?

  • http://www.thesecretmylife.com TheSecretMyLife.com

    This is a great article! Thanks for sharing!

  • cireric

    The law of attraction is a natural law stemming from the human condition. It is totally unavoidable
    . It is best described as, ; the ability of humans to condition themselves, or to be conditioned, to either consciously or unconsciously seek out, create, and take advantage of opportunities to reach whatever goal their conditioning reflects.
    A pessimist always has a bad day, because their mind set is negative, they have conditioned themselves, or have been conditioned by others or their environment, that the world is a negative place and that nothing works out. So when the time comes for them to take an opportunity or create one for themselves they will inevitably choose to squander or ruin the opportunity, even if it was offering something very positive and healthy.
    An optimist always has a good day, even if something bad happens, they find positives in the situation, they deal with pain and sadness and anger, etc, and thus become stronger, more functional human beings, because they are conditioned, again, by themselves or others, to act and think and view life all in positive, constructive, healthy ways.
    It works on you whether you acknowledge it or not. The prerequisite is that you are actually active in the world, that you are not just sitting at home (that is a colossal misunderstanding). And that you are able to think for yourself, and thus, condition yourself.

  • Chris

    good for you Ryan. To Lewis…. I had a bike…. never seemed to quite fit me, wanted a good fitting bike. How nice and smooth a good fitting bike feels to ride… tried adjusting seat, lengthened tube stem…. nothing worked. Someone stole my bike when I didn’t quite lock it well enough and came home late unexpectedly. I had to go out and buy another bike. fits great, love riding it. Thief, and LOA, did me a favour. (I always lock my bike really well now though!)

  • http://www.medvisionmedline.net Steven Riley

    This is very intersting and I agree with the author.The FACT that the LAW of attraction is constantly working will mean my padlocked bike will get stolen, but his unlocked bike will be safe.

  • Eshu Wa Mi L’ona

    I do believe in The Law of Attraction to some extent. I agree with thinking positive, gratitude and some of the other laws that exist but at times I see that LOA deters a proper relationship with God. (People God and The Universe are NOT the same thing). So when people so obsessed with the LOA say “the universe this and the universe that” where is God? If a person has put God in their life first and foremost then every need will be met.

    Someone wrote: “I am the cause of everything which happens.”

    This is where I see another problem with the LOA. We DO NOT have control over everything that happens in our lives. If we did, that would makes us GODS. Sometimes GOD (the missing factor in the LOA) takes us through lessons that are difficult so we can learn from them and become better otherwise we won’t grow. They are necessary for the betterment of our spiritual selves.

    Practicing the LOA doesn’t necessarily mean one is becoming a better person which imo is ultimately what humans should be striving for daily in the first place. If more people simply did that the world would be a better place.

    To say a child at 9 attracted a rape to their life is bs. Are some of you implying that a 9-year old rape victim was thinking about getting raped and therefore they brought it upon themselves? Did my ancestor’s in Africa, who knew nothing of the white man attract their colonization, slavery and oppression to them because they were constantly focusing on wanting to be enslaved and be oppressed? Please.

    The LOA also implies that one doesn’t have to develop good character to attract the things they want in life. In other words, you can still be a mean spirited person but as long as you focus on what YOU want you can have it. I guess we all think differently but in the religion I am a part of I can’t get the blessings I want in life unless I have developed and maintained good character.

    There are other laws that seem to never be discussed in current LOA material; The law of persistence, the law of abundance/reciprocity, the law of justice. People these are universal laws. How about we go to the first people who TRULY understood the LOA, the people of Kemet aka the Egyptians who understood the concept of MAAT; i.e truth, justice, balance, order, righteousness and reciprocity. In order for the LOA to work all of these components must be put in place in one’s daily lives. I never hear these laws discussed when people so fervently talk about the LOA and Rhonda Byrnes interpretation of the LOA.

    People only seem to be concerned with achieving wealth, obsession with obtaining material possessions (idolatry) and greater prosperity. Not development of character, spiritual growth and the accumulation of wisdom. The LOA is not making the world a better place.

  • Eshu Wa Mi L’ona

    I also want to say that I agree that we have to take charge of our lives and change our mindset. I also believe that we can call things into existence and that we have a lot more mental and spiritual power than most people realize. And we should utilize those abilities the best way we can.

    But I also know that just because I put something on a vision board and fervently envision what is on that board, reinforced by affirmations doesn’t mean that that plan is accordance with God’s plan that he/she may have for you. I am living witness to say that you can have one plan and God can have another one for you no matter what you are visualizing creatively. So again, we do not control every aspect of our lives.

  • http://www.danielroachblog.com Daniel Roach

    Paul,

    A little research before you publish an article goes a long way. There have actually been numerous studies over the years published in multiple books about the effects of human intention on the physical world. Never having heard of these controlled experiments is no excuse for not researching before you hit send.

  • Feral

    For a really in depth examination of the application of this-let’s call it a “principle’-
    read “The Nature Of Personal Reality” by Jane Roberts. It’s available everywhere.

  • Emely

    LoA comes in many different names and you can call it whatever you want, think of it however you want and even get confused over it. The universe does not care what we want or don't want, it only responds to our thoughts.
    Some things to consider:
    1.The law of attraction is just ‘one’ law, there are many laws like ‘karma’ or ‘reincarnation’ in the universe that plays a part in all. 2. You only manifest negative things when you don’t make peace with them.

  • Emely

    3. Don't get yourself confused with words and definitions or because he said this and she said that. We are talking about a force that has existed before mankind.
    4. Don't be a dreamer of your desires. Its important to visualize things but don't sit all day dreaming about it. live your life as well.
    5. Don't be competitive with your wants. For eg: I want to get a promotion so that I can look better than this person or I can be beat/kill/hurt him or her etc. Remember 'karma' also exists.
    6. The law of attraction does not and cannot control others. ..You have no right to control others for your benefits or even for theirs. You can’t use LoA to make marriages work or to make people fall inlove with you.

  • Jan

    I believe on this crap (law of attraction of whatever you call it) because i have had events in my life that was realized just because of my thoughts (did not know about law of attraction or whatever)). You see, I am from ASIA (am a US citizen by the way). I remember fully that when I was in high school, i was so imaginative! It is my desire to come to the US. It's my DREAM COUNTRY. So, when I was in high school, I always "FEEL" that I am in the United States. Whenever I go places, I "FEEL" that I am walking in NEW YORK (although I was only walking in the dirty street in ASIA!). Whenever I go shopping, I FEEL that I am in the United States shopping.

  • jan

    Everytime I ride a taxi, I FEEL that I am in the United States. (heck, i did not know that this is visualization huh) . All I can say is…I AM NOW LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES for many years. Another event is, when I joined a local beauty contest, everyday, I always imagine myself as the winner. I see it in my MIND. While I practice a lot of walking, I also can FEEL me as a WINNER. I WON that local beauty contest ! These are just TWO of my experiences. So, MY SAY ON this is – you have to FEEL IT as IF – with a little bit of work. I DID NOT WORK that much physically to achieve these goals – but I WORK HARD on my IMAGINATION & FEELING….YOU HAVE TO FEEL IT…Trust me…it will work…(whether you call it law of attraction or whatever, I don't care. All I know is it WORKS for ME.

  • Pingback: The 100 Best Lifehacks of 2010: The Year in Review | ymangera

  • Alex

    Wouldn’t it be great if you could just sit back in your grandma’s rocking chair, visualizing success without actually getting out the door and going after what you want? To me a lot of these self-help books and theories all come down to people trying to find back doors so they can take the lazy way out in life.

    “Work smart, not hard” seems to be something I hear a lot … but how can you know how to work smart without ever working hard? And how can you know exactly what you want in life, if you’ve never been out and experienced it?

    I must say that I agree with many things in this article, but all these self-help books, with their ridiculous theories do in fact help many people by giving them something to believe in. And working on your beliefs is often the first step onto the path of success. For those who swear by the teachings of a certain guru, best of luck to you in all your future endeavours. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that racking up real life experience is always better than sitting at home, visualising being successful. Create your own success and enjoy life because we only have one chance to live it, so let’s live it to the fullest!

  • Natashatominski

    what a shame for you!!! it seems you must have a really teeny tiny mind. Quantom physics dear look it up. I became a millionaire through learning the law of attraction and i have read 20 books. You realy need to do some serious homework lovely if you wish to start education other people – EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST. (cough) x

    • Millionaire

      Wow. “Quantom” physics? Congratulation on reading 20 books.

  • http://twitter.com/AfricanMangoCom African Mango

    Like…?

    • http://www.danielroachblog.com Daniel Roach

      First place to start would be the works of Lynn McTaggart – “The Field” and “The Intention Experiment.” McTarggart isn’t a “guru” or “spiritual teacher,” she’s an investigative journalist and her books take a very hard look at the numerous experiments that have been done over the years in the field of human intention.

      I won’t say that “The Law of Attraction” as portrayed in The Secret is accurate, but the effects of human intention on the physical world are well documented, if not well understood.

  • http://www.josipbarbaric.com Law Of Atraction

    I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the law of attraction, because it’s not a theory that can be properly summed up in few words or sentences to offer complete understanding.

    The law of attraction is all about vibration – the rate of your vibration always matches what manifests. People need to look to their feelings and see how they feel about what they’re thinking. I’ve lived in lack for many years, even after I learned about the law of attraction and began applying the principles. I kept trying to think positively, affirming that I will have the money, I will have the money, I will have…but the reality was completely different. It wasn’t until I realized that my conscious thinking never actually changed my feeling about money and the subconscious beliefs that I had about it. It was only after I created an entirely different story for myself that I actually saw results.

    A lot of people say that they tried positive thinking, but it didn’t work. There’s proof in that very sentence that the law of attraction works – they tried but didn’t succeed, which means that they were never actually positive, but rather negative with a happy face on top, trying to convince themselves of something they didn’t actually believe.

    Whether the law of attraction works or not isn’t really relevant – the only thing you really need to do is test out things for yourself and see what works for you, what brings abundance into your life!

    Many blessings,

    Josip Barbaric

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    Simply put, I think you took the LoA too literally. 

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  • Lord Prezzo

    You’re right, only in that The Law of Attraction doesn’t work for muggles.

    Also, hate to break it to you, but there’s been a cure for cancer for a long time. Please do not continue propagating that there are still things without solutions. This is nonsense. It discourages people facing cancer (and the like) from getting real help, and settling for having only their symptoms treated (at best) and being swindled while doing so.

  • ZK

    I just stumbled across this site. I am normally an observer, without responding. However, I will break out of my old habit and type my comments.

    The Law of Attraction, Law of Belief, or any other Law you wish to call it is REAL. It is not a real law, it is a principle. This principle does WORK!!! Take it for what it’s worth; I am a stranger in cyberspace, but I have had great results whenever I applied this principle. But, there’s a catch, I didn’t even realize that I was applying the principle in my life. Reason being, I was doing what came naturally to me. The law is always working whether we realize it or not.

    I did see “The Secret.” But I disagree with the premise of the movie. The Law of Attraction provides for our NEEDs, not our DESIRES. We must dwell in reality, we as humans cannot simply create a thought and expect it to manifest in our physical realities. That goes against common sense, and reality to say the least.

    But, when we have a NEED.

    Focus with clarity.

    Heavily concentrate on that NEED.

    Visualize that NEED.

    Create a powerful intention.

    Take inspired Action.

    Yes, The Universe shall conspire on our behalf.

  • http://www.ab2bc.net Bruce Aristeo

    I recently wrote an article relating directly to LoA. Interesting, and there are no accidents…

    http://www.ab2bc.net/blog/bid/66627/Social-Media-The-Secret-and-Divine-Intervention

    I think one concept has eluded most here, and is missing from Paul’s post and The Secret; that is INTENTION. Intention is key because it’s the result of LoA or what you get, and not what you think about attracting.Example: Taken from Paul’s several people going for the same job, the awareness of the individuals’ intention is the driving force. If one person wishes for the job, but their intention is to make money to get out of debt, then their wish is really to get out of debt and not get the job. The job is only on the suface while the wish is money. Here lies the conflict, and the Universe answers to that which is true and positive.Out of the several people applying, the one who wishes for the job, because of the job, is the one who gets it. The one who is wishing to make more money only to pay bills, must be clear about their intention. They need to ask the Universe for guidance in finding a way to pay-off their debts and not act out of fear jumping at any job that pays well.That’s my 2 cents…

    Be Well, and thank you Paul for posting a great article for me to comment on.

    Bruce

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1646755841 David Ritko

    I agree for the most part with the Paul. My simplistic reasoning was the same as awhat was stated by a motivational speaker. You can ‘know’ there are no weeds in your yard all day long. The weeds know they will grow.

  • Anonymous

    In Mr. Sloane’s own words:”To succeed in life you need things like talent, diligence, persistence, skills, hard-work and maybe a little luck.  You can achieve great things – but in order to do so you have to do a lot more than just think about them.”
    You couldn’t have become aware or any of the things you list and mention without first THINKING, FOCUSING, ACKNOWLEDGING, REALIZING, IMAGINING and BELIEVING in them.

    You had to “tune in”, “vibrate” and most importantly “feel” with a positive, constructive, creative quality of “feeling” by THINKING, FOCUSING, ACKNOWLEDGING, REALIZING, IMAGINING and BELIEVING in your “talent” to use it.
     
     The same needed to happen in order to acknowledge the importance and application of “persistence” 
     The same needed to happen in order to acknowledge the importance and application of your “skills” 
     The same needed to happen in order to acknowledge the importance and application of “hard work”
     The same needed to happen in order to acknowledge the importance of applying and believing in a “little luck”

     In fact you cannot avoid being subject to the Law of Attraction. Do you think you are an author by accident? Really? “Think” again…

    The above mentioned is ALL part of the process of manifestation. Would you seriously assert that we are disconnected from the same Laws affecting our Universe?

    A responsible study of the subject of Law of Attraction will soon unsubscribe anyone from ever implying that it proposes to just sit on a couch and “think” your way to materialization. Of course you are entitled to “believe” any of this or not, but I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with here at all; Law of Attraction, just as the term suggests, is proposed and presented the same as the Law of Gravity would be when studying its effect on the weight, mass and characteristics of a particular body.

    Like Mr. Roach said, a little research goes a long way.

  • Anonymous

    In order to make an action happen, you have to think it first, then believe it.

    example: I wanted to attend nursing school. Admissions at every available program were very difficult. Despite the odds, I told myself if I complete all prerequesites with good grades that I’ll make it in, somehow. I told myself I would get good grades, I believed it, I was motivated, studied hard and completed all of the prereq’s with good grades.

    I got a few rejection letters in the mail, but I got one acceptance letter to a school nearby and began the program. When I began the program I was hit with the reality about how heavy the course work was and how challenging the exams can be. I told myself that if I was able to overcome obstacles in the past, I can make it through this too. I busted my butt for almost 2 years, spring/summer/fall semesters and made it out with a GPA of 3.0.

    When I finished up with school, it was time to prepare for boards. I put 8-12 hours a day into studying the NCLEX-RN making sure I understood each question, answer and mistake. I pretty much remembered everything in the Q-bank (over a thousand questions), by the time I was done. I knew I must know major medications, medical problems, etc. perfectly. I believed that each question, choices and answers were something I’d hold onto. When it came time to the test, I began nervous, but realized that every question that I read, I knew. The choices became simple. The test was over fast, I got the perfect score.

    When I look back, I was too fired up to think about failure. I only thought about kicking ass. Fiery passion to become a nurse, meet reality. That is the law of attraction. Sure things don’t materialize out of thin air, my grades, degree and license were hard earned. We all have that drive in us, sometimes when s*it happens, we lose our way, and need to be reminded of something so simple as the law of attraction.

  • Anonymous

    In order to make an action happen, you have to think it first, then believe it.

    example: I wanted to attend nursing school. Admissions at every available program were very difficult. Despite the odds, I told myself if I complete all prerequesites with good grades that I’ll make it in, somehow. I told myself I would get good grades, I believed it, I was motivated, studied hard and completed all of the prereq’s with good grades.

    I got a few rejection letters in the mail, but I got one acceptance letter to a school nearby and began the program. When I began the program I was hit with the reality about how heavy the course work was and how challenging the exams can be. I told myself that if I was able to overcome obstacles in the past, I can make it through this too. I busted my butt for almost 2 years, spring/summer/fall semesters and made it out with a GPA of 3.0.

    When I finished up with school, it was time to prepare for boards. I put 8-12 hours a day into studying the NCLEX-RN making sure I understood each question, answer and mistake. I pretty much remembered everything in the Q-bank (over a thousand questions), by the time I was done. I knew I must know major medications, medical problems, etc. perfectly. I believed that each question, choices and answers were something I’d hold onto. When it came time to the test, I began nervous, but realized that every question that I read, I knew. The choices became simple. The test was over fast, I got the perfect score.

    When I look back, I was too fired up to think about failure. I only thought about kicking ass. Fiery passion to become a nurse, meet reality. That is the law of attraction. Sure things don’t materialize out of thin air, my grades, degree and license were hard earned. We all have that drive in us, sometimes when s*it happens, we lose our way, and need to be reminded of something so simple as the law of attraction.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=743086937 Kevin X Dong

    I don’t know how it works for anyone else, but for me the Law of Attraction doesn’t work by me simply thinking about something. Obviously, thinking never did anyone any good by itself, it takes ACTION to make things happen. The way LoA works for me is that I when I think about something enough and believe it, it give me the motivation to take ACTION to achieve my goals. When I had depression, I kept telling myself “What’s the use in hoping? Hope doesn’t do anything for me.” By itself, no. But when I chose to hope, when I chose to believe I would be happy again, that gave me the motivation to take the steps to start climbing out of the hole of depression.

    Now, I don’t know what the popular definition the Law of Attraction is, but I don’t think it’s as simple as this article states it. “This claims that you attract into your life whatever you think about. “ Of course not, thoughts don’t do you any good, it’s what you DO with those thoughts that make all the difference. Having these thoughts is just the first step. A lot of people take this step for granted, so often people who struggle with it (like me) don’t realize they they’re lacking in these self-motivating thoughts.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=743086937 Kevin X Dong

    I don’t know how it works for anyone else, but for me the Law of Attraction doesn’t work by me simply thinking about something. Obviously, thinking never did anyone any good by itself, it takes ACTION to make things happen. The way LoA works for me is that I when I think about something enough and believe it, it give me the motivation to take ACTION to achieve my goals. When I had depression, I kept telling myself “What’s the use in hoping? Hope doesn’t do anything for me.” By itself, no. But when I chose to hope, when I chose to believe I would be happy again, that gave me the motivation to take the steps to start climbing out of the hole of depression.

    Now, I don’t know what the popular definition the Law of Attraction is, but I don’t think it’s as simple as this article states it. “This claims that you attract into your life whatever you think about. “ Of course not, thoughts don’t do you any good, it’s what you DO with those thoughts that make all the difference. Having these thoughts is just the first step. A lot of people take this step for granted, so often people who struggle with it (like me) don’t realize they they’re lacking in these self-motivating thoughts.

    The moral of this comment is, I think the Law of Attraction (by my definition; I’ve done little research) is valid, people are just oversimplifying it to validate laziness. Don’t give in to laziness! I still struggle with it every day, but it’s manageable. =)

  • Anonymous

    I don’t know how it works for anyone else, but for me the Law of Attraction doesn’t work by me simply thinking about something. Obviously, thinking never did anyone any good by itself, it takes ACTION to make things happen. The way LoA works for me is that I when I think about something enough and believe it, it give me the motivation to take ACTION to achieve my goals. When I had depression, I kept telling myself “What’s the use in hoping? Hope doesn’t do anything for me.” By itself, no. But when I chose to hope, when I chose to believe I would be happy again, that gave me the motivation to take the steps to start climbing out of the hole of depression.

    Now, I don’t know what the popular definition the Law of Attraction is, but I don’t think it’s as simple as this article states it. “This claims that you attract into your life whatever you think about. “ Of course not, thoughts don’t do you any good, it’s what you DO with those thoughts that make all the difference. Having these thoughts is just the first step. A lot of people take this step for granted, so often people who struggle with it (like me) don’t realize they they’re lacking in these self-motivating thoughts.

    The moral of this comment is, I think the Law of Attraction (by my definition; I’ve done little research) is valid, maybe people are just oversimplifying it to validate laziness, and in that case it IS dangerous. Don’t give in to laziness! I still struggle with it every day, but it’s manageable. =)

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/P7UMCY3M5KTTTDNOY5HXJNJZIA hh

    Golly! I’m amazed at how little research you did on this topic before you published your article. Using ‘The Secret’ as your authority is hilarious! You really need to read Seth Speaks, or The Nature of Personal Reality or some of the Abraham-Hicks material. Perhaps Joseph Murphy and many others. It’s more than thoughts – it’s the emotions and the genuine ‘belief’ whilst visualizing  - on a regular basis – that create things/situations/fortunes/misfortunes/opportunities. Genuine, consistent, unwavering ‘belief’ is very different to simply thinking and hoping for something to happen. I don’t think that even the peope involved in the flimsy Secret stated that thoughts in the form of hope would ever achieve anything. Read Seth and you’ll get the picture.