Have you heard of the Law of Attraction?  And if you haven't, what cave have you been living in?  When it first came on the scene, it was an Internet sensation - a secret method of getting whatever you want in life.  And all you have to do is .....

Know what it is that you want, believe that it is yours, and think only positive thoughts about getting it, and you will attract it into your life.

Nonsense.  Pure bull-pucky.  Well, maybe not PURE bull-pucky - but a certain percentage of bull-pucky anyway.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I honestly believe that what you think and how you think are important factors in reaching any goal that you set for yourself.

But The Secret, so we are told, is based upon the "Law of Attraction".

Well, I do declare - there is no such natural law!  And what makes me say that?  Let me explain.

Let's take a slight side-trip to reality here, shall we!  Let's talk about a genuine natural law - the law of gravity.  You don't have to be a scientist to understand the basic gist of the law of gravity.  With a bit of creative reflection, you can see that it is indeed a law of attraction.  There is some force on this planet that we call earth, that attracts things to it.  And you don't have to know exactly how it works, and you don't even have to believe that it works.  As a matter-of-fact, it works whether you understand it or believe it or not - if you step off of a tall building, you are going to fall to the earth, no matter what you believe.

Can the same be said of the "Law of Attraction" as put forth in The Secret?  No.  It appears to work for some, but not so much for others.

The Secret spawned an entire cottage industry of well-intentioned(?) folk who would tell you, for a certain amount of money, just how to apply the Law of Attraction so as to get whatever it is that you want in life.  And along the way, it turns out that it just doesn't always work as advertised.  Which was good for the cottage industry; that allowed some self-proclaimed experts to offer, again for a certain amount of money, the REAL solution, the real secret, the real steps to achieving ...

And if it didn't work for you, you were missing something - you were doing something wrong - you weren't applying the law properly ...  It was your fault.  And guess what - there is still some self-proclaimed expert who will take some of your money in exchange for ... what - snake oil?

It's the Law of Distraction (yes, I made that up - and there probably isn't a genuine natural law of distraction any more than there is a genuine Law of Attraction).

So, why write this?  What is my point?  Do I have something to say to you that is worth your time and effort in reading this?  I believe so, but I'll let you decide that for yourself.

It is this:

Belief is important.  Positive thinking will most likely help you to achieve your goals more than negative thinking will.  Know what it is that you want to accomplish.  Set that accomplishment as a goal.  Think about achieving that goal a lot, and work out what you think are the best steps for reaching your goal.  Take those steps, and continue to take those steps.  And be prepared to evaluate your steps, honestly.  From time to time, it may be necessary to fine tune your plan to achieve your goal.  Don't stop trying - don't give up.  BUT don't expect some natural Law of Attraction to bring into your life what it is that you want.  YOU must do that.

Don't fall into the trap of the "Law of Distraction".