The Law Of Attraction by the Dozen

Mike Corthell, Editor & Publisher

Psychologists, New Age thinkers and religious leaders have been talking about the Law Of Attraction for years, though it gained popularity again when the book "The Secret" made waves in 2006.

The law is simply this: We attract whatever we think about, good or bad.

Oprah is a fan of the law and devoted an episode of her show to how it could change lives.

Whether or not you believe in the power of the universe, there is scientific research that proves the effects of positive thinking.

We've highlighted the most compelling elements from one of the most popular books on the topic, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham, by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

1. You attract good or bad experiences based on your thoughts.

Helga Weber via flickr

"The one who speaks most about illness has illness. The one who speaks about prosperity has prosperity," Esther and Jerry Hicks write. "You attract all of it." By focusing on something, you make it happen.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

2. Thinking about something means you invite it in, even if you don't want it.

Daniel Goodman / Business Insider

"When you think a little thought of something that you want, through the Law of Attraction, that thought grows larger and larger, and more and more powerful," according to the book. So keep your thoughts positive.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

3. The more you focus on something, the more powerful it becomes.

UltraSlo1/Flickr

This allows you to create your own reality by "attracting" the experiences you want to have. You probably brought bad things upon yourself by worrying about them, according to the laws described in the book.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

4. It's better to trust your emotions than over-think a decision.

Dmitriy Shironosov on www.shutterstock.com

In other words: Listen to your intuition. Instead of overthinking your choices, let your emotions guide you toward what is right and what is wrong. This will result in a more satisfying life.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

5. You can make good things happen more quickly by thinking about them more..

"Want" and "desire" consist of wanting "to focus attention, or give thought toward a subject, while at the same time experiencing positive emotion. When you give your attention to a subject and you feel only positive emotion about it as you do so, it will come very quickly into your experience," the Hicks write.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

6. To make a change, you've got to see things as you hope them to be, not as they are.

Al Bello/Getty Images

This is something that successful people know about. It's also called visualization. Michael Phelps spoke about picturing himself winning every night before bed. 

"In order to effect true positive change in your experience, you must disregard how things are — as well as how others are seeing you — and give more of your attention to the way you prefer things to be," the book says.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

7. You can increase your magnetic power by devoting time to "powerful thinking." each day.

Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Spend 15 minutes every day thinking hard about your goals, dreams and what you want from life. The Hicks say this increases your chances for success. 

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

8. Success isn't a finite resource; everyone can have it.

Yepoka Yeebo / Business Insider

Others being successful doesn't limit your success. And by attracting abundance to yourself, you are not limiting another, according to the book.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

9. Don't allow yourself to wallow in disappointment.

Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Being disappointed only attracts more stuff to be upset about and is only a sign that you're not getting what you want in life. So think about how to get what you want instead of what you don't have. 

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

10. Avoid TV shows that deal with negative experiences like crime or illness.

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Letting this stuff in makes you think about it more and increases the odds it could happen to you. "Your attention to anything is drawing it closer to you," they say.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

11. Know that your relationships with people are bad because you made them that way.

Wildebeast1 via flickr

Giving your attention to the negative can wreak havoc on personal relationships. This mentality can help free us from bad relationships with relatives or a spouse. "Nothing can come into your experience without your personal attraction to it," they say.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

12. Don't worry about what you're dreaming; instead use your dreams as a guide.

Flickr/JosephlnQueens

Dreams might provide some insight into the psyche, but you're not in the process of "creating" while you're asleep, the book says.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Do You Know Benjamin Franklin?

Mike Corthell, Editor & Publisher

This man is my friend. He was born in 1706, some 246 years before me but I do know him well. His life is proof that difficult beginnings need to hinder our success. If fact they can motivate us, even propel us to lead very successful lives. Read on, and see how Ben became a success...

Benjamin Franklin was an author, a painter, an inventor, a father, a politician, and the first American Ambassador to France. He invented bifocals, swim flippers, lightening rods, and the Franklin stove. He founded a public library, a hospital, and insurance company and a fire department. He helped write the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He wrote an autobiography in the middle of his life and shortly before his death in his 80's, he completed his memoirs. Franklin was truly a Renaissance man. He was one of the greatest citizens and thinkers the world has ever seen. But Franklin was not always a great or successful man. At the age of 17 he ran away from home in Boston, estranged from his family because of an argument he had with his brother.

Franklin tried in business and failed, not once but twice. He was the father and single parent of an illegitimate son whose mother abandoned the child to Franklin unable and unwilling to live with Franklin and the child. As a young adult Franklin was by almost any measure and especially his own measure a dismal failure. His life was confused, difficult and not at all satisfying to Franklin or to anyone else. He decided to change.

Benjamin Franklin sat down and made a list. The list consisted of twelve characteristics, values and virtues to which he aspired. He called his list "Virtues". Franklin's list of virtues looked like this.

Franklin's List of Virtues 
1. Temperance
2. Silence
3. Order
4. Resolution
5. Frugality
6. Industry
7. Sincerity
8. Justice
9. Moderation
10. Cleanliness
11. Tranquility
12. Chastity
When he completed his list of the virtues to which he aspired, Franklin wrote a brief sentence describing each of the virtues and what it meant to him. He did not want there to be any confusion about what each of these words meant. His definitions of his virtues then looked like this.....

Franklin's List of Defined Virtues1. Temperance - eat not to dullness; drink not to elation.
2. Silence - Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Reolution - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, wast nothing.
6. Industry - Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly.
8. Justice - Wrong none by doing injuries; or omitting the benefits of your duty.
9. Moderation - Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness - Tolerate no un cleanliness in bocy, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility - Be not disturbed at trifles or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

Franklin then took his list to a respected friend who happened to be a Quaker. Franklin explained to his Quaker friend that he, Franklin, was disappointed in the progress in his life to this point and that he intended to turn his life around. From now on Franklin intended to live his life according to his list of virtues. Each day he would read the list and each week he would focus on a different virtue. Repeating the process over and over again until he had become one with his virtues.

Franklin's Quaker friend asked him one question. "Ben are you serious? Because you sure aren't these things now." Franklin explained that he was indeed serious and that he knew he was far from these virtues now. But he aspired to become one with the twelve virtues he had listed and described.

His Quaker friend went on then to say. "Ben, if you are serious you need to add a thirteenth virtue. Humility. Because you don't have any."

Franklin thought about the advice of his friend and true to the recommendation added a thirteenth virtue.

13. Humility.

Franklin then went on to define humility for his own understanding, and true to his less than humble self Ben Franklin defined humility, thus.

13. Humility - Emulate Christ and Socrates in all things.

Now there is a truly humble man. He would just emulate Christ and Socrates in all things. True humility. Well, perhaps not really!

Not very humble; but true to his word and his intention, Franklin set about to reorder his life. Each day he would read his list and each week he would focus on a different aspect of his list repeating the process over and over and over again.

The rest is history. Franklin went on to become one of the most productive, successful and self- actualized people in all of history. He knew what mattered most. That was how he could set about being an author, a printer, an inventor, a father, a politician, the first American Ambassador to France, the inventor of bifocals, swim flippers, lightening rods, hundreds of other things and the Franklin stove and how he could found a public library, a hospital, an insurance company and a fire company and help to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

But did you know that is not the end of the story? In his memoirs, shortly before his death Franklin was reflecting on the story of his virtues (which he told in his autobiography written mid-life) and he noted that he had come to feel a oneness with each of his 12 virtues. 
When he thought of the 13^thvirtue, he realized that he simply was not humble.

Franklin had failed at his 13^th virtue. Or had he?

Franklin failed at his 13^th virtue, Humility. Why? Was the most difficult virtue on this list the last? Or was there another reason? The answer is obvious and simple. Franklin had not failed at his virtues. He had succeeded at each of his twelve virtues. He failed at a virtue that was not his, a virtue that had been given to him by someone else. Franklin failed at a virtue that he did not value. He failed at doing something someone else valued and suggested to him as a value.

How then might we learn from Franklin's example? Can we learn, what matters most to us?

Perhaps the single most important lesson in life would be that we must learn what matters most to us!

Model what you would teach, because you teach first by modeling. Teach what you would live but remember the failure of Ben's Quaker friend. It is not possible to give someone a value they would not own.

Same Wavelength: Our Own Slice of Paradise....

Mike Corthell:
''We do a lot of waving in the our valley paradise.
Why? We love it here and we want you to feel right at home.''

Mike Corthell: Mount Washington Valley – Authentic

• 

Conway Daily Sun

To the editor:

   I have been in and around the Mount Washington Valley, since 1966 skiing, camping, fishing and just plain recreating — I love it here.

   When I moved here with my family in 2005, I found that 99 percent of the people here are truly authentic. I mention this because authenticity, in the way we run our businesses, in our small region is vitally important and being authentic is impossible without honesty and integrity in our lives. Especially if you are building your business or branding your product. The moral values and the way we live our lives will impact directly the outcomes in our businesses. We have exceptional people here, with exceptional values and work ethic...

Read More

(For more information on our piece of New England heaven go HERE and HERE.)

Brownfield Food Pantry

			701 Pequaket Trail
			Brownfield, ME 04010
			52 Ridge Lane
			Brownfield, ME 04010
			935-2333
			brownfieldfoodpantry@fairpoint.net
			www.socnfoodpantry.org

You Always Were and You Always Will Be!

   The immensity and age of the universe are beyond any human being's comprehension. Lost somewhere between the vastness and the infinity is our very small home – a space ship...Earth. 

   In a relative sense, most of humanity's problems seem insignificant, almost non-existent. But we are children of the Creator. The creator of all there is and we have His promise. The promise of life but more than just a life, but a life most abundant. 

   In the past 5000 years we have made the most amazing and very telling discoveries about the universe and our place in it, 'facts' if you will, that tell us exactly who we are, and what our true destiny actually is. They remind us that we were created by God to seek, to find, to know, to understand and that wisdom is joy, that knowledge brings happiness – and our survival. 

   The ultimate knowledge through the ages, what we now know to be true, is that God is love, we come from God, and we are all immortal.

- Mike Corthell