Five Life-changing Lessons Crucial to Success! — The Law of Attraction — Part 1

On March 23, 2006, a documentary-style movie called “The Secret” was first broadcast via streaming media on the Internet. It was an international hit! Since then, more than 2 million DVDs and over 6 million of the hardcover book have sold. The DVD and Book are changing people's lives because the principles taught in them work!

This inspiring self-help film The Secret was produced by Rhonda Brynes. Ms. Brynes has stated that in 2004 her film company was on the brink of bankruptcy and she was having a hard time coping with the death of her father. As an antidote to her despair, her daughter gave her a book; suggesting it might help. Although the book is not specifically named in the film, it was the classic, “The Science of Getting Rich” originally published in 1910 by New Thought author, Wallace D. Wattles. The “secret” contained in the book changed Rhonda Brynes' life. As she began to practice what she read in the book and other books of a similar genre she began to realize that scores of people who were affluent, successful, and living dynamic lives had already discovered and tapped into “the secret.”

In The Secret movie, Ms. Brynes brought together prominent authors, leaders and teachers in the fields of self and personal development, business and financial building, coaching, philosophy, psychology, and a number of other disciplines to share how they themselves had used “the secret” to transform their lives. This secret, which we learn is called The Law of Attraction, affects every aspect of our lives — our money, our relationships, our health, and our happiness — whether we believe in it or not. Basically, The Law of Attraction states: “We attract whatever we choose to give our attention to – whether wanted or unwanted.”

Like Attracts Like!

The Law of Attraction is one of the Universal Laws that governs the Universe. It is one of the immutable laws established at Creation. Universal Laws cannot be changed; they cannot be broken; they cannot be manipulated. They are always at work, whether we understand them or not; whether we believe in them or not. Universal Laws apply to everyone, everywhere, equally. It’s very much like gravity — it is what it is!

When we understand The Law of Attraction, we realize we are like a magnet. We attract people, things, and situations to our lives that reflect what we are thinking about the most. Many great leaders and thinkers have discovered this truth.

Buddha said, “What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.” He also said, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.”

“A man is but the product of his thought — what he thinks he becomes.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” — James Allen

“Our minds become magnetized with the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds and these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts.” — Napoleon Hill

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, best-selling author of The Power of Positive Thinking (which has sold over 7 million copies) explains the Law of Attraction this way, “There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully, his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him - flows toward him.”

In other words, if you focus only on the lack and limitations in your life; you will attract only more lack and more limitations. Certainly not what you want to happen!!! However if you understand the basic principle of the Law of Attraction, you will immediately realize that the opposite of lack is abundance. The difference between the two is where you apply your focus. In other words, our thoughts determine our experiences. So the solution is very simple — change your focus! Begin to apply your thoughts to seeing and expecting abundance, and begin to express gratitude for what you have and thankfulness for what is coming.

Change Your Thinking — Change Your Life

Brian Tracy, one of the world’s leading business trainers, motivational speakers and author of forty books, has spent a life-time helping individuals and business leaders achieve outstanding success. One of his best motivational books is entitled, Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life – How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement. In it he states that “you become what you think about most of the time.” Throughout the 12 powerful principles he teaches in the book, one foundational truth appears to influences everything we do; it is the power of our thoughts. He states, “Whatever you believe with feeling becomes your reality.” Whether we achieve success or failure, it begins in our thoughts.

In the Introduction - The Truth About You ,he writes . . .
"You are a thoroughly good person. You deserve a wonderful life, full of success, happiness, joy and excitement. You are entitled to have happy relationships, excellent health, meaningful work, and financial independence. These are your birthright. This is what your life is meant to include.

You are engineered for success and designed to have high levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. You are extraordinary; there has never been anyone exactly like you in all the history of mankind on earth. You have absolutely amazing untapped talents and abilities that, when properly unleashed and applied, can bring you everything you could ever want in life.

You are living at the greatest time in all of human history. You are surrounded by abundant opportunities that you can take advantage of to realize your dreams. The only real limits on what you can be, do, or have are the limits you place on yourself by your own thinking. Your future is virtually unlimited."

Inspiring words! However, his next sub-heading is Get Real!
How did you react to the preceding three paragraphs? You probably had two responses. First, you like what they said, and your fondest wish was for them to be true for you. But your second response was probably one of skepticism and disbelief. Even though you deeply desire to live a wonderfully healthy, happy, prosperous life, when you read those words, your doubts and fears arose immediately to remind you of reasons why these dreams and goals may not be possible for you.

In the remainder of the Introduction he points out that your thoughts can make you a success or a failure, prosperous or poverty-stricken, respected or ignored. Your thoughts, and the actions that they trigger, determine your whole life. And the best news of all is that they are completely under your own control.

Change Your Thinking, Change Your life by Brian Tracy is a life-changing book that opens the door to living a life without limitations. It should be read several times. By the time it is dog eared and thoroughly worn, you’ll be living a life you can only now imagine.

To do well in life, we must first think well.
That is the premise of Dr. John C. Maxwell’s inspiring book “Thinking for a Change.” Dr. Maxwell is one of America’s most trusted and admired motivational teachers. In this life-empowering book he examines the foundations of success, self-transformation and shows you how to think. The book helps you assess your thinking styles, guides you to new ones and step by step teaches you the secrets of:
• Big-Picture Thinking: seeing the world beyond your own needs and how that leads to great ideas.
• Focused Thinking: removing mental clutter and distractions to realize your full potential.
• Creative Thinking: stepping out of the “box” and making breakthroughs.
• Shared Thinking: working with others to compound results.
• Reflective Thinking: looking at the past to gain a better understanding of the future ... and much more.
This is also a book that I must highly recommend to anyone who wants to change their thinking and their life and feel that it should be repeatedly read from cover to cover.

To get a better understanding of Dr. Maxwell’s insights on thoughts and thinking, I am including in this lesson one of his articles about good thinking, written in the March 2005 edition of Leadership Wired. I felt it illustrated the concept of how our thinking influences our life so well. Enjoy!

GOOD THINKING By Dr. John C. Maxwell

If you watched the swimming events at the 2004 Olympics last summer, you probably observed the incredible focus the medalists demonstrated. Sure, they’re strong and fast. But when hundredths—maybe even thousandths—of a second are all that separate the winners from the losers, it’s obvious that something besides strength and speed is at work.

A comment by Flip Darr, a former collegiate swimming coach who played a part in training eight Olympic medalists, sheds some light on what that critical ingredient might be. “I felt in my coaching career that if I would work on [the swimmers’] head[s], their bodies would come along,” he said. “A lot of coaches work on their bodies and then at the last moment try to do their heads. The thing is, if they are working with their heads all the time, and working with their head over the body, mind over matter, they will have more confidence when they walk up to the block.”

What a great illustration of the value of good thinking. Athletic ability is important, but preparing for the biggest race of one’s life is as much mental as it is physical—if not more so. As Bill MacCartney, the former head football coach at the University of Colorado, once told me, “Mental is to physical what four is to one.”

That’s a powerful argument in the case for good thinking—on the football field, as well as in your office at work. The specific thoughts that increase your effectiveness as a leader might not be the same as those required for an Olympic medal, but the overall commitment to thinking is identical.

Here are five statements that further underscore the importance of solid contemplation.

1. Everything begins with a thought. Every great invention, every technique, every conversation, every leadership practice and every bit of personal growth starts in someone’s head.

2. What we think determines who we are, and who we are determines what we do. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish in your life and career? Are your thoughts paving the way for you to achieve those goals, or are they getting in the way?

3. Our thoughts determine our destiny, and our destiny determines our legacy. That’s pretty sobering, especially for those of us who have already passed life’s halfway point. The good news is that, no matter how old you are, it’s not too late for good thinking to influence your legacy in a positive way. This quote by James Allen says it well: “You are today where your thoughts have brought you, and you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”

4. People who go to the top think differently than others. There are many reasons for this, but it’s absolutely true. As William Arthur Ward said, “Nothing limits achievement like small thinking, and nothing expands possibilities like unleashed thinking.”

5. We can change the way we think. This is a comforting thought, especially in light of the previous statement. One of the best ways to change the way we think is to invest in resources that help us improve our leadership methods, our relationships, our technical competencies, our time-management skills, our ability to handle conflict, and so on. Over the years, I have been helped tremendously by books and tapes that cover such issues. They boost my thoughts and add great value to my life.

Before I close, I want to highlight the positive influence other people can have on our thought processes, and the critical impact we can have on theirs. For example, Flip Darr understood that one of his functions as a coach was to help his athletes develop the mental stamina necessary to win the big races. That’s why he spent so much time “working with his swimmers’ heads.” As leaders, one of our jobs is to help our people learn how to think for themselves so they can perform successfully when we’re not around.

At the same time, we also need to spend time with people who help us think better. I love interacting with good thinkers. They energize me. They stimulate my thoughts, challenge my ideas and stretch my mind like nothing else can. That’s why I like to say that some of my best thinking has been done by others!

The bottom line is this: When it comes to success in life, the ability to think well isn’t just an asset; it’s a necessity. And when you make good thinking a priority today, you lay the groundwork for success tomorrow.

The Greatest Secret One Can Learn From The Secret

The greatest secret revealed in The Secret is that by changing our thinking; we can change our life! When we understand that “like [thoughts] attract like [thoughts]” we become much more discerning about what we think about and more purposeful in what we imagine for our future.

The articles in this free series from MessageRocks.com are all about Changing Your Thinking so you can Change Your Life! The focus is to help you understand the power of your thoughts, how to control your thoughts, how to identify problem thought styles, how to eliminate those patterns permanently, and lastly, how to live life without the fear of making mistakes.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” How about you? Are you willing to let go of negative thoughts and fears that undermine your dreams and goals? Are you willing to grab a hold of this simple truth and change your thinking so you can change your life? Our thoughts really are the source of health, wealth and happiness!

This is Lesson 1 in a series of 5 articles entitled
FIVE life-Changing Lessons crucial to success!

This inspiring series of articles is a free gift from MessageRocks.com
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Wishing you all the best that life has to offer!
— Lauren Sage Alexander —
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