There’s been a lot of hype in recent years about The Law of Attraction. Rhonda Byrne really pushed this concept forward with her movie The Secret, which came out in 2006. Presented in a non-traditional style, this movie really dove into the idea of creating the life you want to live by manifesting things, experiences, and relationships simply by focusing on them intently and single-mindedly. Since then, many authors have published books based on the same concept. Gabrielle Bernstein talks about it in her book The Universe Has Your Back, and Christy Whitman takes a more business-like approach to it in Quantum Success.

This idea of intentionally creating the life you want is not a new one. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill was written in 1937 and even before that, Charles F. Haanel wrote his book The Master Key System,in 1916. Both books present the notion that you can have whatever you want if you focus your thoughts on it in an intentional way. Regardless of who’s presenting the message or when, one thing seems clear: Many people believe there’s a force out there that we can tap into to attract what we want into our lives.

People call this force by many names. Many people call it God, while others call it the Universe, a Higher Power, Infinite Wisdom or some similar name. Some teachings on The Law of Attraction come from an entity named Abraham, a collection of souls in the hereafter who channel information about this universal law to a human scribe. Whether you believe in stuff like that or not probably doesn’t matter as much as whether you have an open mind to the concept. An open mind creates possibilities for a better life experience. A closed mind guarantees that you’ll stay stuck where you are right now.

Consider the possibility that focusing your full attention on something you really, really want to bring into your life just might work. What opportunities would that open up for you? You’ve probably experienced examples of this concept in your life without even knowing it. Think about the last time you went car shopping. You started researching the options and finally whittled them down to the one you liked the best. Suddenly you realized they were everywhere! Every time you got on the road, you saw that particular car over and over again. It was like magic. Or maybe it was the Law of Attraction at work, bringing into your life that which you were focusing on. If you continued to focus your attention on that car, you might well be driving it right now.

The Law of Attraction works in your personal life as well as in business. Have you ever worked with someone who just knew they were going to get fired? What ended up happening? They probably got fired. Or how about a salesperson who seemed to land every account they approached? It’s in your mind, this Law of Attraction. Whatever you focus your thoughts on will come into existence for you.

The Law of Attraction is a universal law. It’s like gravity. It works all the time. That means it also brings things into your life that you don’t want if that’s all you focus on. Do you know people who go through life with a “victim” mentality? Life is always hard for them. They never have enough money, enough time, their car breaks down, they get fired from their job…with each negative experience, they focus even more on how bad their life is. And The Law of Attraction brings them more of what they focus on.

Most people go through life on the Default setting, letting the Law of Attraction bring them whatever they think about without making any attempt to guide those thoughts. But what kind of life would you be living if you put effort into intentionally directing your thoughts?

It’s exciting to think about, isn’t it? Imagine the life you could have!

The Bible talks about this concept, as well:

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” — Mark 11:24 (KJV)

Coincidence? I think not. As I said, this concept has been around a LONG time.

So what do you think? Are you ready to start intentionally creating the life you want to live?

If you’re still not sure about all this, just start small. Try to think about things and experiences that would make you happy. Try to keep your brain from dwelling on fearful or negative thoughts. Small steps in a positive direction will bring results that give you the confidence to move boldly into a new life.