Thoughts On Manifestation

The Law of Attraction. Manifestation. Making your dreams come true by really wanting them. The internet is filled with guides and testimonies on how to get anything you want through preforming a few simple tasks that prompt the universe to indulge you. It all has to do with focussing your attention and intention on a certain thing you’d like in life, “raising your vibrations” to attract more positive energy by sending out positive energy, and paradoxically letting go of the desire you have for the thing you desire.

I’m not going to go into detail on how this is supposed to work; you can find that information anywhere. What I wanted to talk about today is whether something like manifestation should work, does work, and is worth trying. Share my thoughts, I guess, and hopefully find out what you guys think about this topic.

The rational part of me is certain the Law of Attraction can’t work. Firstly: the principle of LOA is based on pseudoscience that isn’t scientifically supported in any way. That’s a problem to me. Secondly: in order for the LOA to work, according to the method, you need to have control over your thoughts and emotions. If you feel bad or think about bad things, you will attract them. Not immediately, but over time it will happen. If you feel good or think about good things, you will attract those instead.

The thing is though, controlling emotions can’t be done. You just can’t do it. You can try to warp your thoughts to a certain degree, but the majority of our thoughts and especially emotions are involuntary processes of the brain that we have little control over. Constantly trying to force or banish certain thoughts/emotions will most likely leave you exhausted and frustrated.

If the Law of Attraction existed in the form that it’s presented in by its most fanatic practitioners, shouldn’t that mean that no hypochondriac would live past 30? It’s a pretty heavy form of victim blaming if you ask me, claiming that every bad thing that happens is the person’s own fault for sending out negative vibes. There is no way I’m willing to accept that pessimism gives you cancer and that children attract school shootings.

I also don’t understand how LOA would work when two people try to attract conflicting situations/things. What if a couple is looking to move house, and one partner’s ultimate dream is to live in a cottage on a hill while the other would love to lead a jetset city life? Or more dramatically: what if an evil dictator starts manifesting genocide, how does that weigh against all the potential victims manifesting a happy, healthy life? Getting really wild with these examples here, but hopefully it illustrates why I can’t help but feel resistance to the idea of LOA. If anyone knows how this supposedly works in LOA, please let me know.

With that being said I do need to mention that, when looking back at my life, there’s a pattern I noticed years ago before I ever knew something like manifestation existed. There are a few things in life I wanted, desperately, for a very long time. Whenever the dream wouldn’t come true for too long and I’d finally let go and release my grip on it (essentially giving up on the dream), it would come true. This has occurred not once, but many times in my life and I can’t explain it. It’s actually what prompted me to look into the Law of Attraction at first.

Because of these experiences, I can’t write the whole thing off as easily as I’d maybe like to. I should also note that many aspects of LOA are similar to the classic practice of prayer, which has been around since the beginning of human history and which many people swear is effective, too.

Personally, I think the portions of LOA that seem to work mostly have to do with your outlook on life. Having high confidence and an optimistic worldview, and the actions you take based on that. Undoubtedly going into a business venture with strength, confidence and faith will take you further than starting with the belief that you probably won’t make it anyway. I don’t think optimism necessarily affects the way the universe reacts to you, but I do firmly believe this affects the way you act and thus the outcome of whatever you’re doing/focussing on.

Constantly re-visiting your goals, one of the key steps in manifestation, serves to keep them at the forefront of your mind. When you’re focussed like that, you’re more likely to grasp opportunities that take you closer to your goals. Had the goal slipped to the back of your mind, you might have overlooked those opportunities in the same situation.

Something can definitely be said for trying to keep a positive outlook on life and any situation it throws at you. Having clearly defined goals that you check in on regularly will help you reach them more efficiently. But I simply cannot believe that one can cure disease this way or grow thicker hair. For every success story of someone manifesting a dream life, there are countless failures we don’t get to read about.

I don’t believe in the Law of Attraction as a universal truth. I do, however, believe in the placebo effect, and I’m often inclined to say “I don’t really care how something works, as long as it does”. If LOA improves someone’s life and they’re getting incredible results from it, more power to them. When it comes to things like manifestation, I like to keep a healthily sceptical, but open mind. I would in fact like to try implementing the method in some aspects of my life, to see what happens. Although I might be boycotting the whole thing by being sceptical in the first place, who knows.

So, what do you think? Do you believe LOA works or could work? Have you practiced it yourself, or know anyone who does? Would it be worth giving a shot? Let me know in the comments and as always, feel free to share any stories anonymously.