While the power of attraction can have a profound impact on your life as it relates to how you can manage your mindset to achieve your most precious goals and attract that which matters most to you, there is a loophole.
Attraction without the action to support what you want to achieve and create most is a diversionary tactic. It gives a person permission not to take action and instead, sit on your couch and eat potato chips, just waiting for the power of your intentions to manifest into what you really want most. If not managed correctly, the Law of Attraction can quickly evolve into a list of excuses, justifications and reasons for not taking action instead of assuming full accountability for your life and everything in it.
Then, there’s the other Attraction Principle worth challenging. Attraction suggests to, “Continually do what you’re currently doing. Stay detached from the outcome. There’s no need to change things up until the perfect opportunity presents itself. And if you find resistance to any activities in pursuit of your goal, it’s the wrong activity or the wrong goal.”
I fully agree with not having any attachments around the outcome. As a coach, this is the #1 principle you need to master to become an effective coach. However, this is dangerous coaching to give to some people – especially those people who are very literal. Moreover, it is this type of thinking that fuels the sense of American entitlement that is destroying the fabric of our society.
The Pendulum of Extremities
While I agree you certainly don’t want to ‘force’ a goal or an outcome, which could be a sign that it’s the wrong goal or wrong outcome, I also feel that if you truly do believe in something, you need to push through certain things, such as procrastination, so that you can do what you know you need to do in order to achieve your goals, regardless of whether or not you want to do them. I know thousands of salespeople who want to make more money and close more deals. However it doesn’t mean they want to prospect or cold call in order to do so. They may have to engage in the activity of cold calling in order for them to get to where they want to be.
If interpreted incorrectly, the Law of Attraction can be used as a diversion not to do these “Have to’s” or “Need to’s,” and can be the driving force to free you up from any personal accountability.
Here’s another universal law. We attract what we need to learn the most and as such, we resist what we need to learn the most! Therefore, consider that the obstacles and challenges we come face to face with, we actually attracted in our lives. And we attracted them because we need to learn a valuable lesson once we embrace and move through that issue or situation. So, consider that this is the universe’s way of testing us to see how badly we want to achieve our goals!
If There’s Resistance, Do It!
Let’s imagine a salesperson who has a specific income goal and part of their strategy to achieve this goal requires them to cold call. What if you don’t want to engage in this activity? According to the principle of attraction, if there’s resistance, don’t do it. And if you adhere to this, you’ll soon find yourself out of a job or out of money.
Instead, either find an alternative method to attract new prospects, or refine your cold calling approach to fit you and your prospects. The limiting misinterpretation of the Law of Attraction would say, “No, keep doing what you’re doing the way you’re doing it before – no need to change.” This is dangerous, especially if the way you are doing things now isn’t achieving any of the desired results you seek. Something has to give.
On a personal note, if I didn’t adhere to this deeper definition of the power of attraction that encapsulates the critical element of full accountability, I can tell you this; I wouldn’t have become an executive sales coach, written five books, hundreds of articles, dozens of ebooks and have achieved the goals and level of success that I have in my life. Instead I’d be sitting on the couch watching Oprah, eating junk food and waiting for the principle of attraction to show me the way!
Bottom line: Attraction + action + full accountability for everything in your life = extreme success!
Photo credit: Mario’s Planet
