Does the Law of Attraction Really Work?

I like the moral idea behind the Law of Attraction that your thoughts control the outcome and the result of your life, and it reminds me of what Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of my favorite thinkers, once said, “The thoughts you think about all day define who you are.” He's not the only one who said something similar. The Stoic emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius said the same thing 1800 years ago: "Your life is what your thoughts make it."

Note: This article is based on the writer "Darius Foroux", and he talks to us about the extent to which the law of attraction succeeds in life and the importance of achievements and work above all.

No one can deny that our thoughts influence our actions, but the intellectual Law of Attraction movement puts more pressure on the faith part and much less on the action part.

Successful and effective is what is considered true:

Of all the philosophies and belief systems, I can best understand the pragmatic movement initiated by philosophers William James and Charles Sanders Peirce. The foundation of pragmatism rests on the idea that the truth is what works. If something works and is appropriate for some people, you cannot say that it is not true even though there is no evidence that it is true.

For some people, the Law of Intellectual Attraction is like religion regarding their belief in it and their application of it in their daily lives. This is good because if this way of thinking is suitable for you and successful in your life, there is no reason to change it, and you do not need to read this article because I will not share anything new about the principle of the Law of Intellectual Attraction.

I have read several books about it and have enjoyed some of them. The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles is my favorite. What's great about it is that it gets you into an abundance mentality, but for me, it doesn't do anything more than that because to think you can do something and actually make it happen are two different things to me.

However, the Law of Attraction movement argues against this. Action is nothing to worry about for its proponents. Instead, you should live your life as if you have already achieved your goals, as there is no need to behave or act according to them, and only faith is enough for you.

My biggest problem with the Law of Intellectual Attraction is that it focuses mainly on material wealth, and the movement of this law reappears every few years. Around 2015/2016, many people were talking about it in my circle to the extent that some resigned from their job, thinking they would attract a better job or a lot of money with their ideas. Nonetheless, nothing changed in their lives when I see them now. I am writing this article to convey that if the Law of Intellectual Attraction does not work in your life, it is untrue.

Ideas must serve a specific purpose:

I would like those who uphold the Law of Intellectual Attraction to wonder what is the point of their way of thinking if they think they have already achieved their goals, to specify their desire to live in a fantasy world or to improve the life they are currently living, and to state their ultimate goal.

I get the whole idea of the Law of Intellectual  Attraction. Its supporters assume that thoughts automatically and spontaneously lead us toward positive events, which is a typical mistake in thinking. Nothing in this life happens by itself, but if you think you cannot do something, you will probably never start working on achieving it. The good thing about this law is that its basic idea is solid and well-established. However, you must act and take action too, which can take many forms.

For some people, action is inaction. Meditation is their way of behaving and taking action. In other words, they sit still and only observe their thoughts, and they also let go of desire and forget it completely, which is true of the stoics who consider it true.

If you are always thinking about your desires and lusts, your thoughts may serve a negative and bad purpose. You must not have thought of the grief and disappointment that will befall you if you do not get what you desire, which is what happened to all those people who began to believe the Law of Intellectual Attraction and apply it in their lives, but they didn't see any changes in the end.

Even now, some blame these same people for the failure of this law, claiming that they misapplied it, and of course, I find that wrong. It is not right to blame yourself if things do not go well in your life, and there is often something wrong with your way of thinking that you can change your life if you change it.

A fine line separates illusion from achievement:

In my point of view, we can all place ourselves in any of the four categories illustrated in the image below depending on our respective belief systems:

We can define these categories as follows:

1. The Failed Person:

They are passive and do not act or take any actions.

2. The person who is unstable and lacks self-confidence:

They act and implement what they must do but do not believe in their ability to achieve anything.

3. A person who is delusional or attached to fantasies:

They think they can achieve anything, but they need to act accordingly.

4. The successful person or achiever:

They believe in their ability to achieve the goal and actually achieve it.

A person who tries to master their inner thoughts is successful and accomplished. If you believe in your ability to control yourself and master all your actions, in addition to striving actually to achieve that through work and actions, then this is the typical definition of achievement. This is because you achieve what you set out to do or intend to do, or at least work hard to achieve your goal, but you should not rely on mere faith under any circumstances. It is useless by itself, and you will only get negative results from the delusion that harms your interests.

In conclusion:

People who are successful in following the Law of Intellectual Attraction work, act, and take action. Achievements and work are always the foundation for all the good things in our lives. It is optional how things go around and process them in your head because you will only get a result if you act and do what you must do.

So, when we intend to do something, we have to believe in it and in our ability to achieve it, and then we invest all our energies and spend them in implementing these ideas because it will not help us think about them without any work toward them.