What Is The Law Of Attraction? Why Positive Thinking Is Crucial To Surviving Coronavirus
In the face of adversity, we must fake it 'til we make it.
getty We've built our society on dread, doubt, greed and cynicism — and it really hasn't worked for us, has it?
Just the suggestion of positive thinking makes people balk. When we say things like, "That's why we can't have nice things," there's a deeper meaning here: We can't have nice things because we don't believe we deserve nice things. And if "I" can't have nice things, then "you" shouldn't either.
We've become selfish, hard, unbending, especially with the coronavirus pandemic. It's "my way or the highway," and both ways are made up of doubt and fear.
If we put out a suggestion that is both mindful, helpful, and, dare I say, loving, we are trod upon for our woo-woo opinion. Meditation is made fun of. Yoga is a fashion, not a practice. Positive energy is for dimwits who guzzle kale shakes. And spirituality is for baseless fanatics who believe in an invisible friend who lives in the sky.
We've created for ourselves a world where no one believes in anything but money and personal ego-stroking. Why meditate if it can't be video'd for Instagram likes? Why do yoga if you can't take a selfie in your cool new yoga pants? And why stay positive? It's not like positive thinking can change anything substantial... or can it?
Perception is everything. That's why, in the face of adversity, we must fake it 'til we make it.
It's easy enough to fall apart — hey, it's what we're all doing lately! But the human spirit has been known to soar during crisis. Sounds good in theory, but how do we make this spiritual ascension happen? How do we soar when we are faced with the threat of a virus that can take us all out if we don't stop it soon?
By practicing the Law of Attraction.
And if this sounds too Deepak for you, then just understand: the negativity you insist upon is also practicing the Law of Attraction. If you make negativity and despair your new religion, you will have more and more of it as time goes by.
How does the Law of Attraction work?
Concentrated thought creates energy, because thought is creative. We create our lives by the way we think. If we are depressed, and we fake out a smile, on some level we give ourselves a break from all the despair.
Try it. Just smile for the sake of trying and give it an honest go. Smile. Back up that smile with some acting. In other words, for one minute, pretend you are happy. Pretend you are OK. Pretend the world is fine and that all is well. Just fake it and watch for results.
Something happens, doesn't it? Even though you are just acting the role of "happy person," during that one minute of faking it, you actually felt relieved. Maybe even... happy?
The Law of Attraction isn't about being a fool in the face of crisis — it's about intending to feel better, in spite of what's going on around us.
The Law of Attraction works in the present tense. The now moment is all that exists, and so all of our energetic intention is alive in the now moment. So, when we intend, while using the Law of Attraction, we focus on the present. We affirm in the present — not in the future, not in the past.
For example: "I am fine."
We do not say, "I will be fine," as that implies we are not fine in the present.
We say, "I am alive and well. I am strong." We do not say, "I hope I'll be fine," as that brings in doubt, which is the ultimate enemy.
We say, "I am hopeful." We do not say, "I will be more hopeful when I know it's all over." That implies doubt.
We affirm, "Life is good." We do not say, "Life sucks." Do not negate your life. Affirm it.
We say, "All is well in my world." We do not say, "Someday, this will pass." That speaks of an unknown time, which dissolves all intention into nothingness. State your intention in the present moment, always.
Why bother with the Law of Attraction during COVID-19? Because thought is creative.
Because faking it will eventually become making it. Because you do have a choice as to how you live your life during a crisis. You have a choice.
The Law of Attraction is what's going to keep people hopeful and positive. We must practice keeping our minds in good shape. All positivity and hope stems from a solid mental foundation. We must now exercise our minds. The days of negativity are over. And, yes, that last line is an affirmation.
Believing is seeing. If every person in every household would do daily affirmations, they'd feel a lot better about life.
In case you think I'm a fraud, or a woo-woo kale guzzler, here's some of my personal experience during crisis.
In 2001, I endured chemotherapy for two years straight. I was in a semi-coma for most of it and was prescribed 20 prescriptions, each one worse than the next. I lost the use of my legs, lost all my hair, and spent every single day hallucinating the most horrendous visions imaginable.
My life had become pure illness and no relief. I started to do affirmations, doubting them the entire time, but doing them anyway. I found my ultimate affirmation: "This is a finite experience." It was based "in the moment and without doubt."
My affirmation promised me that what I was experiencing was only temporary, and that is what got me through chemo.
Every single day, I would say this a thousand times, out loud. "This is a finite experience. This is a finite experience." And each time I said it, I knew it to be true. And whatever pain or fear I was going through started to look like a temporary condition for me.
The affirmations became cumulative; I started to believe it truly would pass. And it did pass. I survived cancer, chemo and radiation poisoning, my constant companion being the Law of Attraction. I made my mind a place of hope and optimism, rather than a toxic mine field of negative thought. And I survived.
It's time to drop the negative thinking. It's not like it won't be there if you need a fix, but this kind of indulgence isn't doing you or anyone else any favors.
This is your life. It's up to you to make the best of it, and with all that's going on, you must come to know yourself as the source of positive power.
Believe in the good, trust in the power of positive thinking, and have faith that you are not only going to be alright, but that you are alright in this very moment.
No matter what you're going through, make your mind your friend, not your enemy. You need your mind right now, so use it for good. Use it to heal yourself. Use it to believe in a future. Use it well.
Dori Hartley is a portrait artist, essayist and a journalist. She's been published in The Huffington Post, ParentDish, The Daily Beast, Psychology Today, XOJane, MyDaily and The Stir. Her art books ‘Beauty’, ‘Antler Velvet’, and 'Mads Mikkelsen: Portraits of the Actor' are all available on Amazon.