Can You Think Your Way to More Prosperity?

A friend and I were talking about the Law of Attraction the other day. Law of Attraction is the theory or belief that your thoughts manifest themselves physically.

Think negative thoughts and you’ll experience negative outcomes. Conversely, think positive thoughts and you’ll experience positive outcomes.

I started reading “Positive Mental Attitude” (PMA) books after reading about the topic in Selling Power magazine last year.

That article led to my reading dozens of PMA books, listening to PMA tapes, watching the movie, “The Secret,” and even taking a 3-month teleclass series on how to use the Law of Attraction.

Here is the bottom line: Positive affirmations, visualization and all of that is good. But your “outcomes” won’t change until you change what’s inside of you. In other words, you have to change the thought patterns in your head and the behaviors that spring from flawed or illogical thoughts / ideas.

So while I understood this theory intellectually, it took months for it to sink in.

It wasn’t until I realized that I had to change how I thought about my life and my talents that the “log jam” in my head began to dissipate.

It was then that I discovered “the secret”: Instead of wishing for more of whatever it is you desire, ask yourself what you’re willing to change to get what you want.

Once I started asking the question, “What am I willing to change?” — and then implementing those changes one at time — things started shifting for the better. One day I noticed I was no longer struggling and that I actually felt pretty excited at all the wonderful things that were happening.

Suffice to say, the Law of Attraction does work, but it’s a whole lot more than simply visualizing a new car or pots of money.

If you want to learn more about it, I recommend the following resources:

The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightengale — This recording, which is the first audio recording to go platinum (or something like that), is the grand daddy of the Positive Mental Attitude movement. Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, credits this recording with his success.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill — This book is the foundation upon which an entire industry has been built. Many people credit this book with their success. I personally found it difficult to read, which is why I recommend you read:

Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone — Many people don’t know that Hill died broke. That’s because he didn’t use his own ideas to create wealth. However, one man did — W. Clement Stone. Using Hill’s ideas, he created a sales system for selling insurance and built one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S.

The Power of Focus — by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt — This book is one of my favorites because it gives you plan of action for obtaining your goals. If you want to see the power of focus in action, be sure to read:

What It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership by Vince Lombardi Jr. — This book, by Lombardi’s son, illustrates what Lombardi did to become the top coach in the NFL. It will also help you answer the question, “What are you willing to change to get where you want to go?”

The Law of Attraction by Michael J. Losier — This book will give you the theory behind the law of attraction as well as discuss how to use it.

Choosing Prosperity — One of the best sites I’ve found regarding prosperity, Choosing Prosperity is run by Elyse Hope Killoran who provides group teleclasses and one-on-one coaching. The reason I like this site is because it’s resource rich (and many of the resources are free), Elyse doesn’t hype anything, and she doesn’t promise you’ll walk away a millionaire overnight.

Are you a student of the Law of Attraction and Positive Mental Attitude? Have you put it to work in your life? Feel free to share your story below.