I recently watched The Secret, a 90-minute movie featuring well-known inspirational authors and entrepreneurs discussing the impact of the “Law of Attraction” on our results.

It wasn’t new information, but I chose to watch it after receiving some very disappointing news. I knew I needed to return my attention, energy, and beliefs to what I wanted and away from what I didn’t want, as my focus on what I didn’t want would most likely attract just that.

One person interviewed for the film talked about the importance of acting in alignment with what you say you want. Another person said that what matters most is following your bliss while staying mindful of what you want to attract. The same person further suggested that following your bliss might mean playing at times instead of working — if that is your bliss in the moment — while keeping your desires and intentions in mind.

I wondered, does to act in alignment mean to do the “right” things, or to do the most inspired things? My guess would be the latter, and, furthermore, that the truly “right” actions arise when you are in touch with your desires, dreams, and visions.

A friend and colleague noticed that she was really busy, doing what she thought were the right things, but wasn’t seeing results, and was becoming more and more discouraged. Furthermore, she started to question her work. It turns out she was doing the “right” things but her heart wasn’t in them. The work was right, but her approach to her work was not in sync with what she really wanted to address.

Though this recognition disturbed her at first — it might mean she’d have to reshape her message and materials one more time — once she surrendered to her bliss, things turned around immediately, and I mean immediately. She started working on a book she’d had in mind, just writing and not worrying about anything, and voila, “out of the blue” she was contacted by a national TV show about her work. A day later they were at her house interviewing her for a segment that aired a few days after that.

The Action in Attraction

Once in a while, I’ll hear someone suggest that they think the Law of Attraction works even if not backed up by action. There may be an element of truth to that; I just don’t believe it’s the full equation.

When I lead the GET CLIENTS NOW! marketing program, which calls for the creation of a focused action plan around a very specific goal or outcome, participants often report receiving emails and calls that seem to have nothing to do with their outward plan. This kind of result is expanded when they notice that just in the course of the day, they become aware of opportunities to connect with people in ways they wouldn’t normally do, because they would never have noticed the opportunities in the first place.

Furthermore, I’ve noticed that the power of their belief in themselves and their commitment to the goal and the actions they’ve chosen enhances their results. I’ve also seen the reverse.

Many people initially draft a marketing plan that is not aligned with one of the following: an inspiring goal and/or activities that make sense in light of the goal, or their skills or availability. They write plans that are based on what they think they should do, rather than what they are called to do. As soon as they let go of what they think they should do and re-write their plan in greater alignment, their energy lifts and the results start to manifest. Rather than quitting, even if it means completely re-writing their plan three weeks into the program, their energy is released and they have much more freedom.

How the Law of Attraction Works

The following is my summary of my experiences and education. The Law of Attraction is based in quantum physics. As human beings we have the ability to influence the events in our life through our emotions, thoughts and acts. If your thoughts and emotions are out of alignment in some way, your acts will seem to have less influence than you’d like on the outcome you desire.

Your outcomes today are based on your thoughts of the past (time sequence isn’t exact). That may be the hardest pill to swallow but the most liberating one for your future.

According to the presenters in The Secret, the order of manifestation of your desires is as follows:

1. Ask
2. Answer (respond)
3. Receive

In order to ask, you need to visualize, and in order to visualize, you certainly have to be willing to dream and to trust. If you’re stuck deep in a funk, as I was last week, then the first step to turning things around may be to turn your attention to what you’re grateful for.

Focus on what you do have. Focus on the gifts embedded in the struggle, no matter how small they seem. If it’s hard to see the gifts, you might ask yourself what you’ve learned or are learning. (I did this with the circumstance I was resisting and the learning list is actually quite long.)

Try This Experiment in Attraction

Come up with something that you really want. You can start with something relatively small or fun. Spend a little time visualizing what you want every day. When you have an inspired thought, act on it. Do that over some specified period of time (I’d suggest a week to start) and pay attention to what happens. You might even start a log to track your results.