Difference between Affirmation & Magical Thinking
We were living in the mountains beyond Kailua Kona, in an area called Kealakekua. I had just met my new roommate, and we sat down on the lanai overlooking the ocean far below. We had both just moved to Hawaii and were reveling in the bounty of fruits we could find right off trees. While enjoying a sunrise papaya (the red kind that is so hard to find now on the mainland,) my roommate said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had our very own sunrise papaya tree right here?” With that, she tossed seeds from her papaya over the railing to the hillside below. We both laughed and promptly forgot about it.
Three months later, after a heavy rain, I went out on my lanai and there was a papaya leaf sneaking a peak through the railing! I leaned over and beheld the fruits of our accidental labors: We Had Our Very own Sunrise Papaya Tree! Over the next few years, we ate many sweet papayas from our tree.
That is what I would call “Accidental Affirmation.” We say we want something, and it gets lodged in the fertile soil of our imagination without our active attention. In the background, our brain keeps fertilizing and developing this idea until you find yourself enjoying its fruits (or not, depending upon what you planted!)
Active Affirmation is when you consciously tell your brain what it is you want, and visualize positive results. Because you consciously focus on that goal, your brain helps you find the path to get there. You create lists, research possibilities, talk with people, and make things happen. Your affirmation comes first, and execution actively follows the affirmation. The more you say it, the more you integrate it at a cellular level. As Mark Victor Hansen says, “If you believe it, you can achieve it.” It becomes true because it becomes a natural outcome of your efforts.
Magical Thinking is the unfortunate misinterpretation of the recent movies and books about the Law of Attraction. There are many “Laws” in the universe. Gravity comes to mind… That’s a hard law to break. <grin> The Law of Attraction is directly related to the concept of Active Affirmation. You attract what you think about. You attract what you believe to be so. You attract it because when you think about it and believe it, you are more likely to SEE it, to Notice it, to do things to make it happen.
Unfortunately, many people watched The Secret, or read one of the books on the Law of Attraction and understood it to mean: “If I sit here on my couch and think -think-think about a giant pile of gold bullion being delivered to my door, it will magically appear.” Eh, not likely. If, however, you get up off that couch and take some responsibility for making your dream come true, you may eventually achieve the riches you desire. While thinking about it MAY bring more ideas to your brain on how to achieve it, why leave it to chance?
Think of it this way – that papaya tree didn’t magically appear because my roommate said, “I wish we had a papaya tree.” The papaya tree appeared because when she said she wanted the tree, she took action. While it was lighthearted, and neither of us understood the fertility of the Hawaiian soil, she still TOOK ACTION and it bore fruit.
So. What have you planted, accidentally or intentionally? What are you fertilizing? What are you nurturing? Whatever you nurture and fertilize will grow. Make sure it’s not anger, revenge, fear, upset. All those are rampant in our society today. Instead, intentionally plant, water, fertilize, and nurture success, love, hope, consideration, compassion, delight, and gratitude.
Blessings,
Beth
© 2009 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Thanks Jackie – I think so much of the misunderstanding about TheSecret is that it isn’t about Attraction, it’s about intentionality. Intend for good, watch for it, do what you can to further it. And life just works out. Good to hear from you, thanks!
Beth
I like the idea of intentionally planting success, hope, love and all those other good things. It reminds me of the “fruits of the spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. What a nice thought!
Jackie