The Law of Attraction… Or is it “Attention?”
I don’t know what all the fuss is these days about the Law of Attraction, as if it’s a new idea that attitude determines our altitude.
I’m thinkin’ “attraction” isn’t even the right word… maybe it should be called “The law of attention.”
Isn’t it true that paying attention to something makes it loom larger?
Isn’t it true that paying attention to something makes it loom larger? Are we attracting or are we noticing something that was waiting in the wings for us to see it? “It” could be a goal or an upset or the number of red birds on the lawn.
There’s an old saying: “Where the attention goes the energy flows.”
If I pay attention to the fact that Phoenix has a lot of white cars (makes lots of sense in the desert!) I will see more white cars. If I pay attention to the happy circumstances in my life, I will be happier and the unpleasant circumstances are pushed to the side.
I drove into Honolulu one morning from Kailua. That’s an eleven- mile trek over the Pali Highway. Mapquest says it should take 19 minutes. Well, Mapquest hasn’t been on the Pali at drive time. It took me one hour and five minutes.
There were people waiting to hear me speak at the end of this drive. Yikes! Not good. But it would worse if I showed up stressed out and upset.
However, my philosophy is, “When you are in a tunnel, go with the flow!” Once I was in that traffic, my choices were narrowed to making sure I was in the fastest lane and I kept my blood pressure low. At some point, you decide that you can’t do anything and focus on better things.
As the Honolulu commuters and I trudged towards downtown, I decided to pay attention to how fortunate I am to have a job that allows me to return to Hawaii, my home for three decades. I drank in the beauty, the weather, the smell of the flowers. The Brothers Cazimero serenaded my slow march to town. (Hey – If you think you don’t like Hawaiian music…listen and they’ll change your mind.)
All the way I said “thank you” for every wonderful sight, sound, and smell. I paid attention to the great things happening on this trip. I thought about my friends, new and old, that I’d connected with, some on purpose and some by happy accident.
Even though I knew I was late, I didn’t let myself get negative or angry. I’m not always that good in traffic, but I was determined not to let it get to me.
I walked into my session with only moments to spare. A decade ago I would have been a wreck. Paying attention to gratitude; focusing on the things I could control; keeping my thoughts on my topic and the audience’s needs…all served to keep me from passing any traffic frustration onto my waiting audience.
In the grand scheme of things, it is what it is. My audience was fine – networking and talking with friends. I was fine – I knew the topic was a good one, and pertinent to a room full of Human Resources Managers.
By reminding myself to pay attention to the good things and the blessings of being here, I found it easier to take care of business and not get caught up in the drama of bad circumstances.
… it’s good to know it works when you really need it! 
Beth
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© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Your story reminded me of a similar one of my own, just like it. I’m not one to get upset in traffic. I avoid busy streets whenever I can. I take the long way to get there, if no one objects. And I generally am very relaxed in the car–even when others might be flipping me off (It happens). But because I don’t always drive in heavy traffic, I forget how slow it can be and don’t always time myself accordingly. Thus, I was late to one of my own recent book signings. When I realized I was going to be late, I did get a bit antsy behind the wheel. When it was clear there was no way around it, I phoned ahead and then was able to relax and just drive. In my mind, there was nothing else to do. Like you, Beth, I wanted to arrive upbeat, not perplexed. I wanted the event to be fun. So that’s what I did. And it was fun. It wasn’t about thinking good thoughts. It was merely about putting my attention on the reality of the situation and making the best out of it. That meant there was action on my part, not just good thoughts.
Thanks for making this distinction. It’s a good one.
Beth, I love your distinction between attraction and attention. Thanks for this post. It’s a good reminder to let go of the things we can’t control, relax and recognize what we need to learn for the next time. Debbie