Welcome to this post, “How To Get What You Want In Life With the Law of Attraction”!
Today’s post is a guest post written by Jeff from the Financial Pupil blog. He has an amazing story and we recommend you check him out! Otherwise, enjoy what he has to say!
“You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.”
Brian Tracy
Have you ever wanted something so badly you would do anything for it? What if I told you there was a proven way to significantly increase the chances of you realizing your dream. It can be anything. A bike, a video game, a grade… there is actually a way to give yourself a better shot of getting what you want using only your mind.
My name is Jeff (I know) and I’m a Harvard 2025 student. I was ranked 10th best junior golfer in Canada, scored a 1560 on my SAT, and also have my own personal finance blog where I share my findings (which you can check out here!) Even though I’m still bright-eyed and bushy tailed with relatively not many accomplishments to my name, I recognize that what I did accomplish would not have been possible without one key ingredient.
This mystery ingredient is a universal secret that applies to everyone. This is the concept which could help you get what you want in life. What is it? Put simply, it is the Law of Attraction.
What is The Law of Attraction?
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill
“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” – Buddha
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein
This idea has been documented throughout the ages by many successful individuals. To summarize it in one sentence, the law of attraction is an idea that you can bring into your life whatever you choose to focus on; if you focus on something for long enough and intensely enough, it will be brought into your life.
“Jeff, that’s a load of crap. If I think about a nice car, a nice car isn’t going to appear in front of me.”
You’re absolutely right. However, that’s not what the law of attraction is about. If you think about a car once, obviously it’s not going to appear in your life. It would be crazy if whatever anyone thought about just appeared out of thin air. The law of attraction is about sustained, consistent focus of thought over a period of time. What this means is that if you schedule time everyday to think about that nice car and to really imagine it and feel it, eventually, someway somehow, you’re going to find a way to have that car.
If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. But I urge you to see how this worked for me, read through the logical explanation I have at the bottom, and then formulate your decision as to whether you want to try it in your own life (with the step-by-step guide also at the bottom.) Because the Law of Attraction’s effectiveness requires only your thoughts and a little bit of time each day, you literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
How the Law of Attraction Worked for Me
I learned about this idea at a really young age. My mom read to me “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, and also showed me the documentary “The Secret” when I was in grade 5. Even though a lot of the concepts and vocabulary flew over my 10 year old head, I got the main idea: commit to thinking and focusing and visualizing something, and you significantly increase your chances of getting it.
The law of attraction has worked many times for me, but three distinct occasions stick out when I reflect on my childhood.
Attracting Magic
Even though golf is my “thing,” I have had many passions over the years. Grade 9: video game trading. Grade 7: speed rubik’s cubing. Grade 6: magic tricks. Something about amazing others was just fascinating to me.
At the start of grade 6, there was an announcement that an actual magician was coming to our school. Not only that, but he was giving out 1 free ticket to his private show, per class! I decided to test out the recently learned law of attraction.
He wasn’t coming for another 3 months, but I visualized every night exactly how it’d feel to watch the magic show. By doing so, I put it “out there.”
The day came and he performed a quick preview in our school gym. Then, after getting back to class, my homeroom teacher reached into the basket in which she drew the name of the lucky student. I knew that this ticket was mine. Despite it being purely chance, I deserved this ticket the most and I would get it.
“Congratulations Jackie Carter! You get to see the show!”
As I went up to collect my rightful ticket I realized that my name is not Jackie Carter. Devastated, I went home and cried and cursed the law of attraction for giving me false hope. I went through a mini 7 stages of grief.
The next day, I went to school and saw a magic show ticket taped to my desk with a post-it note.
It was from my French teacher: “Hey Jeff! I had an extra ticket and didn’t know who I should give it to. Your love of magic immediately brought you to the front of my mind. Enjoy the show!”
I went, and it was every bit as amazing as I had visualized 🙂
Attracting a Trophy
Those of you that play competitive sports can probably agree: it’s often very stressful. Everyone else is vying for the trophy and working just as hard as you. But only one person, or in some cases one team, can ultimately hold that cup.
I was trying to get into a US school through sports, and grade 11 summer is the MOST important year performance-wise. If you’re competitive like me, you’re willing to try anything to give yourself an edge. What I tried was the law of attraction.
Starting in grade 10, every night before sleeping I would sit for 15 minutes in the dark with my eyes closed and visualize holding a gigantic trophy. I didn’t know what tournament this was or how I had won, I just knew that I won. I had never held a trophy before but I did this so much I could actually FEEL the weight of the trophy in my hands if I tried hard enough.
In my grade 11 year, I was lucky enough to hold winning trophies on 4 different occasions, and got into the school of my dreams. I know that my intense focus towards it played a huge part in making it happen.
Attracting a Job
When COVID hit, I had a decision to make regarding post-secondary. Attend Harvard online and forfeit a year on the golf team. Or take the year off to do who-knows-what. I chose the latter.
I had no plans for the gap year and nothing lined up at all. I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted something to do with finance, and something to help others. Again, I called on my trusted friend “law of attraction” for help. Every day I would constantly reiterate to myself the key principles that I’m striving for: to learn more about finance, and to find a way to help others.
On a bright Sunday evening, I happened to be paired up with a partner of a private equity fund on the golf course. As we played, I chatted with him and let him know my plans for the year. I also let him know that I’d be very interested in working for his company. He accepted and I now have a finance-related job which I love and learn new things from every day.
As for the help others part, I’ve decided to start my own personal finance blog where I share everything I learn about money with fellow young adults. It’s my passion project, keeping me productive and giving me a way to teach others about a topic that is near and dear to my heart.
Everyday that passes, I am more and more convinced that taking a gap year was the right choice for me. This would not have been possible without a) a clear idea of my values and principles and b) an intense focus and repetition of thoughts that attract said values and principles.
Logical Explanation for The Law of Attraction
At this point, you might be either thinking “hey this seems worth a shot” or “this is a whole bunch of manifestation wizardry magical BS.” If you’re part of the latter group, don’t worry, I was extremely skeptical too. For years, I tried to figure out how exactly the power of thought and visualization works and I think I’ve got an explanation. If you’re still doubtful, this section is for you: a logical explanation for how the law of attraction works.
Try This Experiment
Try this: think of the color white. Think really hard about the color. Close your eyes and really SEE the color white in your mind’s eye. Okay now look around the room. What do you notice? Chances are, you’re noticing everything that’s white in your room. You’re probably noticing the white background of this blog post, or maybe your white door. Your mind and what you think about DIRECTLY impacts how you perceive the world and in essence how you interact with the world.
Let’s take it a step further. If you’re constantly thinking about a white BMW, you’ll start seeing white BMWs everywhere. Try it for yourself! If you constantly think about good things that will make you happy, you will start seeing good things that make you happy and you will feel happy. The same goes for thoughts that make you feel sad or any other emotion.
Applications to Your Life
“How does this apply to a goal I have or something I want?” Well, to answer that question, I want to start by asking another question: what percentage of your brain is responsible for conscious activity? According to cognitive neuroscientists the answer is about 5%.
Approximately 95% of your brain activity is completely unconscious… that’s almost all of it! When you visualize a goal or something that you want, your brain is not just noticing similar things in real life, it’s also subconsciously finding ways and opportunities to bring you closer to your goal. Your brain begins to notice everything that is required for you to eventually realize your dream.
Legendary Greek philosopher Plato once said “likes tend towards likes.” Simply put, like attracts like. So, if you constantly focus your thoughts on what you want and start feeling as though you actually achieved it, you will start to attract people and things to you that will support you to ACTUALLY accomplish it.
Even More Scientific Explanation
The field of biology proves that there are actually things in our brain called “mirror neurons” that basically allow us to empathize with others. When others feel fear, mirror neurons fire up in our brain which makes it so that we also feel fear. This is why when we see scared faces, we become fearful, and when we see laughing faces, we become eased and relaxed. There is an inherent connection between people.
Have you ever met someone for the first time and thought “wow they have good vibes” or “ugh I don’t like their bad vibes.” The mirror neurons are responsible for this. When we think happy thoughts and feel happy, others also unconsciously mirror those thoughts and feelings. In a similar way, when we focus on what we want, others can feel it and are primed to support our mission.
How to Apply Law of Attraction Step by Step
- Set aside time every day to visualize what you want (at least 10 minutes)
- Find a time of day when you won’t be interrupted (at night usually works well)
- Close your eyes and try to not notice anything other than what’s on your mind
- Start to visualize what you want to accomplish
- Don’t try to visualize getting what you want, instead visualize already HAVING what you want (if you want a car, visualize driving that car)
- Really try to feel exactly what it is you want (feel the weight of it or the joy of having it or the exhilaration of experiencing it)
- Try to experience the exact emotions you would feel if you accomplished what you wanted
- You can even take it a step further and write down exactly what it is you want to achieve but in the present tense (as though you already achieved it. Instead of “I want a new car by 2022” write “I drive a new car by 2022”)
Do these 8 steps every day and you will be amazed by what it can accomplish.
Benefits Even if You Don’t Believe
Even if you don’t believe in the law of attraction, there are still many benefits to trying it that have nothing to do with faith. To list a few:
- By visualizing, you make your goal extremely clear and clarify to yourself exactly what you’d like to achieve
- Visualizing what you want gives you the courage to actually go after it when the opportunity presents itself
- Doing this daily will provide you with focus for your goals
- It’s fun! Visualizing what you want is a fun way to live out your dreams before you achieve them.
Start Applying the Law of Attraction!
The law of attraction is a simple principle that comes in many different shapes and sizes. If you start looking, you’ll see it everywhere.
In this post you’ve been introduced to the law of attraction, shown how it has worked for me, provided with a logical explanation as well as intrinsic benefits, and even presented with a step-by-step guide for how to apply it. All you need is a few minutes a day which could change your life. So what are you waiting for? Start realizing your dreams, start visualizing!
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Thanks for reading through this post! Super grateful for Teen Financial Freedom letting me guest post here; definitely check out more of their blog! Also, if you liked reading this, check out Financial Pupil, my own personal finance blog where I share my journey and everything I’m learning about financial freedom! Finally, let us know if you’ve ever used the law of attraction to your benefit in the comments!