Beyond Law of Attraction - by Angela Usher

Hello good people-

I am honored to be asked to contribute to this Blog. I have been kicking around some thoughts in my head and thought maybe I would share them. I have been realizing that my life is running even more smoothly now than it did a year ago (when The Truth About Us was filmed) - and heck I was pretty happy a year ago. I have been trying to figure out what is changing for me, besides the fact that all of it is always changing.

I look back over the last year and I would say that in April of 2007 I started gaining another perspective on the "Law of Attraction" (LOA). I am beginning to really understand that LOA just scratches the surface - it is the proverbial tip of the spiritual ice berg - and that a deeper, more consistent ideology is bubbling up within me. I have been able to simplify it like this: My attitude equals my life.

Attitude = Life. I could use that statement as an affirmation or a mantra that I keep reminding myself. And on days when I am having a struggle or a hard time, I do need it as an affirmation. However, on a day-to-day basis, it is an ongoing meditation of the core of my being:
My attitude = my life.

When I learned about the Law of Attraction, in August 2006, and I began to apply it to my life - I experienced great results. I felt that I was given a tool that reminded me that I had the staring role to play in my own life and my choices were the key. That I get to decide what mood I am in, what perspective I have, and what actions I want to take. It was so liberating.

But the dark side, for me, was that LOA was also very "rewards/punishment" based. If I could just work LOA "right" I would come out winning every time. That the Universe was truly saying "yes!" to me if I got whatever thing I wanted and that if I didn't get what I was wanting, it meant I wasn't doing it right. That my "wants" were what really mattered, not as much as the person wanting the stuff. The focus of LOA for me was; what is coming to me and how quickly? LOA was feeding my narcissism, but it was also giving me an excuse to be passive about what I wanted.

As an example, I had wanted to achieve a healthy body, and build a stronger bank account. I knew about LOA for a year and yet I was 10 pounds heavier than when I started, and I had more debt than in any other time of my life. How could this be? I guess I wasn't doing it "right". I may have even put the price of yet another Law of Attraction course on my credit card, or upped my contribution to the church in an effort to "prove" to the Universe that I really wanted some change to happen.

Then in June of 2007 my Soul said to me, 'You want to get healthy? You need to take daily action steps. You want to have a strong bank account? You take daily action steps. You are the only one capable of changing yourself. The Universe will support you in your actions - even when they are hard (like letting go of sugar, and not buying more "stuff").' So I began to let go of LOA as a guiding principle (I still believe in LOA - I just know that there is something deeper at work), and I started to believe in this: positive attitude + daily action = change. As Rev. Michael Beckwith once said, 'There will always be some type of "pain" in your life, but you get to choose. Will it be the pain of self-discipline or the pain of regret?'

Additionally, I have learned that my inspiration comes from listening to and following my heart and my genius comes from staying focused. Both inspiration and genius are intrinsic to who each of us truly is. I don't know about you, but I have been hugely blessed in my life. Because of all my resources, I can handle the pain of self-discipline, plus the results are amazing and delightful.

Thanks for entertaining my ramblings- Angie

P.S. Now for some homework: Today, find one person, ideally a stranger, and give them a meaningful compliment. For example, the guy stocking the shelves where you buy groceries - "thank you for all your hard work that makes it so I can come into a clean and organized store". People love getting compliments, but what you will find is that the compliment you give feels even better to you for having given it. This goes beyond feeling gratitude, this is sharing gratitude with another. And you know this, because you have done it before - but this time give yourself to permission to begin to live through your acts of gratitude - the transforming impact on your attitude is priceless. Attitude = Life. Many Blessings all the time.