Fake it 'til you Make it!

I love the phrase "fake it 'til you make it" because it truly embodies the idea of Law of Attraction. Basically, it reaffirms the notion that anything you let your mind believe can happen will manifest tangibly. It may start out as a dream at first, but if you act as if your dreams are indeed your already existing reality, you will manifest those dreams! It's kind of a chicken v. egg situation or very circular thinking, but it works!

The key is not to let yourself, or outside influences, try to dissuade you otherwise. A lot of "haters" of law of attraction "poo-poo" it because they feel that it's "not living in reality" or "not facing reality." They argue that because you're living in a fantasy/la la land, you're not facing what's in front of you.

This is where law of allowing comes in. It may be the case that your reality is not matching your vision or dream. It's ok. "Allow" you're reality to exist, and then put a positive spin on it. For example, if your dream is to be debt-free, but your reality is you have a balance on your credit cards, then first acknowledge the existing reality for a brief moment (allowing), and then envision your dream (attracting) by saying "I chose to be debt free."

The "allowing" part is important because it helps raise your emotion to a better vibrational state then to be pissed off at your current situation. Saying "I acknowledge the debt" is a much higher emotion then "I'm so sick of this debt!"

Another key component to point out the I've started to see a lot more law of attraction enthusiasts discuss is the notion of believing. Linda Miller does a really good job explaining what I like to call the "law of believing." Basically, what you want to manifest in your life has to be believable to *you*. It needs to be something that passes the laugh test. For example, to dream that Brad Pitt is going to leave Angelina Jolie for you is *not* going to pass the laugh test. But to dream that your soul mate will enter your world *is* much more believable. That's why Linda likes the phrase "I chose" when expressing affirmations. "I chose to have $100,000" or "I chose to be debt free." These are more believable than "I have $100,000" or "I am debt free." When you make it a matter of choice, it seems more realistic.

Keep fakin' it 'til you're makin' it!

The Opposite of Desperation is Faith

I love this post from blogger MetaAlpha. He hits the nail on the head when he identifies that the opposite of desperation is faith.

In law of attraction, desperation is the enemy. When you come from a place of desperation, you will not attract what you desire. The only thing the universe hears out of desperation is fear and lacking. Desperately needing a job or desperately wanting a mate is a very low-level vibration because it is coming from a place of fear. The universe will pick up on the fear, and will attract more fear and desperation into your life.

So, I thought it was brilliant when MetaAlpha identified how to turn feelings of desperation around into feelings of faith. When you feel yourself being "desperate" about something, switch it to faith. For example:

Turn "I really need a job because I'm down to my last cent" to "I have faith that the proper job is coming my way!"

Or, "I feel lonely. I need a man, stat!" to "I have faith that my perfect mate is on his way to me."

This is such a easy tool to get yourself out of a place of fear and anxiety. Try it!

Another Reason Why Meditation is Important

When someboday first embarks on a law of attraction journey, it is usually because some facet of his or her life is "not working", i.e., money, career, relationships, health, etc.

What sometimes happens is that the person utilizes law of attraction to fix that one problem, which is great.

But then the person, having "fixed" the problem, either stops using law of attraction, or continues to use law of attraction on that problem, while other aspects of the person's life suffer.

In other words, the person did not take a "total life approach" towards using law of attraction.

I learned this the hard way. When I first starting using law of attraction techniques, I was really focused on finding a mate. And guess what? A little over a year later, I found my mate!

So, then I stopped using law of attraction because my life was perfect, right? Wrong. I did not use law of attraction to maintain the relationship. And I did not use law of attraction for other aspects of my life in the meantime, and I started having problems at work.

Law of Attraction is a "total life approach." It must be applied to all facets. Life Coach Elizabeth Grant has identified several life areas where law of attraction is needed:

- Money and Finance
- Health and Wellness
- Career and Personal Goals
- Love and Relationships
- Spirituality
- Home and Living
- Life's Purpose

This is where meditation plays an important role. Taking time to meditate will help you recall and focus on *all* life aspects, not just the one that is the most important or most significant to you at the moment. It will keep you from neglecting other parts of your life and help maintain balance.

Don't forget that you have the right to have all areas of your life be full of abundance and satisfaction. Don't sell yourself short!

Meditation

A key component in using law of attraction is meditation. Every law of attraction book and pundit will tell you this.

Meditation is a sure-fire way to allow your mind to visualize your desires. It is a direct path to manifestation since you are lasering your mind directing on your thoughts, while blocking out all other interruptions.

I have never been particularly good a meditating. I don't have a lot of patience to begin with, so the thought of sitting quietly "doing nothing" does appeal to someone like me :-)

So how do you meditate when you've never done it, think it's silly, don't have the patience for it, or your home is too chaotic to do it in (kids and pets running around, cell phone always ringing, etc.)?

The thing that has helped me with meditation is actually meditating with a crystal (by "crystal" I mean a quartz crystal, not your crystal china or a bottle of "Cristal"). Find yourself a nice size crystal with some weight to it. It does not have to be expensive. You can get a nice sized rose quartz for under $10.

Crystals have energy just like we do. Simply sit indian style, holding the crystal in your lap. Close your eyes. The weight of the crystal will relax you and get you into a meditative state. Start thinking about your desires. Start invisioning. The crystal's energy will work with you. There are many varieties of quartz crystals that will work - tiger eye, onyx, amethist (expensive!), citrine, smoke quartz. They each have different properties.

You only have to do this for 1-2 minutes to get results. Two minutes is a long time. Set a timer if you want. Keep the crystal by your beside and do this right before you go to sleep. Do it with the covers over you as you lay in bed. Just 2 minutes before bed is all you need. That's all you need to start meditating and manifesting!

Energizing Your Home

Law of attraction can pertain to any aspect of your life - health, money, relationships, work. But sometimes we forget about our own homes! When our households are in a state of disarray, chances are that the negative energy from our homes will permeate other aspects of your life. The home truly is where the heart is!

So if you are not happy with your current life situation, no matter if it's money, work, health, parents, spouse, etc. my suggestion is to start with you home first. If you make your home a place of peace and happiness, the energy from there will transcend to other facets of your life. I think Peter Walsh, the clutter expert, hit the nail on the head in his book, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?. The chaos in your home will cause chaos in your life, pure and simple.

I say start with the home because I think it's the most easy place to start with change. You can do it yourself, it involves no investment in your part other than time, and it will make you feel good instantly, I promise. Here's how to start:

1. Start with the closets. If your material goods can't be hung or put in a proper storage bin (a pile under the bed does not count!), then you have to make space. Do not try to overload your home with things that do not fit in it. Your home won't like it. If it hasn't been worn in over a year, toss it (by "toss", I mean donate to charity or give to a friend, clothing swap, etc.). If it doesn't fit anymore, toss it, even if you think you'll get back your college body *someday*. Trust me, even if you do get back your college body, you're going to want new clothes anyway :-) If the item expensive, sell it on ebay or take it to a consignment shop and use the money in the ways I recommend below.

2. Next go on to books, appliances, toys etc. If there's no place to store it, abhor it!

3. Buy 1 feng shui book and use it to rearrange furniture in your home in accordance with it. A note about feng shui. Feng shui is the ancient eastern art of placement and energy alignment for the home to help bring positive energy flow to it and to you. A lot of feng shui deals with colors in your home. That's not something you should engage in right now. Let's just work with what you have. Simple furniture rearrangement can improve the energy in your home tremendously.

4. Buy a crystal and place it where your home needs the most help. For relationship issues, it's the bedroom. For money issues, it's the home office, etc. Your feng shui book will help you in this regard as well.

There are many other tips, but this is just a start. Just changing up your household here and there will create new energy. They say even moving your bed just a few inches to the right or left will create new energy.

So start with this :-)

Getting Wrapped up in the Mundane

So, as you can see, we haven't been posting for a while. We're hoping to change that with new inspiration and energy towards this blog!

Personally, I had let myself get wrapped up in the mundane and I lost sight of the tenents that I have been pontificating about all along :-) I lost sight of my law of attraction principals and got caught up in the day to day grind. And what happened? I fell off my path! I lost sight of my dreams! I failed to manifest! Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my :-)

So what should you do if you fall off the law of attraction path? You can get back on the horse easily.

1. Recognize that you are not engaging in law of attraction. It's just a simple acknowledgement that you haven't been focusing your intentions purposefully throughout your day to day routine.

2. Take a deep breath. Tell yourself that although you may have abandoned your law of attraction principles, your life isn't over. In fact, it just begun a new :-)

3. Get back on the horse. Nothing in law of attraction can't be fixed. Start by revisting some chapters in a book that has helped you in the past. Do some affirmations. Review an old journal with your visions and dreams and reconnect with them.

4. Start anew. Create new dreams and visions. Chance are what you were intending to manifest 6 months ago or last year isn't the same as what you want now anyway. Create a new vision board. Do an energy cleansing of your home. Get some new books. Re-engage and re-charge!

Come One, Come All, to our Next Meet Up at Cafe Citron!

Local Law of Attraction enthusiasts, we're excited to meet you! Vanessa, Leslie and others will meet at 7:00 pm on Friday, May 9, at Cafe Citron, 1343 Connecticut Avenue, NW. (a few blocks from the Dupont Circle stop on the Red line.) You'll recognize us by our Law of Attraction books. Please contact vanessa@vanessacurto.com for more information.