Can you attract more money?
We’ve all heard about the “Law of Attraction”—that what you focus on, you attract. (This was popularized in the book and movie, The Secret.) Said another way—many believe that your thinking creates and brings to you what you think about. While this may sound a bit overstated, I do believe that what you focus on tends to expand. Therefore, it is very important to be aware of what you focus your thoughts on. Yes – the Law of Attraction can be very powerful.
So why does it not always seem to work?
Just last week I was talking to a new money coaching client who said, “I’ve read all that stuff on the Law of Attraction and I really try to practice it, but it’s not working. What am I doing wrong?!”
Well, this new client was in a lot of pain. She really wanted to attract more money and was frustrated that it wasn’t working. (As many of us know, people commonly use the Law of Attraction to attract more financial security to themselves. Of course this is what gives the Law a bad rap sometimes. Some people see it as a New Age angle on materialism. But that’s a whole different article…)
I suspected I knew why it wasn’t working. Want to know the secret to the Secret? The Law of Attraction can be a very powerful, metaphysical law. However, if it is not grounded, it will not work. What do I mean by “grounded”? In terms of money—you must be clear on exactly what you are asking for.
Think of it this way: The Law of Attraction tells us to focus on what we want. That is often the first problem. Often, we don’t know exactly what we want. If you don’t know exactly how much money you need to bring in, for example, how are you going to practice the Law of Attraction? It won’t work if you are uncertain of what you want to attract.
You would never call a catalog company and say, “Please send me a shirt.” They need more details. What shirt? What size, color, style…?
In the same way, exactly how much money do you need to cover your lifestyle? Exactly what does your life cost you?
If you want the Law of Attraction to work, you will want more financial clarity by practicing healthy financial behaviors. I think that sometimes we wish all we had to do was visualize what we want to attract. Just affirm that you want more money, and it will come. But that is not enough. We must do the work it takes to get financially grounded and clear. And we must maintain this clarity. When you maintain financial clarity, magic can truly happen. Week after week and month after month, you stay grounded in what you spend and what you need. You are crystal clear on what you want to attract. This creates grounded magic.
I have my clients start out by looking at the reality of their money. We look at where it is going. I teach people how to gain control over their money so they can then decide where they want their money to go. That is where it begins to get exciting – people learn how to direct their spending and consciously create a lifestyle that is in balance. We start with the small picture and progressively move to the bigger one.
Once someone is clear about the lifestyle they want, and the money needed to maintain this lifestyle, then the Law of Attraction can be a huge help. You know what you are focusing on. (Send me a short sleeved silk red blouse, size medium please.)
When you look at where your money goes, you become more financially conscious and aware. And when you take the time to plan where you want to spend your money, you unleash a powerful force of intention in your life.
The Law of Attraction can work. By getting grounded in the world of money and practicing healthy financial behaviors, you can more easily attract what you want and need. And that is magic – grounded magic.
Mikelann is a money coach with over 20 years’ experience, helping women escape the money fog, feel more in control of their finances and love their financial life. If you are ready to leave money stress behind and design a life you love, please see www.seattlemoneycoach.com and read about this life changing work. Once there, grab her free eBook on how to stop worrying about money.
Good stuff, Mikelann.
I do want to point out that the Law of Attraction is always at work, just like gravity. It’s just not always producing the results we want, but it is always producing the results we are “asking for” according to our vibrational energy.
Accurate and insightful article, Mikelann! Thanks for taking us to the “next level” regarding financial consciousness. The education you give us is worth…well…million$!
Great post. I’ve been telling clients for years that it’s not really a “secret” and that thoughts mean nothing without action.
There’s an old Russian proverb that summarizes your great post: “Pray to God, but continue to row to shore.”
Wow! What you wrote just hit me: “I teach people how to gain control over their money so they can then decide where they WANT their money to go. (Yes, that really is possible.)”
Sure, I have a spending plan and track every penny that comes in or goes out of my life, but the way you phrased that made me think differently.
I immediately pulled out a sheet of paper and decided to list what I really WANT to spend in each category.
And the results? Amazingly, it’s just slightly BELOW what I bring in each month. I bring in enough money for what I wish I was spending, but the way I currently allocate my monthly income shows a glaring disparity between wishes and reality: I see with blinding clarity that my large mortgage is eating my lunch!
Thanks again for your terrific insights! Now to figure out this housing thing….
This is great. Many people think The Secret is a bunch of hogwash because they think it means visualizing and waiting for things you believe you have will materialize. But they forget the last step: Being open to Receiving! How? By taking action!! Maybe you won’t know exactly HOW your’e going to get to what you want, but begin taking steps in that direction. Also, determining a time-frame that is believable for you (cause if you don’t believe it, it ain’t gonna materialize!). Take definite action, and decide on a definite time by which you will achieve your goal. That’s how one opens up to receiving! 🙂
I think many people forget the 3rd step, and that is why the Law of Attraction doesn’t work for them. The 3rd step is, after knowing what you want, and visualizing/believing it, you need to be open to receiving it. I believe the only way to be open to receiving what you ask for and visualize is by taking ACTION. Even if only baby steps, one needs to begin moving towards the direction they need to go. If you’re visualizing what you want, and then your actions are not moving towards what you want, you’re not opening yourself up to receiving. This is another reason why the Law of Attraction has gotten a bad rap. People say, “That’s ridiculous! It says I’m supposed to just imagine something, and POOF, there it will be? Yeah, right” Well no, that’s not all it says. Remember step 3 – that is the one that says, “Get off your Butt, create a plan, and MOVE!” That’s the only way to open yourself up to receiving!
Thank you Mikelann for this thought provoking article. My personal experience is that it takes time for things to ‘materialize.’ I’ve had wonderful things happen to me many months after I’d given up thinking about them.
I love all these comments! It’s interesting- I sent out this post in my newsletter, and I received a lot of unsubscribes, yet there is also a lot of interest. It’s possible some people think I’m getting too metaphysical in addressing it, and it’s also possible that some think I’m being too harsh on the Law of Attraction. The irony is that I personally do believe in, and practice, the Law of Attraction. That is why I’m so familiar with it. But often people want it to just work without having to do the work– take action– as so many of you rightly point out.
Great article! I teach Prosperity training to business people and this concept is the first one to understand. We actually see the Law of Attraction work very well when used correctly. Mikelann has made some great suggestions. I also see a lot of people frustrated by the Law of Attraction, because they’re not fully aligned with what they want. They may be mentally aligned with the desire for more money, but they’re feeling frustrated or anxious that they don’t have it yet. That sends a very mixed signal to the Universe and it doesn’t know what to send. Try feeling joyful when you’re thanking the Universe in advance for sending you something. It works a lot better.
I think the essence is – knowing what you want. You can often know what you want – but have unconcious blocks about deserving it or belieiving that you can actually have it.
Even knowing what you want can be subjected to the negative beliefs of other people. Law of attraction does work – and the more tapped into creative visualisation and things like Reiki, that you are the more you will notice it does work. It also work at getting rid of what you don’t want!
The diificulty is appreciating what we NEED and will need or want in the future. That goes for financial planning or spending also.