Using the Law of Attraction to Receive What You Want

First a refresher: The Law of Attraction states that there are three steps to manifesting what we want. The first step is asking which happens a thousand times a day—every time we have a preference for something. We cannot help but ask and even though we are compelled to drum the point home, focusing on asking for the things we want is unnecessary because our wanting does it for us. The second step is the answering which the Universe does for us so once again our attention is not necessary. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that our attention to how the things we want will come into our lives only limits possibilities and is usually detrimental to the process. The third step is receiving and this is the part of the process that requires our full focus. That is the step I'm going to be talking about in this post.

I'm going to cut right to the chase and tell you that the crap in our lives serves a very useful function. The experiences we don't want are here to inspire desire for what we do want. If we encounter someone who is mean to us, we automatically ask the Universe to be surrounded by people who treat us with respect. If we can't pay our bills, we automatically ask to be surrounded by abundance. If our cars break down, we automatically ask to have reliable transportation. If we never had displeasing experiences, we would never feel the joy of the creative process and its results.

Why, oh why, do they have to hang around though, right? If their purpose is to help us ask for things, why don't they go away after we ask? They stick around because we are focusing our attention on the asking and on why we're asking instead of receiving what the Universe always brings us in reply. So, we can't pay our bills and we automatically ask to be surrounded by abundance. And instead of thinking, "Oh yay! This unpaid bill was a reminder that I want abundance and now I've asked and now it will naturally flow into my life because the Universe always answers yes! I'm so glad I couldn't pay my bill!" we think, "I hate the fact that I can't pay my bills. I wish I had more money. My bank account is so empty. I don't even want to look at these bills." Even though the Universe always answers yes and is responding by bringing abundance into our lives we cannot bring it into physical manifestation until we know—until we feel—that it is here.

Until then, we just send out conflicting thoughts. The Universe says "YES!" when we ask for more money. The Universe says "YES!" when we affirm that we don't have any. Which thought is going to win? The one you think the most. It goes beyond that though. The one that wins is the one you feel is true. Do you feel surrounded by abundance or do you feel surrounded by lack? All you have to do is look around and whatever you've manifested is what you've been focusing on.

The task of receiving becomes learning how to deliberately and with great intent change the way you feel by reaching for a better thought and then a better thought and then a better thought. I used to think that if I could just visualize puppies and kittens all day, my life would be great because I would feel great thinking about cute little balls of fluff. But avoiding the things we have negative feelings about doesn't address the creative process. If we don't create a new situation with positive thoughts and feelings about it, the creation will never come to us.

Think about something you want to change. I'll continue the example of money. Our first thought may be, "I don't have enough money." That thought makes us feel scared and nervous and worried. So we reach for a better thought. "I don't have enough money now, but I know the Universe will bring me what I need." That's a little better. It's still dwelling on the lack, but it makes us feel a little better. We reach for a better thought. "I've always been taken care of and found a way to pay my bills." This moves us from a thought of not being able to afford things to an affirmation that we have and can do so again. "I've actually come a long way. I remember when I was younger and had so much less than I do now." Life is a progression and we've grown along the way. We have a demonstration of our ability to bring what we want into our lives. "I'm really excited about all of the wonderful things I'm going to be able to do with my money [insert detailed fantasy here]." We're spending the money in our heads as if we already had it. We're coming into alignment with what we've asked for.

This may seem simplistic, but how do you feel after going through a progression like that? Do you feel better about the thing that was making you feel anxious? Do you feel hopeful? More empowered? Yes? Go forth! Run through this process every day. If the answer is no, you may be reaching too high. The goal is not to reach a state of total bliss, the goal is to feel better than you do at any given moment. If you can only get to thought #2, that's great. You've raised your vibrational level and it will be easier to raise it further from there next time.

This process takes practice. I've said this before and I probably will say (and create a post about) it again many times : Happiness is a choice. You have to choose to be happy in a hundred different ways every day. One of the best ways to make that choice is to reach for a better thought in any given situation. If you're feeling worried or angry or scared or anxious, reach for a different way to think about things and keep going until you feel relief (relief is what raising your vibration from a negative thought feels like). Don't run away from whatever is upsetting you, turn around and change it by empowering yourself with happiness. I don't know about you, but just the idea that the Universe always says yes to what I want, and there are things that I can do right now to receive what I have asked for makes me feel extremely relieved.

This post is cross-posted from the Uncover Your Bliss blog.