Universal Laws of Success – Science & Spirituality Unite
By now, most of us have heard of the Law of Attraction which was popularized by the 2006 release of the documentary film and book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. In a nutshell, the main tenet of this universal energetic law is that we attract into our lives whatever we consistently place our attention, energy and focus upon. While some naysayers consider this to be some kind of new age hippie woo woo B.S., this concept is actually thousands of years old and is mentioned in the texts of many different religious philosophies, as well as by respected philosophers and scientists alike. Quantum physicists have since proven these theories valid.
Since gaining popularity, there have been numerous other films, books, and businesses teaching people to harness the energy of their thoughts and feelings to intentionally design their lives, creating the life and experiences that we want. While this “internal technology” is available to everyone – for FREE, not many people know that or understand its true power. The alternative is that most people live “by default,” allowing themselves to be bullied around by circumstances that are seemingly out of their control. If this sounds like you, I’ve got some great news. You can harness this personal power at any time you choose!
Once we know that our lives are absolutely within our control and we can intentionally create experiences that are in alignment with our goals and dreams, the world is our oyster! I don’t know about you, but I find that to be really exciting!!! However, as with everything there’s a flip side to consider. knowing this means that we can no longer play the passive victim role and that we must actually take responsibility for our lives. Some people are simply not prepared for that and aren’t ready to release this victimization role they’ve assigned to themselves. If that’s their choice, we must respect that it’s their responsibility (not ours) and they will have to abide by the consequences for that choice. We cannot MAKE anyone else want better for themselves or take responsibility for their lives. It’s up to them.
How does it work?
Keep in mind that I’m no scientist, so this is my simplified interpretation of the science behind the Law of Attraction. 
The Law of Attraction has to do with electromagnetic energy and frequencies. We’ve learned through quantum physics that everything is energy. Humans are electromagnetic beings and our thoughts and feelings have both electrical and magnetic energy. Energy vibrates in waves at varying frequencies. Research from the HeartMath Institute in California has discovered that “the heart generates the largest electromagnetic field in the body. The electrical field as measured in an electrocardiogram (ECG) is about 60 times greater in amplitude than the brain waves recorded in an electroencephalogram (EEG). The magnetic component of the heart’s field, which is around 5,000 times stronger than that produced by the brain.”
Why is this important? This research proves that thoughts when infused with emotions (a.k.a. feelings) have a much, much stronger electromagnetic energy than thoughts alone. Therefore, feeling-based thoughts have a much more powerful magnetic resonance, thereby actually pulling energy with that same vibrational frequency to it. Positive thoughts and feelings vibrate at a faster rate than negative thoughts that have lower frequencies. Think of it like a radio. Let’s say your radio is on 95.7 FM, but you want to listen to 102.5 FM. You cannot pick up 102.5 unless you purposefully tune your station to that same frequency.
This is why the quality of our thoughts and feelings are so critically important. Do you know the saying, “misery loves company”? That is exactly why that statement is true. Negativity attracts more negativity. When we’re stressed out, mad, or fearful, our thought/feeling frequencies are very low and cannot attract higher vibrational thoughts and feelings… and vice versa.
When The Secret came out, it lost some credibility because it was focused so heavily on using this information for wealth generating purposes. Of course, many people have harnessed these teachings for financial gain, but rest assured the Law of Attraction can be utilized for many, many purposes. Not that there’s anything wrong with creating wealth, but since nonprofits are clearly not in business for that purpose, I think it’s important to draw attention to the fact that anyone can harness this energy to be used for any changes that you’d like to see in your life, whether they’re for personal or professional reasons.
A Critically Important Distinction
Having been studying the universal principles of success for the past 25 years or so, I was drawn to the movie and book The Secret, but like many who’ve been studying this stuff for a long time, it seems that they left out a critically important piece of the equation… or if it was mentioned, perhaps I just didn’t see it. Here it is. The Law of Attraction works equally as well for attracting the things that we want into our existence as it does for attracting the things that we don’t want! Yes, that means that when our primary thoughts and feelings are focused on anger, fear, worry, frustration, etc., it is impossible to attract the things that you do want such as the solutions to your challenges.
There are some subtle and interesting nuances that many people don’t understand which can completely thwart your efforts at attracting what which you want. One key thing to realize is the importance of how you “frame” your thoughts and feelings. You always want to frame your thoughts and intentions in the positive. The difference may seem subtle, but the results are completely different. Here’s an example of a very common nonprofit challenge – board engagement. Look at the two opposing ways of framing the desire for better board involvement below.
Effective intention: We will have 12 engaged and enthusiastic board members that are willing and eager to help raise funds and support for the organization.
Ineffective intention: We will get rid of the board members who refuse to fundraise even though it’s stated clearly in the board manual as a requirement of the job.
See if you can actually feel the energy of those two statements. Which do you think will attract the desired results? Even if you’re not particularly energetically attuned, you can probably recognize that the first one gives you the feeling of hope and creates a positive expectation. The second one feels heavy because it has a negative spin. In the end, both want the same thing, but one will help attract new enthusiastic board members, and the other will attract more disengaged unhelpful ones.
Apply It to Your Own Organization or Life
How does this translate to your organization? Take a good look at your organization’s results. If your results are chronic funding challenges, difficulties between staff and/or board members, lack of direction, or anything seemingly negative, you can be assured that your attention and focus is on the things you DON’T want. It makes sense, right? If you have challenges with this, don’t worry. It takes time to change ingrained habits.
Do you, your nonprofit’s leaders, and/or staff members spend the majority of your time and energy working toward your goals, focusing on where you want to go with your organization, or do you spend most of your time and energy putting out proverbial fires, trying to address or avoid financial difficulties, board and/or staff challenges, etc.? If stress and fear are your predominant emotions, that’s a sign that it’s time to reframe how you’re looking at the situation.
Honestly, the Law of Attraction is really just about changing how you look at the world, seeing opportunity where you usually ignore it, and about having an abundant mindset. It’s about expressing gratitude for the blessings in your life.
If we have a desire for change, but our dominant beliefs or thoughts are of lack, then we get lack. Conversely, if our dominant beliefs are of abundance (not only financial abundance, but abundance in happiness, health, relationships, etc.), then that is exactly what you’re attracting into your existence. If you don’t believe this, I’d like to challenge you to really try it on consistently for a month. Catch yourself when you’re thinking negatively and reframe the thought or refocus your energy onto something else that makes you happier. Keep doing this consistently and I bet you’ll see a brand new world full of opportunities and possibilities.
Let Us Know How You Do
The reason we do what we do is to help YOU succeed! Have you implemented some of the concepts or ideas from this post or any of Nonprofit I.Q.’s other content and have some great results that you’d like to share? We want to hear about it. Please keep us informed of your successes and definitely let us know if you have any questions. Below are two ways that you can connect with us.
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