LOA Teleconference Part 1

Note: This is part 1 of a 3-part series based on a portion of Monday night's teleconference on the law of attraction.

I think we can accept that there is probably a scientific or biological basis for the LOA, but in my opinion it probably has more to do with the heightened expectations of our brain rather than our thought energy going out into the universe and manifesting our desires. What causes this heightened expectation that opens us up to new opportunities and thus gives us the "ability" to attract what we want into our lives?

Well, there is a part of the brain that, when stimulated by goals, desire, experience, repetition and suggestion starts "looking for" evidence and validation of this new direction or information. It's called the reticular activation system of the brain – and its purpose is to screen out unnecessary information while letting in only the information that will help us function.

Some children with autism, for example, or ADD, are often over-stimulated – they lack the ability to screen out those things that we don't even give a second thought to. The clicking of a clock, the buzz of the fluorescent light, traffic noise outside the window. Our brain perceives all of this "information" but determines that it isn't useful and so it ignores those signals.

A common example of the reticular activation system at work is when you buy a new car – all of a sudden you see that dang car everywhere when you could have sworn you were the first to buy that make, model, and color. What has happened is that your brain is now open to this new information.

That, to me, is the greatest strength and power of the personal development movement – it gives us the tools to change our thinking and reprogram our brain to accept and look for positive opportunities, relationships, abundance, fulfillment. Two of the biggest limiting factors that keep us from living successful lives are fear and negative thought patterns. By speaking positive truth into our brains, we can form new thought patterns for success.

I have a friend - you may have someone like this as well - that every time I see him he affirms me, encourages me, tells me I can do it - "I believe in you, you’ve got what it takes." Do you think I might be attracted to him? You bet! He's the law of attraction in action! What happens is that every time I hear those words and then tell myself those truths, the reticular activating system of my brain kicks in and looks for evidence to support those words and pretty soon I am more confident, more attractive, more successful.

In fact, that is what I believe is really behind the LOA - like-minded people are attracted to each other because they are going a common direction, they share a common cause. The brain's reticular activation system works to ensure it.

This is Part 1.
Read Part 2.
Read Part 3.
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