The Wholehearted Life: Big Changes and Greater Happiness Week by Week

WEEK 1

Use the Law of Attraction

There seems to be a great law of Nature whereby an atom attracts to itself that which is needed for its development. And the force that brings about these results manifests itself in Desire. There may be many Desires, but the predominant one has the strongest attracting power. This law is recognized through the various kingdoms of Nature, but it is only beginning to be realized that the same Law maintains in the kingdom of the mind.

— WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON FROM THE LAW OF NEW THOUGHT, 1902

The Law of Attraction, which became popular through movies such as The Secret, What the Bleep Do We Know, and is evident in Groundhog Day, and through books by Esther and Jerry Hicks, is actually a universal law that is at the foundation of the spiritual principles of all major religious traditions. This universal law has been proven by quantum physics, and written about in many books, including The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton.

Understanding the Law of Attraction is key to understanding the creative process and living a wholehearted life. This is not simply a trendy New Age idea. That the Law of Attraction is now part of mainstream conversation is an expression of the ongoing and ever-evolving expansion of consciousness. It is the first lesson in this book because it is a tool that operates in your life, whether or not you are aware of it. Being awake to how it works, and using it consciously, opens the door to heaven on earth.

The Law of Attraction is actually quite simple to understand: What you think is what you get. Thoughts fueled with desire (emotional energy), spoken with authority (you are the author!), and acted on with conviction (faith) are what you create in your life.

This law operates whether or not you are conscious of your thoughts. It is as if the universe, the greater field of life, hears you through your dominant thoughts—your energetic vibration—and always responds with one verse (a uni-verse)—a resounding YES. This means that all of your life experience begins through you. Everything, every relationship, every event, is first created in your consciousness before it takes form in three-dimensional reality. Each of us is continuously creating our world. Consciously using this knowledge is a point of great power.

To shift your point of view, transform your beliefs, and upgrade the software of your mind to align with your heart’s desire—your Calling and dreams—requires commitment and discipline, the same kind of discipline and focus necessary to train for a marathon. Left to our own devices, most of us are lazy, tending to follow the path of least resistance—the patterns of thinking and behavior we follow on automatic—whether or not that path is satisfying.

If you desire a deeper and more consistent experience of peace and happiness in your life, then your dominant thoughts must reflect this desire. Often when we have a strong desire for something, we are used to looking to see if it is there yet. Embedded in this looking is the belief that it isn’t there (since if it were there, we wouldn’t be looking for it!). We are so used to giving more power to visible outside circumstances than to the power of our invisible intention wedded with faith that we often simply don’t allow the infinite gifts available to us into our lives.

A crucial stumbling block to living a wholehearted life is that many of us—certainly everyone I have ever met—are walking around with beliefs about ourselves that go something like this:

•I’m not good enough.

•I’m not kind enough.

•I’m not smart enough.

•I’m not wealthy enough.

•I’m not strong enough.

•I’m not young enough.

•I’m not thin enough.

•I’m not lovable enough.

•I’m not worthy enough.

We have gathered so much evidence through the years to support these beliefs that we have unwavering faith in them, and the Law of Attraction goes into high gear, saying yes to our dominant thoughts. Thereby we view the circumstances we encounter through the filter of these beliefs, continuing to get what we don’t want.

Rather than deciding whether you believe or don’t believe in the Law of Attraction, I invite you to act as if it is true. Imagine it is true, and play with it. If some evidence would help you, think of all those situations you have called coincidence or synchronicity—for example, when you think of someone and they seem to call you out of the blue, or when you hear about a new book, movie, or app that you’d never heard of before and suddenly the next person you talk with mentions it as well. Or you say you are certain you are not going to get a parking space in the center of town and you don’t; or you meet someone and you know within moments that this is the person you’ll marry, and now you are married to that person. The truth is that the Law of Attraction has been operating in your life already.

What if you are truly made in the image of the Creator and you are the artist, the creator of the greatest masterpiece of all: your life? Would you choose heaven rather than hell, peace rather than war, love rather than fear? Make these choices this week and every day and notice peace and happiness taking center stage in your life.

How to Do It

Day 1: Play with the Law of Attraction. Focus on things and people and watch them show up. Imagine loose change in the morning and then spend thirty seconds pretending it is the end of the day and you are telling your family and friends that you found loose change today. Then let it go. Release this idea into the universe like a helium balloon. During the day, loose change will have your name on it. There’s no telling where it will show up: on the street, in your car ashtray that you haven’t opened since you first got the car, in your raincoat pocket, inside your wallet. Whenever it shows up, acknowledge it by saying, "Yes, the Law of Attraction works." The universe, your co-creative partner, will say YES to this idea as well. Play. This format may be helpful:

•Identify something you want to attract.

•Imagine you’ve attracted it. Create a virtual reality, and for thirty seconds, visualize your desire realized. Make sure to include yourself in the picture and how you feel achieving your results—getting out of your car after easily pulling into a perfect parking space, saying to yourself, It was really easy getting this space and feeling great about it with a smile on your face; or sitting in a seat immediately after boarding a crowded bus, thinking, I’m so glad I got this seat and feeling relaxed and at ease.

•Let it go. Allow the universe to conspire with you to provide and guide you.

•Receive it when it knocks at your door.

•Allow and acknowledge it.

Day 2: Identify what is in your life that is not a source of peace and happiness, and focus your attention on what you do want. For example, if your job is unsatisfying and you have spent much of the past six months complaining about it, stop the complaining and imagine you are in a satisfying job. If creating a virtual reality with your boss in it results in anxious feelings, imagine that you are getting home from work and telling your family or friends what a great day you had at work. Allow the universe to provide the details. You may unexpectedly get a call from a headhunter with a great job for you to interview for; your boss may be transferred and your new boss is great—or maybe you are offered that position! Have faith that the universe has heard you and let it go. And if all thoughts about work result in feelings of unrest, trust that the universe has heard your desire for a satisfying job and instead focus your attention on something that gives you pleasure, because that is the vibration that allows you to be open to the resounding yes of the universe responding to your desire.

Day 3: Any time during the day that you are out of sync with peace and happiness, choose, in the moment, to attract a new experience. Here’s how to do it:

•Acknowledge that you are feeling yucky. You have been seduced by abusive and judgmental thoughts about yourself or others. You are feeling victimized and isolated. Revenge may be on your mind, or perhaps guilt has found a comfortable home!

•Say Oops. Use your personal power to stop the train of sabotaging thoughts.

•Choose your desire. Say aloud (allowed!) or think to yourself: I choose to feel (happy, light-hearted, grateful, etc.).

•Let it go and move on. With your attention focused in the present moment, smell the flowers and enjoy the precious present.

Day 4: Make a Pleasure List of the people, places, things, and activities that generate an experience of pleasure for you. Carry the list with you and put it where you can see it—on your smartphone or computer, pasted to your refrigerator, or by the side of your bed. Use this list to shift your attention when you are feeling victimized by life. Here are some of my Pleasure List items:

•The sound of my grandkids’ giggles.

•The morning sun glistening on the ocean as I walk along the water’s edge, my dog playfully romping ahead of me.

•Snuggling with my lover on the couch in front of a roaring fire.

•Getting a massage.

•The full moon lighting up the sky.

•A bowl of delicious soup on a cold, rainy winter day.

•Hearing the sound of my golf club connect with the ball and seeing the ball soar and land on the green on a glorious fall afternoon.

Day 5: Use the Law of Attraction for the well-being of others. Here are some ways to do this:

•If you have a family member or friend who has been suffering, place his or her photo somewhere you can easily see it. Every time you look at the photo, see him as whole and happy; say a prayer for her highest good.

•If you pass a car accident on the road, instead of getting caught up in the horror, say a prayer for the well-being of all involved and express your gratitude for the emergency service workers who are assisting. I have noticed that when I do this, rather than getting seduced by the drama, I feel as if I am contributing to the well-being of the people involved as well as my own well-being.

Day 6: Expand the Law of Attraction to the world. See peace on earth. Imagine a newscaster declaring peace in places where there is strife. Use the power of your thoughts to influence the collective consciousness of the planet. What we focus our attention on expands. This is true in our individual lives, in our families, communities, workplaces, countries, and in the world.

Day 7: Reflect and write your response to the following questions:

•What did you learn about the Law of Attraction?

•What did you learn about yourself in relation to the Law of Attraction?

•How can you consciously apply the Law of Attraction in your daily life? Do it.

Loose Change

When I wrote this chapter, the idea to practice the Law of Attraction with loose change simply popped into my mind as I wrote the Day 1 exercise. The next morning, I went to the gym. When I got on the elliptical trainer to work out, there was loose change in the cup holder. The Law of Attraction popped into my mind and I smiled. After thirty minutes, I got off the elliptical trainer and went to another section of the gym to lift free weights. After a few minutes, I realized that I’d left my newfound loose change where I had found it. When I finished using the weights, as I bent down to pick up my towel, I saw more loose change. Ah, yes, I thought, when I express a desire and let it go, the universe says: Yes.

Ask, and it will be given to you;

Seek, and you will find;

Knock, and it will be opened to you.

— MATTHEW 7:7

WEEK 2

Breathe

The practice of mindful breathing may be very simple, but the effect can be great. Focusing on our in-breath, we release the past, we release the future, we release our projects. We ride on that breath with all our being. Our mind comes back to our body, and we are truly there, alive, in the present moment. We are home.

— THICH NHAT HANH

Breathe. Breath is life. Consciously focusing your attention on your breath is the most powerful and potent natural resource you have for being awake in the present moment.

Right now, stop for a moment and turn your attention to your in-breath and out-breath.

Do this five times. What do you notice? Are you more aware of your body? Are you feeling quieter? I notice that when I focus my attention on my breath—actually following the path of my breath as it enters my body through my nose, circulates throughout my body, and leaves my body through my mouth—I feel a deeper sense of relaxation and calm, and am more fully present in the moment. This is the power of focusing on your breath.

Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet.

We all breathe the same air.

— JOHN F. KENNEDY

We are connected with all beings, all that is, through our breath. We are inhaling one another’s exhale all the time. Although it looks as if we are separated from others by the space between our bodies and the objects of our world, we are actually connected through our breath. As you exhale, your breath is charged with the emotional frequency of the thoughts you are thinking at that moment. Your emotional frequency, in each moment, contributes to the collective consciousness with each exhalation. Thoughts are real things, and what you think therefore makes a very big impact in the world—you pass your thoughts around through your breath! What do you contribute to the world through your exhalations—love, fear, happiness, anxiety, heaven, or