The Law of Attraction, oftentimes categorized as a spiritual concept, is rooted in research, philosophy, and history.

“What you become is what you have thought.”

This phrase is first believed to have been taught by the immortal Buddha, and it has inspired waves of philosophical, spiritual, and practical exploration into its meaning. Essentially, human beings are believed to be magnets, each of us emitting small vibrational frequencies into the universe. The thoughts, emotions, and actions that we put out to the world are hence transmitted right back to us.

The theory is, if we take control over our own subconscious, before letting it dictate our very actions, we can manipulate reality into granting us the same positive energy that we forecast into the world.

“When people first learn and start to practice this law, sometimes they get worried that if they have bad thoughts or low vibrations, they can somehow mess up their life,” says international life coach, Shannon Kaiser. Instead, the law is meant to be a guide, “a mirror of our own mindset and self-worth” to dictate our actions, preserve our sense of self, and help us through challenging moments that fall in our wake.

Many have heard of the concept, but there remains ambiguity around how it can be adopted into everyday life: especially for those unfamiliar with spiritual practice. However, the Law of Manifestation is not bound to piety, and it does not require burning candles, crystals, and painfully long meditation sessions.

The law is simply a mindset shift that can help individuals grasp control over their subconscious and rekindle positive energy into their lives.

Pillars of the Law of Attraction
To holistically understand the Law of Attraction, individuals must first identify its three main pillars:

Like attracts like: This principle applies not only to human relationships but to experiences as well. Just like people oftentimes gravitate towards those who share commonalities with them, the universe reciprocates the energy that an individual puts forward into the world. Positive thoughts and emotions lead to positive experiences. Negative thoughts, on the other hand, attract negative energy and perpetuate the incessant cycle.

Nature abhors a vacuum: This is a well-known postulate coined by Aristotle centuries ago, but it is still used by philosophers, physicists, and religious scholars today. The phrase is centered around the belief that unfilled spaces directly oppose the laws of nature and physics, and therefore every space is inherently filled with something. Why is this relevant? Essentially, humans have the power to fill every space– in their minds and their own lives– with positivity: removing negative thoughts plaguing their emotions, relationships, and workspace.

The present is always perfect: In other words– live in the now. Oftentimes, when individuals remain hyper-fixated on past experiences or preoccupy themselves with their future plans, the present moment is neglected. The Law of Attraction requires that we look at the present moment with positivity and optimism: it can always be improved, but it should be thoroughly experienced.
Understanding these three concepts is pivotal in adopting the Law of Attraction mindset shift and fully incorporating physical changes in one’s life.

“Once we gain the ability to condition our minds to our desired frequencies of vibration, our physical reality quickly follows suit and reflects back to us our new vibration,” confirms author and personal development expert, Carla Schesser, to HuffPost. “If you think long and hard enough you will come to the same conclusions that the great leaders of humanity’s past have all come to: that is, we create our own reality.“

Manifestation in Practice
Aside from understanding the concept behind the Law of Attraction, how can its pillars be implemented into everyday practice?

The key starts with manifestation: understanding that despite the magnitude or infeasibility of future goals, direct action always begins today. From observation to visualization to daily affirmations to progress tracking, manifestation allows individuals to capitalize on the basic energy principles in the universe to achieve the goals they desire.

The most important aspects of manifestation are intention and persistence. One cannot manifest goals in their life that are in direct conflict with someone else’s intentions, especially when the other’s intentions are stronger. “The Law of Attraction does not give you full and total control of your life, it simply states that like will attract like,” confirms MindValley Blog author, Irina Yugay. “And you can use this to your advantage by being intentional with your desires, but this isn’t magic.” One must also be persistent with their goal manifestation, whether it’s a social, physical, or emotional outcome. Intentional actions require patience, and they take time.

What are some tangible habits to adopt to successfully incorporate the Law of Manifestation into your daily life?

Keep a journal: Especially for long-term goals, individuals can lose sight of the progress they have made and the initial stage they originated from. Having a journal to not only record every step of the manifestation process but also to document important sources of gratitude and inspiration, can be instrumental in achieving success.

Connect your goals with a “why”: Why do you want to achieve this? Why is this goal important to you? What benefit will this bring to your life? Being able to recognize the motivations behind a goal will further promote your determination to achieve it. It will also help you overcome obstacles that occur during the manifestation process.

Start small: Manifestation is primarily rooted in visualization. In order to attract energy into your life, it must be radiated from within. However, it is easy to get wrapped up in the end-goal– an idealistic visualization– and lose sight of the pathway to get there. Sustainable progress can only be made through small yet consistent action.

Prioritize your health: Positive energy feeds off of a positive mind. In order to clear negative thoughts and eradicate lingering anxieties, individuals should ensure that they first care for their physical and emotional health– whether it be through exercise, nutrition, meditation, mindfulness, or rest.

Read material on the Law of Attraction: This is the single most important strategy to achieving your goals: understanding the process of manifestation. With so much material out there– explaining the inner workings of energy reciprocation– daily reading can be an important reminder for any individual embarking on the spiritual journey.

Regaining Control Over Your Subconscious

Emotions: “instinctive or intuitive feelings as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.”

Emotions control our everyday behavior: our thoughts, our actions, our relationships. They dictate the vibrations we emit into the world, and they govern how we react to certain situations.

Emotions are powerful. While individuals need to be attentive towards them, the ability to separate emotions from reality, recognize their influence in everyday decisions, and prevent them from gaining too much control is an essential skill for all humans to adopt. “It’s important to acknowledge your feelings while also recognizing that your emotions don’t have to control you. If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you can take control of your mood and turn your day around. If you are angry, you can choose to calm yourself down,” says author Amy Morin to INC.

The Law of Attraction teaches us that we have control over our own lives, even our own fates if we fill our subconscious with energy that is positive and full of intention: not overrun by temporary emotions. Learning how to harness the power of the Law of Attraction not only takes you one step closer to achieving your biggest goals but also sets the stage for a happier, more stable life.