Real-Life Example
Here’s a story from a reader that demonstrates this principle:
“I went to a charity event once (for which I paid $50) and then donated another $20 for raffle tickets for various prizes. The idea was to put your ticket into the bowl representing the prize you wanted. None of the prizes were exciting to me. I put my ticket into the bowl that seemed the best of the three and said to myself, ‘I really hope I don’t win this silly hair treatment.’ Then I realized there were more than three prizes and felt disappointed that I had put my ticket into that bowl, but it was too late to take it back. As they were calling the prize winners, I again said, ‘I don’t want that hair treatment.’ When they read out my number, I was so disbelieving that I had to ask them to repeat the number because I could not believe that I had won it—especially because I had said so clearly, ‘I don’t want it!’ Well, you know the ending of this story. I focused on it, said ‘don’t,’ and focused on it again. DUH! Now, the fact is, it is a nice prize and I will use it—what was I thinking?”
Real-Life ExamplePractical Steps
If you don’t want something, how do you avoid attracting it into your life? By answering this simple question: “If I don’t want this, what do I want?” Sometimes it takes a while to formulate a positive answer, but taking the time to do so is the only way to stop attracting what you don’t want.- Identify the Issue: Write down what the recurring event is, how it makes you feel, and ask, “If I don’t want that to happen again, what do I want to happen?” or “If I don’t want to feel like that again, what do I want to feel like?”
- Refocus Your Thoughts: Get a clear picture in your mind, an idea or a feeling for how you would like it to be. Find the words that most accurately express what you want and write them down. This will engage all your senses to such a degree that you will automatically begin to attract more desirable events and situations.
Reflective Questions
- How do your current thoughts and feelings align with what you want to attract into your life?
- What steps can you take to shift your focus from what you don’t want to what you do want, in alignment with God’s will?
- How can you incorporate positive affirmations and scripture into your daily routine to strengthen your faith and mindset?
References
- Hill, N. (1937). Think and Grow Rich. The Ralston Society.
- Peale, N. V. (1952). The Power of Positive Thinking. Prentice Hall.
- Lewis, C. S. (1940). The Problem of Pain. Macmillan.
- Stanley, C. F. (2009). How to Let God Solve Your Problems. Thomas Nelson.