OR THE LAW OF ATTRACTION IN THE THOUGHT WORLD
by William Walker Atkinson
Chapter
XVI
LAW, NOT CHANCE
SOME time ago I was talking to a man about the Attractive Power of Thought.
He said that he did not believe that Thought could attract anything to
him, and that it was all a matter of luck. He had found, he said, that
ill luck relentlessly pursued him, and that everything he touched went
wrong. It always had, and always would, and he had grown to expect it.
When he undertook a new thing he knew beforehand that it would go wrong
and that no good would come of it.
Oh, no! There wasn't anything in the theory of Attractive Thought, so
far as he could see; it was all a matter of luck!
This man failed to see that by his own confession he was giving a most
convincing argument in favor of the Law of Attraction. He was testifying
that he was always expecting things to go wrong, and that they always
came about as he expected. He was a magnificent illustration of the Law
of Attraction - but he didn't know it, and no argument seemed to make
the matter clear to him. He was "up against it," and there was
no way out of it - he always expected the ill luck. And every occurrence
proved that he was right, and that the Mental Science position was all
nonsense.
There are many people who seem to think that the only way in which the
Law of Attraction operates is when one wishes hard, strong and
steady.
They do not seem to realize that a strong belief is as efficacious
as a strong wish. The successful man believes in himself and his ultimate
success, and, paying no attention to little setbacks, stumbles, tumbles
and slips, presses on eagerly to the goal, believing all the time that
he will get there. His views and aims may alter as he progresses, and
he may change his plans or have them changed for him, but all the time
he knows in his heart that he will eventually "get there." He
is not steadily wishing he may get there - he simply feels
and believes it, and thereby sets to operation the strongest
forces known in the world of thought.
The man who just as steadily believes he is going to fail will invariably
fail.
How could he help it?
There is no special miracle about it. Everything he does, thinks and says
is tinctured with the thought of failure. Other people catch his spirit,
and fail to trust him or his ability, which occurrences he in turn sets
down as but other exhibitions of his ill luck, instead of ascribing them
to his belief and expectation of failure. He is suggesting failure to
himself all the time, and he invariably takes on the effect of the auto-suggestion.
Then, again, he by his negative thoughts shuts up that portion of his
mind from which should come the ideas and plans conducive to success and
which do come to the man who is expecting success because he believes
in it.
A state of discouragement is not the one in which bright ideas come to
us. It is only when we are enthused and hopeful that our minds work out
the bright ideas which we may turn to account.
Men instinctively feel the atmosphere of failure hovering around certain
of their fellows, and on the other hand recognize something about others
which lead them to say, when they hear of a temporary mishap befalling
such a one: "Oh, he'll come out all right somehow - you can't down
him. It is the atmosphere caused by the prevailing Mental Attitude.
Clear up you Mental Atmosphere!
There is no such thing as chance. Law maintains everywhere, and all that
happens happens because of the operation of Law. You cannot name the simplest
thing that ever occurred by chance - try it, and then run the thing down
to a final analysis, and you will see it as the result of law.
It is as plain as mathematics. Plan and purpose; cause and effect. From
the movements of worlds to the growth of the grain of mustard seed - all
the result of Law. The fall of the stone down the mountain-side is not
chance - forces which had been in operation for centuries caused it. And
back of that cause were other causes, and so on until the Causeless Cause
is reached.
And Life is not the result of chance - the Law is here, too.
The Law is in full operation whether you know it or not - whether you
believe in it or not. You may be the ignorant object upon which the Law
operates, and bring yourself all sorts of trouble because of your ignorance
of or opposition to the Law. Or you may fall in with the operations to
the Law - get into its current, as it were - and Life will seem a far
different thing to you. You cannot get outside of the Law, by refusing
to have anything to do with it. You are at liberty to oppose it and produce
all the friction you wish to - it doesn't' hurt the Law, and you may keep
it up until you learn your lesson.
The Law of Thought Attraction is one name for the law, or rather for one
manifestation of it.
Again I say, your thoughts are real things. They go forth from you in
all directions, combining with thoughts of like kind - opposing thoughts
of a different character - forming combinations - going where they are
attracted - flying away from thought centers opposing them.
And your mind attracts the thought of others, which have been sent out
by them conscious or unconsciously.
But it attracts only those thoughts which are in harmony with its own.
Like attracts like, and opposites repel opposites, in the world of thought.
If you set your mind to the keynote of courage, confidence, strength and
success, you attract to yourself thoughts of like nature; people of like
nature; things that fit in the mental tune.
Your prevailing thought or mood determines that which is to be drawn toward
you - picks out your mental bed-fellow. You are today setting into motion
thought currents which will in time attract toward you thoughts, people
and conditions in harmony with the predominant note of your thought. Your
thought will mingle with that of others of like nature and mind, and you
will be attracted toward each other, and will surely come together with
a common purpose sooner or later, unless one or the other of you should
change the current of his thoughts.
Fall in with the operations of the law. Make it a part of yourself. Get
into its currents. Maintain your poise. Set your mind to the keynote of
Courage, Confidence and Success. Get in touch with all the thoughts of
that kind that are emanating every hour from hundreds of minds. Get the
best that is to be had in the thought world.
The best is there, so be satisfied with nothing less. Get into partnership
with good minds. Get into the right vibrations. You must be tired of being
tossed about by the operations of the Law - get into harmony with it.
THE END
