G6
This has been an interesting read and I will jump in with some of my thoughts. I have been back and forth in terms of LOA, and at one point I was very interested in it so I did a bit of experimenting. I don't believe in something unless I try it out.
At one point I made these types of worksheets for visualizing what I wanted using all of the things I read -- those never worked. And I think the reason for that is similar to what a lot of others have said, that just thinking positive isn't going to do anything. You have to do something about it. I suppose if the positive thinking was a way to psych yourself up and then go out and start taking steps toward the things you want would work -- I think that's what LOA really is. A lot of the more popular books and movies and such seem to emphasize only doing the thinking and visualizing.
The thing that really worked for me is making lists of exactly what I want and then figuring out how to get it and asking people who have the thing how they got it and then eventually it works out. So I think really its more about being clear about what you want, not just positive thinking, and then doing. Sometimes it had to do with getting rid of mental blocks telling me that I can't have the thing, so I can go out and do something. I also had really good success with what they call "vision boards" where I would put pictures of what I wanted and then periodically look at it. But same as the lists it just affirmed to me what I wanted and made it a concrete goal to work toward -- like in the back of my mind I realized how much I wanted the things and it inspired me to go and get them.
And also the acceptance that you don't have the thing which LOA never really mentions -- you can just get rid of all the bad thoughts around that -- it takes work and soul searching.
Nowdays my thought are that law of attraction and all the popular media about has a very simplified view of it. If it really was that easy everyone would just have what they want all the time. I take the middle ground here that LOA is not all completely untrue, and I think the way its explained is misleading -- but the concept behind it or what it's pointing at has some merit.
But really vision boards or what I want lists are awesome and work wonders... depending on how you use them. I also read lots of books specific to the things I wanted figure out how to get the thing. I can go in more detail too -- maybe when I have more time.
That would be cool to share what books your read and actions you took that helped you get what you wanted. I'd like to know what clicked for you. Yes, action is a big part of this that may not get as much emphasis as it should. It reminds me of a quote I really like by Thomas Edison, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." This relates to the belief many people have that things will just come to them or if it's not easy it's not meant to be, etc. Action and lots of it is required in the process of manifestation. If people get an easy in or things come to them effortlessly great, but that's not always or usually the case in my experience. This is another LOA belief I question. Some have told me if you are in "flow" everything comes to you effortlessly. This seems a bit ethereal to work for most people and again related to this belief that mindset alone will materialize your desires.