I agree with everything you said except for the part of not believing in the law of attraction. I absolutely and wholeheartedly believe in the law of attraction — not as just sending your wish to the Universe and then lean back and wait — but as being very much aligned with your words about intention setting.

To me, the law of attraction is very much about making our narrative about ourselves true. It is very much about setting “your head and your heart and your hands and your soul on the direction you want to go.” It is very much about walking the walk, but knowing that also talking the talk is going to get you there faster.

I think something — dare I say magical — happens in our brain when we are able to articulate in detail what we want and say it out loud. We become so focused on it that it will happen, because we are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. If you truly want to travel the world, you will find a way to travel the world and even more so if you spread the word around, because then your surroundings will be aware that you want this, too, and since I have to believe that we inherently want the best for each other, someone or something or the Universe will connect you with the opportunity to do so. What you call luck or being at the right place at the right time, I call abiding by the law of attraction. But that does not take away the work to increase the chance that it will happen. And as you say that is a shit ton of work.

There are couple of other aspects of the law of attraction that I feel should be mentioned.

One is worrying. I used to worry and I was good at it. I worried about getting sick, my kids getting hit by a bus, and not exiting escalators correctly thus doing fatal harm to myself. I was a master worrywart. I even became a risk manager to know how to prevent imaginary bad things from happening. Then someone said to me that worrying is attracting things I don’t want. Now, there is no guarantee that I will not get cancer or one of my darling children will not forget to look in both directions before crossing the street, but our minds are powerful things, they like to be right, and sometimes more than being surprised. I realized that the time I spent worrying about and preventing what could happen was time taken away from working towards things I do want to happen (like getting my novel published and going on the Ellen Show). So I stopped worrying…so much. Instead, I started meditating which by the way is pure manifestation. It has been scientifically proven that mediation alters the brain. It shrinks the amygdala, and thickens the prefrontal cortex, thus making us less afraid and better at focusing and problem solving. So I have come to see the law of attraction as less of a menu card to order from at the Universe Bar, and more of mind-trick (in lieu of a cruder word) to go the extra mile to where I want.

The other point is that we are currently privy to a spectacular display of the law of attraction in action. Our infamous president is an epic manifestor, because he is not burdened by anybody else’s truth so his world is how he sees it.

So there you have it. The law of attraction — as I see it — is not an alternative to hard work, creativity, or courage but that extra thing that will make it all come together.

Anyhow, I love your writing and is deeply into the 31 Days of Ninja Writing Challenges and will let this rant count as the 18th entry.