“May your heart be bigger than any challenges you face” –Dhyan Vimal
When I first hear the words, “law of attraction,” I immediately think of chemistry. In chemistry, protons and electrons are attracted to each other, positively charged matter gravitates toward negatively charged matter. This attraction between positive and negative governs the workings of our universe, from the existence of molecules, to metabolism in our bodies, to the laws of physics and the existence of poles. But there is one area where the maxim “opposites attract” and the laws of science fail us: our thoughts.
Enter into a different kind of “law of attraction,” one that completely violates the foundations of science. In this law of attraction, “like attracts like.” Said simply, the Law of Attraction is a philosophy that states that the energy we give is the energy we attract. Therefore, we manifest the positive and negative influences that surround us. If we are constantly floundering in self-pity and pessimism, negativity will circulate. But if we emit light and love, good things will flow to us.
College can be both immensely rewarding and incredibly difficult for a young adult. It’s is an opportunity for personal growth, but also a source of major stress. The unremitting pressure of grades, the dark cloud of “your future” looming over your head, and the constant comparisons to peers are all fuel for negative thoughts and energy that grow inside of you. This is especially true during finals week. But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
As many times as self-help books and magazine articles and Grandmas tell us that we don’t have to be perfect, it never seems to sink in. We all strive for our idea of “success,” which to most people means meeting unrealistic expectations of perfection. We get so caught up in trying to get A’s that we forget that many people in our world aren’t lucky enough to go to college and don’t have the opportunities and resources to educate themselves. Just by being in college, we have already reached a level of “success” that is unattainable to most people.
Or so we might think. But what it all boils down to is how you define success. Is it the amount of things you own? The number of friends you have? How high your GPA is? How prestigious your career is?
Or is success how big your heart is? How much love you give to others? How much you grow as a person?
Can success even be quantified? We all define success differently, but most people equate it with happiness. The Law of Attraction urges us to look as happiness and success not as the “end goal”, but as part of a process of bettering ourselves. Instead of longing for a better career, or more money, or a better GPA, we should simply be happy with what we already have. We should focus all of our energy into gratitude and generosity and love. And then use the positive energy that we create for ourselves in our studies, with the goal being to learn and understand the subject, not getting an A.
To all the pre-Meds and future CEO’s out there, this may seem to violate every single goal you have set for yourself. And that’s okay! Everyone is different, and has the freedom to live their lives as they choose. It’s wonderful to have big dreams and ambitions, because those dreams help better our society and are essential for human progress.
But I believe the Law of Attraction can be immensely beneficial in helping us reach our goals (and ace our finals), especially during times of hardship, where the obstacles and missed hours of sleep seem to pile up around us. Instead of seeing a poor grade or an internship rejection as a failure, see it as an opportunity for personal growth. As motivational speaker Dhyan Vimal says, “May your heart be bigger than any challenges you face.” I believe The Law of Attraction cannot be articulated more beautifully than this.
Contrary to the very atoms that make up our universe, “like attracts like.” Greet every day, every challenge, and every person with a kind, loving, and open heart, and I think you will find what you are looking for.
Good luck on your finals!