Recently I have taken on a very conscious and spirited study of the Law of Attraction, aiming to use it in my own life to create all the things I’ve ever desired 🙂 One thing that I am realizing loud and clear is that attracting the solution in an area that matters to me requires being open. In fact, it seems that any time I’ve been attached to a particular outcome, things have tended to get a little screwed up or not work out as well. On the other hand, whenever I have been willing to sit back and let the Universe work its magic… well, then it does!
Case in point: a few years ago I found myself unsatisfied about my own physicality. I was an avid runner. In fact, I was starting to run half marathons. I ran regularly, and I generally considered myself pretty awesome in that department. However, (even though I was embarrassed to admit it) I was not happy with who I saw in the mirror. And when I got up the nerve to check out what the weight range for a healthy, six-foot tall male is, I was chagrined to find out that I was in the overweight category.
What? Me? I run all the time! What’s the deal?
I also found that I was slowing down as a runner. As it happens, this helped me transition into training for longer runs, which led nicely into doing half marathons. Yet somehow my great acumen in the running department just wasn’t adding up to the results I hoped for. But I was too prideful to admit to myself how unsatisfied I was. Also, I was caught up in indignance, thinking that, with all the running I did, that this should be “enough” to give me the health results I wanted.
For awhile I just kept fighting myself over it. At some point probably late last spring, I said to myself (I am speculating because I don’t remember for sure), “I just want to change this. I am open to the solution. What will it take?” I gave up my own resistance and acknowledged that I had a bit of vanity that was wanting to be served. I stopped pretending that I didn’t care, and I stopped thinking that running “should” be enough.
I was finally willing to attract the solution.
Fast forward about six months and it’s a whole new me: 30 lbs lighter, loving my new eating life, and suddenly running a lot faster without effort. Holy crow! This breakthrough culminated in my best run ever a couple of weeks ago, where I out-ran my previous two half marathons by over 15 minutes, and enjoyed every minute of it (I would hardly use the word “enjoy” for any of the minutes in my previous two half marathons).
As it turns out, the shift I needed to make was to begin intermittent fasting and changing my eating habits to reduce sugar. I “discovered” these solutions once I was actually open to receiving them.
If you had asked me a year ago if I planned to do either intermittent fasting or reduce sugar, I would look at you with a confused look and say, “Of course not!” I never thought about changing my eating habits. I was too caught up in pride, ego, and shoulding on myself to be open to a new way of doing things. The moment I surrendered to my desire for a positive change in my life, everything changed. The Universe showed me the solution once I gave up my pointless attempt to control things.
In his book and CD program “Manifesting Change,” Mike Dooley warns against what he calls “messing with cursed hows.” This is when you try to control how the Universe will deliver you what you ask for. As I recall, Dooley suggests that instead of being attached to how results manifest in the material world, you should focus on general results or feelings you are aiming for, and let the Universe find you the solution (He is a big fan of focusing on what he calls the “fantastic five:” health, abundance, livelihood, relationships, and appearance).
I have also learned this lesson of “cursed hows” the hard way with recording projects. One time I was attached to working with a particular person on a song, and although I got that person on board, I was never satisfied with the result. Other recording projects turned out way better with other people I hadn’t selected ahead of time. For those projects, the right person just sort of fell into place. More accurately, I allowed the Universe to supply the right person for me to work with!
My piano album “Cherry Rainbow” was a direct result of letting the Universe work its magic. In fact, it was my wife who came up with the idea of me and flutist Caleb Hathaway recording an album together. She even booked the recording session for us. The entire process of assembling the music and then recording it unfolded so effortlessly… as if like magic.
In fact, I believe it was magic. Because that is what the Universe does when you let it 🙂