Abraham talks a lot about how sometimes the best way we can soothe ourselves is to be general in our thinking, instead of being too specific. This is especially true if the subject matter is currently difficult to feel good about.
The key is to try to approach things in a way that feels good, to think thoughts you can accept without feeling bad or resistant while you think them. This can take some getting used to but is extraordinarily powerful. While it may seem simplistic, if you feel good, you are currently attracting what you want. If you don’t, than you aren’t.
If you can be specific on a subject while feel good, you probably are in a great place on that topic. For such topics, we don’t really even need to discuss these principles. You already are enjoying life in these areas. But what about for topics that don’t yet feel so good? It might be more productive to go general.
For instance, let’s say someone wants to find romantic love. If that person feels great when they think about the topic, they can probably be quite specific and still maintain that good feeling. Undoubtedly they are already experiencing what they want in this area, or will be soon.
On the other hand, if it’s a touchy subject, if it brings up thoughts of past disappointments or hurts, going too specific might actually backfire, making the person feel worse. That person is not currently thinking about romantic love in a way that attracts it. It may help to think more generally on the broader topic of the good will or pleasant interactions they have in their lives. This will surely help their mood in the short run by shifting the focus from the specific painful details. In the long run it can help them attract the romantic love they want.
This person might soothe themselves by thinking something like this:
“When I stop to look around I really do see that there’s a lot of love in my world. In fact, I experience it every day in pleasant interactions I have with others. When I go into nature, sometimes I feel a vast, cosmic sense of well-being. I also get moved when I see people care for each other. There is so much love around me to appreciate.”
It’s not about getting an immediate fix or cure-all. It’s about finding a way to generally get to a positive place around a subject. If that doesn’t work, changing the subject altogether might help. Does that person have a hobby they love thinking about? Do they love their career? Maybe they enjoyed a great meal a few nights age! These type of things are excellent to use in the moment to conjure up a positive feeling-tone, which is really the most important thing, not the specific topic one is focusing on.
That positive feeling is where attracting what you want starts.