Perseverance vs. The Law of Attraction

In trying to live our best life we often come across these singular lines of thought that are supposed to be the key to getting what we want. Some examples:

• Do what you love and the rest will work itself out!
• Focus on what you want and the law of attraction will bring it to you.
• Get to a place where you're happy, inspired and in a high vibration and you'll manifest your desire. Just be happy. The rest will fall into place.
  

These sentiments are all good, and also all important, but so often we're tossed these uplifting and spiritual message as the END ALL, BE ALL to suddenly stepping into our dream life. What I have found, and what I've seen, is that none of those things replaces persistence. If you continually move towards what you want then you will most likely find yourself doing each of the things listed above at some stage in your journey. Those things are tools. You are meant to pick tools up and use them, rather then sitting with them in your hands and visualizing sunshine and rainbows. You will use each tool when the time is right, but never as the whole solution. It's generally your persistence that will motivate you to use those tools correctly, and in cooperation with inspired action.

"The person at the top of the mountain didn't fall there."
- Vince Lombardi

There is just no way around it. If you want to be a writer then you must be persistent in your efforts and your ability to learn. You cannot positive-think yourself into gaining experience. You must take steps, and then more steps, and then many, many more. That might sound heavy, but if you're going for your dream you will find rewards and gifts with those steps. Is there anything worth having in this world that doesn't take persistence? What about being an artist, a doctor, or a restaurant owner? Or what about learning to love yourself so that you can be in a loving relationship? None of those things can be made manifest overnight. And I sincerely hope my doctor learned by persisting through medical school, rather than by using positive-think to just manifest a degree out of thin air.

I want to reiterate that positive-think and self-talk are essential to the process. Using the law of attraction can be very powerful and kind of shocking when you start paying attention to how it works, whether it be for or against you. Anyone going through medical school who constantly visualizes failure is eventually going to experience failure. I am only suggesting someone use the positive visualization tools WITH action steps. I use many various tools myself, my favorite being a gratitude journal. I also use the tool of meditation every day. But I never forget that this is about me growing and expanding as a person and taking steps that sometimes scare me, sometimes show me my weaknesses, but always lead to the next breakthrough.

Here are some more famous quotes about keeping going to keep you going:

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
- John Quincy Adams

Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering 'I will try again tomorrow'.
― Mary Anne Radmacher

I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.
- Oprah Winfrey

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge

I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.
- Steve Jobs