The following contains excerpts from the book, Law of Attraction (Jack Canfield, D.D. Watkins).
Although this book has moments that the author uses language that sounds more ‘mystical’ than motivational, the basic ideas are reminiscent of Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. The author’s premise is that whatever we want in life, we create through our own positive expectations. Whatever we are becomes what we attract to ourselves.
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that positive expectation plays a big role in the results a student experiences in their musical pursuits, as well as in life.
“If you stay focused on the good and positive things in your life, you will automatically attract more good and positive things into your life. If you are focused upon lack and negativity, then that is what will be attracted into your life.
You are what you think about all day long. (Dr. Robert Schuller)
“Your thoughts are not just wispy little clouds drifting through your head. Your thoughts are things. They are actually measurable units of energy. Thoughts are biochemical electrical impulses. They are waves of energy that, as far as we can tell, penetrate all time and space.
I admit thoughts influence the body. (Albert Einstein)
“Your subconscious mind thinks literally, and it will accept every thought that your conscious mind chooses to think. It has no ability to reject concepts or ideas. Now, what that means is that we can choose to use our conscious mind to deliberately reprogram our subconscious beliefs, and the subconscious mind has to accept the new ideas and beliefs; it can’t reject them.
“We can actually make a conscious decision to change the content of our subconscious mind!
One of the most foundational things we teach students in our music school in Odessa, Texas is how to train their core habits with good conditioning. In other words, training that will stand up during high stress environments, such as high-profile performances or difficult circumstances.
“It’s really important to focus on what you do want, not on what you don’t want. State your desires in a positive way…focus only on what you want to attract more of. Remember, where your attention goes, your energy flows…Start paying attention to where your attention is going!…Direct your attention only to those things that are worthy of it and that are in direct alignment with your dreams and goals.
Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into. There’s no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen. (Wayne Dyer)
“If you are willing to invest yourself wholeheartedly in your dreams, then all the necessary resources, including the money, will follow.
You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. (Abraham Lincoln)
We teach students at our music school in Odessa, Texas the value of focus. Focus is like a magnifying glass that can take a simple sunny day and turn it into a powerful beam that can start a fire.
“You’ve been given clues to your purpose through your entire life. You have your own completely unique gifts, talents, interests, strengths, and qualities- and you are meant to use them. The things that bring you the greatest joy in life and make you feel really alive are another clue to your purpose. So, what it boils down to is really quite simple: you are meant to do what brings you joy, and your gifts and talents are meant to be your contribution to the world. A life lived with purpose and intention is one that will honor and nourishes your spirit on the deepest level while simultaneously contributing to the world around you.
“Your dreams and aspirations should serve to ignite the passion within you, and this passion will not only inspire you to achieve them, it will also send a positive vibrational frequency out into the world.
To the person who does not know where he wants to go there is no favorable wind. (Seneca)
“Stop settling for whatever just happens to come your way in life, and take ownership of the fact that you can actively participate in the creation of your own future by clearly stating your desires. The bottom line is, if you don’t really know exactly what you are asking for, then how can you expect to get it?
At our music school in Odessa, Texas it is our goal to help students identify their strengths and help them refine them to a point that they are highly beneficial to the communities they serve.
Clarity is power (Buckminster Fuller)
The first principle of success is desire- knowing what you want. Desire is the planting of the seed. (Robert Collier)
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise. (Robert Fritz)
“Don’t censor your dreams or vision with practicalities and probabilities. You don’t need to know every single step that it will take to achieve your goals. Just decide what you want…Believe you can have it, then release it, and let it go.
As with most things in life, one must start with a general knowledge or direction, then over time refinement can come. At our music school in Odessa, Texas we make it our ambition to help the student refine and focus their abilities.
“Strong positive affirmations are powerful means of self-transformation and they are a key element in the creation of the life you desire. They work by purposely replacing the limiting ideas, negative beliefs, and self-talk that you have taken on and internalized over the years with positive statements that assert who you want to be and how you want to experience life.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an action, but a habit. (Aristotle)
This world is but a canvas to our imaginations. (Henry David Thoreau)
The author recommends creating your own ‘vision book.’
“You can use your vision book to depict goals and dreams in all areas of your life, or in just one specific area that you are focusing on…Keep it neat, and be selective about what you place in your vision book…Try keeping your vision book on the nightstand next to your bed…It’s a good idea to create a new vision book each year. As you continue to grow, evolve, and expand, your dreams and aspirations will also continue to grow, evolve, and expand.
People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be. (Abraham Lincoln)
Most people are searching for happiness. They’re looking for it. They’re trying to find it in someone or something outside of themselves. That’s a fundamental mistake. Happiness is something that you are, and it comes from the way your think. (Wayne Dyer)
“The best attitude you can possibly aspire to is one of gratitude and appreciation. Being truly grateful for what is already present in your life will automatically and effortlessly attract more good into your life.
“Each evening, before going to bed, take a few minutes to review your day. Think about the day’s events. Become aware of how many good things actually happened on that day…Select the five things, people, or events that you are most grateful for.
Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Just take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step. (Martin Luther King Jr.)
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we teach students that development is a process, and a little bit of progress each day can have exponential results when accompanied by diligence, patience, and having hope that allows one to continue the process of learning.