I believe in the law of attraction in all facets of life, from the trivial to the most important. If you’re not familiar with it, the law of attraction is basically the belief that your thoughts will materialize into something “real” in your life in one form or another, and your life is shaped by your thoughts. I truly believe that. Expect things to be awesome!
One example of a small/unimportant-in-the-grand-scheme thing is my daughter’s Power Wheels. One day my daughter and I headed to the toy store. We walked around the store and then got to the Power Wheels section and I thought, wow, that Frozen Jeep is cute.
Just then my daughter saw it too and said “ride?” I said “no baby, it’s sleeping, it has to stay at the store.” I thought, hmm, I have a coupon for 25% off that expires Tuesday, maybe I’ll come back and get it. I didn’t think about it or mention it again until Tuesday morning. I grabbed the coupon, and figured I’d go buy it after work.
When I opened Facebook that morning, the first thing that popped up was a Facebook Marketplace ad from someone selling the exact Frozen Jeep for $30! They retail for around $300! Mind you, I’ve never Googled the Jeep, or any other Power Wheels, so there was absolutely no reason for that to pop up in my feed. I simply saw it at the store, thought how much I loved it, and that was it!
I contacted the seller and they wanted $30 cash that day because they were moving. I typically never have cash, but that day I happened to have $29.50 in my wallet and another .50 cents in my car! I went straight to their house after work to pick it up. It was in perfect condition and ready for Santa!
An example of a something big is my daughter’s recovery in the hospital. She was born just before 28 weeks gestation, and a few days after birth she developed a severe lung condition. The probability of her not surviving was real.
We didn’t get to hold her for her first month. It was sad and scary. She got x-rays three times a day, blood gasses drawn multiple times per day, was on a high-frequency ventilator for nearly a month, and was sedated for weeks and weeks. Everyday in rounds the doctors would talk about how my daughter was very sick.
One day I said to one of her doctors “I can handle the ups and downs, but I just want to know that she’s going to go home.” The doctor looked right at me and said, “I can’t tell you that this baby is going home.”
That was terrifying. That is a moment I’ll never forget.
There were many nights I cried and cried because I personally had no medical abilities, and had no way (other than pumping milk) to help. I had no control other than to trust her amazing medical team (shout out to her dream team!!), and to think positively.
I started repeating a mantra to myself when I was scared, and then to my baby. So I started saying it to her every single time I left her isolette. I also talked to her medical team and let them know that I didn’t want to hear the words sick, bad, etc. again.
From then on, my daughter didn’t have “bad” days, she had “busy” days. I never wanted anything sugar-coated or hidden from me, but I also wanted everything presented in the most positive way. Everyone on her amazing team was on board and we all worked together for the best outcome.
There were many times that “negative” things happened during her stay, The NICU is a roller coaster, but to me, those were “normal” things that happen in the NICU.
For example, she needed multiple blood transfusions. To me, that wasn’t negative, that was normal, which kept it more positive. It would’ve been atypical if a baby born as early as she was didn’t need a blood transfusion. When she was on 100% oxygen, or when her lung collapsed, or anything else happened, I continued to say the mantra and continued to frame it in my head as all part of the journey, part of her story, and remind myself (and her) that she is a warrior.
I completely believe that if I didn’t reset my thinking during that time, that things may have been very different. Not to say that when negative things happen that it’s anyone’s “fault,” but rather, saying that I believe the positive thoughts do help stack the deck.
My dad got diagnosed with cancer a few months before my daughter was born, and died ten days after she came home from the hospital. They were both sedated, on ventilators, on the same medications at the same time, states away from one another. I think even that happened for a reason.
My friend had an interesting theory on it, and believe it to be true. She said my daughter came early so that my dad could “know” her and know about her. Her tough journey helped make me stronger, and she got better and came home to give me strength to deal with losing my dad. I believe there’s positive just about everywhere.
You may or may not believe in the law of attraction, but I believe it has, and will continue, to shape my life. The more I focus on the positive, the more I form a “vision” of my life, the more I see it materialize in my life. Heck, even if you don’t believe in the law of attraction like I do, there’s not really a downside to looking at the bright side and finding gratitude in everything. If you want to learn more about the law of attraction, my favorite books are The Secret and The Power by Rhonda Byrne.