Focus and Expectation Have an Effect

Whatever you focus on, you get more of. And, you get what you expect. These two statements reflect what many spiritual teachers call the “Law of Attraction.” We might say the “Law of Attraction” is a term for the phenomenon that since consciousness is fundamental, when it “pushes,” reality responds. Children naturally focus on what they want. When you tell them they can’t have something, they respond naturally with, “but I want it.” That response is not simply a response of immaturity- it reflects that the child is instinctively responding in a way that does work more immediately in other reality systems: their desire alone has historically produced an immediate change in circumstances. Our reality is the shockingly different place where desire itself seems to be insufficient to bring us what we wish.

However, that is not entirely the case. What we call the “Law of Attraction” still functions- it’s just that the constraints of the physical reality make it such that the “manifestation” of our focus and expectation can seem impossible or delayed. This physical reality is “dense,” because it takes a lot more “thought momentum” to result in a physical change than it may in other reality systems. Also, the rule-set of our reality system is relatively strict- but within and through that rule-set, change does occur.

We do create our reality, both individually and collectively. Recognizing that fact is not only liberating, it is also an important step towards accepting personal and collective responsibility for our world. Not only is the responsibility ours, the power is ours too: we can actualize the positive changes that we so deeply desire! Recognizing the role of our own focus and expectation is a key step in that process. For many of us, in order to fully recognize that role we will need to work past the many disempowering beliefs that have been so deeply held here, for our expectations follow our most deeply held beliefs.