Law of Attraction and the Role of Action
February 14th, 2008 by Erin Pavlina
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Recently someone asked me if you have to take action once you set an intention using the Law of Attraction (LOA) or if you can just set the intention and go on about your merry way.
For the LOA to work effectively you have to set a clear intention and then become a vibrational match for it. What does that mean? It means you need step into energetic harmony with your intention. When you are out of harmony with your intention you will inadvertently (or sometimes perhaps consciously) cancel your request with the universe. For example, someone who is overweight who says, “I want to be thin” and then orders french fries at lunch is not a vibrational match for their intention. Their actions do not support their intention.
Here’s an analogy to help you understand better…
Let’s say your intention is to acquire some fresh fish from a lake. Using the LOA does not mean you sit back on your couch and say, “I want some fresh fish from the lake” and wait for Jeannie to conjure it up for you on a plate with some lemon and tartar sauce. All you’ve done is set the intention. Next you need to get a fishing pole, buy some bait, get a pail, get in your truck, high tail it to the lake, find a nice spot where you actually see some fish, bait your hook, and cast it into the water. Now you are a vibrational match for your desire. Now the universe can see you really want it. It’s up to the universe to get the fish to notice your bait and start biting.
If, while fishing, you start thinking, “But what if the fish aren’t biting today?” or “I probably won’t catch anything” then you’re slipping out of vibrational harmony with your intention. A lot of people set an intention, become a vibrational match for it (i.e. go through the motions of trying to achieve their desire) and then slip out of harmony with their desire by thinking thoughts of failure. In the areas where you are not in control, leave it to the universe to manifest your desire. In the areas where you are in control, take consistent and positive action (i.e. getting to the lake with your fishing pole).
Now how specific do you need to be? What if you get to the lake and say, “I only want to catch sea bass.” That’s your choice, but be sure there are actually some sea bass in that lake, and don’t whine if all you catch are halibut. You can be specific with the LOA but you are tying your hands when you do that. Instead, be sure to make your intention as broad as you can but something that is still what you want. For example, you may say you want some fresh fish, but maybe what you really want is dinner. In that case, the universe has many ways of bringing you dinner and most don’t involve killing cute and cuddly fishies. 
Another example of this is in the area of love. People write to me frequently asking how to use the LOA to attract a specific person. I ask them, “Are you wanting to attract love or this specific person?” Often they think they want a specific person but what they really want is love. If love is what you want, keep your mind and options open. It could be that the perfect person is knocking on your door, but if you’re out stalking John or Jane at the mall you just might miss them.
To sum up, for the Law of Attraction to work you must set a clear intention, become a vibrational match for it by taking action within your control, and trust the universe to manifest your intention. For more information on this topic listen to my podcast called, Placing Your Order with the Universe.
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