Like attracts like. This news is neither good nor bad. The quality of the news depends on whether you appreciate what you are attracting. It is important to note that what will serve you as you read this book is a certain detachment to the results of your life. Good or bad, right or wrong, should or shouldn't, these become unimportant assessments in exploring the presence of these principles in our life. Just the facts, so to speak. Save the drama for later. Remember, you are looking for the experience of these principles in your life, not whether you understand or believe in their existence. This book is not written to argue for evidence of their existence. These principles simply are present in your life, with or without your agreement.

What You Resist Will Persist

Like attracts like. Instead of arguing for the exception to the rule that your mind continuously searches for, find the experience of this principle in action in your life. I once heard someone say, "I can't stand all the negativity I'm surrounded by!" This is merely the Principle of Attraction in action. Your life is the perfect expression of this principle, whether you like it or not. The genius you really are, is this principle in action. Start exploring. Stop resisting this experience, for in resisting you attract more resistance. You will simply find yourself continually re-experiencing resistance, fostering more resistance, creating more resistance, attracting even more of what you resist. Strive to embrace this principle and experience it in action in your life. Strive to embrace all that you attract or resist.

Who You Are Makes All the Difference

This is a great secret; You experience what you are both attracted to and what you resist. This is an aspect of the Principle of Attraction. Consider this, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear a word you say." The Principle of Attraction isn't something you do, it is something you are. The results in your life are in perfect symmetry to who you are being not what you are doing. To fully experience this principle in your life you must carefully consider the following: It isn't what you do that makes the difference in your life. It isn't what you have that makes the difference in your life. All of this power you receive from doing or having is temporary, it leaves as soon as you stop doing or having that which was generating the feeling of power in the first place. Having titles, or doing your "best", or having excuses, or the nice car, house or doing better or different or new - all of these conditions are based on outside circumstances or stimulus.

Don't misunderstand, doing and having are quite all right. The real genius you are though, the real eternal unlimited power that is available to you comes from within, or rather flows from within. It is within that resides the genius you really are. It is who you are that makes all the difference in your life. It is from who you are that springs the actions(doing) that you take. It is from the actions(doing) you take that spring the results(having) of your life. When I was a young boy I wanted to be a baseball player. So I asked my parents to buy me what I needed to have, a baseball mitt, a bat and a baseball. I thought if I had what I needed to have to play baseball, I would do what I needed to do, so I could be a baseball player. This just wasn't necessarily the case. Without the "beingness" of a baseball player, I wasn't likely to actually do or have what was really necessary to be a baseball player.

When the going gets tough it will be the qualities of who you are being that will cause you to do what you must to have what you want. The sooner this lesson is learned the greater your results will be. Ask yourself, "What is the "beingness" that it takes to have what I want?"

The fruit of your life is held in the bowl of who you are being. This bowl of "beingness", this paradigm, this complete set of thoughts, conscious and unconscious, colors your sight, filters your hearing, edits your listening and conjures all that springs into your experience. It is your "beingness" that is attracting, or repelling.

Attracting and Repelling

What is it you are attracting in your life? What is it you are repelling in your life? Consider, as well, that all that is in your life is attracted or repelled by all that isn't in your life. You are both attracting and being attracted to, as well as, repelling and repelled by at the same time. As with each breath there is inspiration and expiration, so you are attracted and repelled with each moment in your life, for the Principle of Attraction holds both.

In your life you will find that in each moment is held an experience of leaving something behind, and at the same time an experience of moving toward something else. Or another way to say this is, to want something, is to "not want" something else. For example, to want wealth is to "not want" poverty. In the same moment we want and not want. This is a way of experiencing the Principle of Attraction. Don't just explore what you are attracting or attracted to, be aware of what you are repelling or repelled by.

Often in looking for this experience of repelling or resisting you will find the experience of the Principle of Attraction in your life. Remember, to "not want" something is as powerful as wanting something. To study what isn't in your life is to reveal what is in your life. They are one in the same. Do not be attached to what is or isn't in your life for they are both impostors to the genius you really are. They are of the same nature, just different degrees.

Life is Consciousness

Consider this; "Resist not temptation…" or "What you resist persists." So many people are so concerned with who they aren't or who they think they are supposed to be, they begin to resist who they are being. Who are you resisting being right now? Often, people are so "not O.K." with who they think they are, they are totally consumed with "becoming" someone else. Do you experience resistance to who you are "being" right now? This is what you are attracting. Strive to bring more acceptance in your life, acceptance for all that is or isn't in your life.

Another way to say "like attracts like" is, "Life is consciousness." It is your consciousness that could be said to be both attracting and repelling. How you transform your consciousness is to go beyond the form that content takes and "become the context" that will hold your dreams. This is called transformation, beyond the form. We will explore this more in Chapter Seven.

Transformation is Alignment in Action

Transformation can be the result of an experience called alignment, and attraction is a natural result of this transformation. When you are completely aligned, you become the natural state of attraction. "Where two or more minds meet on something, so be it." When all levels of your thinking and experience are aligned as one, the outcome is inevitable; a transformation takes place, you will be the quality of that which you are desiring to attract. Your dream will have to be in your life, Most people focus on changing content in their life instead of transforming the context, and as a result, create in their life only through effort and struggle.

Imagine two bars of steel, one magnetized and one not. They are made of the same material, at all levels, atomic and molecular. They are of the same weight, yet, one displays a power not found in the other. One attracts, while the other is attracted. The only difference between the two bars of steel is the alignment of the molecules. In the magnetized bar of steel all of the molecules are aligned in the same direction. It is this alignment that causes this steel bar to display the energy of magnetism and attraction.

Align the "molecules of your being", and call into play the quality of transformation in your life.

Dreaming Creates Alignment

Having a dream for your life is the seed of transformation and alignment. Dreaming creates desire. Desire creates action. Action creates results. Therefore, dreaming creates results. Dreaming is a critical first step to creating alignment in your life. It is said in the Book of Proverbs, "A people without a vision perish", or simply put, people without dreams die. Having a dream and taking action on that dream creates the aliveness necessary to start the process of alignment and attraction.

A dream you're passionate about actually changes your whole physiology and psychology. You are not the same person physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually when you are actively pursuing a vision. It is known that people actively pursuing their dreams live longer. There is a quality of experience they have that is life-affirming and expansive. Due to the transformation that takes place from alignment, the world simply appears as a more alive and expanding place. If there was one thing you could do to radically transform your world, it would be to dream a big dream.

Single-Pointed Intention

Alignment and attraction can also be created through single-pointed intention. Single-pointed intention is the quality of experience that is unrelenting in its purpose. You direct your imagination, not the other way around. Every aspect of our life force is intending an outcome. This state of pure intention is the complete alignment of ourselves toward the creation of an experience or object. You'll want to notice that it's this "done deal" attitude that creates the truly valuable results in your life.

There is a story about a conversation the great teacher Socrates once had with his most famous student Plato. Socrates and Plato were once walking down a beach having the conversation about justified existence. Plato was asking the question, "Why are we here?" What was the meaning of our existence? What was our purpose? Was there meaning to mankind's existence? Plato was doing most of the talking. Socrates seemed to be listening very intently but said nothing. Down the beach they walked as Plato conjectured as to the meaning of his life. Plato kept questioning Socrates, "What is the meaning of life, of my life?" Socrates said nothing, he just kept walking.

Plato began to think Socrates was withholding some vital piece of information. Since he wasn't saying anything he obviously knew something and expected him to see it for himself. Suddenly Plato noticed that Socrates had walked very close to the edge of the surf and stopped. "Was there some meaning to be learned from this place where the surf met the shore?", Plato thought to himself. "Surely the teacher wants me to notice something right here. Perhaps the meaning to life was hidden here in the interaction of surf and shore!", Plato thought as he watched the water lapping up on the sand.

"It must be something to do with the harmony and conflict of surf and sand. Slowly the water wears away the beach and yet yields to the beach at the same time! Is this the meaning to life, Socrates? To be strong yet yielding.", Plato inquired.

Socrates said nothing but only walked out into the surf until the water was knee high and stopped. Plato followed and looked around. He knew Socrates taught by many methods, getting wet didn't seem out of the ordinary and certainly would be worth a great lesson by the Master. Plato looked around, straining to notice whatever he was to notice. He saw only water.

"Am I to see something here, teacher? What is the meaning of my life", Plato pleaded.

Socrates said nothing and only walked further into the water until it was waist high. Plato followed, slowly, reluctantly. Plato was getting cold now because of a breeze whipping across the water. He wondered what Socrates was trying to teach by this rather bizarre behavior, for Socrates continued to say nothing as he had his eye on the horizon standing waist deep in the shore break. Plato wondered very privately to himself, "Has my teacher finally lost it?" There had certainly been concern over Socrates' sanity before.

"Teacher, is the meaning of my life to be found out here in the water? Does it have something to do with the freedom of the wind?", Plato implored.

Socrates said nothing, Then suddenly Socrates swung around quickly and kicked the legs out from under Plato sending him splashing backwards into the water. Socrates pushed him down and stood on his chest, pinning Plato to the sandy bottom. Plato interpreted his predicament to be some lesson Socrates must want him to finally fully understand. To be going to this extent it surely must be a big lesson. "What is the meaning to my life?", Plato wondered, "The answer must be here under water." "Is it how the sand blends with the ocean to create the context while it is the context that holds the ocean?" "What am I supposed to notice?"

Plato did notice eventually, he was running out of breath. He hadn't had a chance to take a deep breath before he hit the water, surprised by Socrates' quickness. Plato tugged at Socrates, "Let me up now. I don't get it." Socrates didn't budge. Plato tugged a little harder. Socrates didn't move. Plato was now quickly tiring of this game and struggled a little harder. As he struggled Socrates just bore down an equal amount preventing Plato from extricating himself out from under Socrates' feet.

As Plato's lungs were starting to ache for lack of air, he struggled hard to push Socrates off of himself. Socrates just jammed one of his knees squarely and painfully on Plato's chest, pushing the last of Plato's air gushing out his mouth! Plato violently fought to move Socrates as he was screaming to himself, "He's gone mad, he's trying to kill me!" That was the last thought he had before he passed out. Socrates dragged him out of the water and dropped Plato coughing on the beach.

Plato finally came to and sputtered and coughed at his teacher, "Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? You nearly drowned me!"

Socrates said this, "I don't know the answer to your question, 'What is the meaning of my life?', but I do know, when you want the answer as badly as you wanted your next breath a few minutes ago, I know you will find it." This is single-pointed intention.

It is important to note that this state of "beingness" - pure intention - is created most readily, where the design and playing of a game or dream in your life is justification enough for playing. The outcome is not the justification for playing. You are passionate about the journey and not just the destination. And through your passion you align your life toward the outcome. Passion generates alignment, which generates attraction. You create a certain detachment from the past and future. You can begin to play your life with abandon - life-affirming and in the moment. Your "beingness" no longer is fear-based and resistant. Looking forward to your future you still are not bound by its seeming impossibilities. You take risks.