 Angel M. asked me the following question:
I have recently finished high school and I am planning to go to college, but I haven't decided the course that I want to take. My parents and relatives are pressuring me to choose nursing. But I am least interested in becoming a nurse. Is there any way in which I can use the LOA to find my purpose and my career? Here are some tips that have helped my own son who is 17 and will do early college in the fall... PLUS a special manifestation tip. Tip #1: You don't need to have all the answers right now. A lot of kids your age don't know exactly what they want to do with their life. That's totally normal. Heck, a lot of 30-somethings still wonder what they want to do when they grow up. Besides, few people end up with the same job they started out with initially. Life is full of detours, and many of them are surprisingly delicious. Tip #2: List what you don't want to do. If you can't figure out what you want to do, try a process of elimination instead. Make a list of things that you absolutely DON'T want to do. Maybe you don't like math, physics, and chemistry. That means a STEM major would probably be out for you. If nursing is not your thing, put it on the list too. Tip #3: Follow your passion, but keep it real. What potentially marketable skills do you have? Are you good at languages? Are you very creative and artistic, or are you more the organized type who feels best if everything is neatly structured? Or maybe you're both. What subjects were your favorites in high school? What do you do OUTSIDE of school for fun? There are also tons of online quizzes titled something like "What Should I Major In?" Take some of them; they might give you additional hints. Manifestation Tip: Let yourself be guided and don't be afraid of detours. Here's a personal story. For years, I felt like I was working toward something I couldn't quite put my finger on. All I knew was that one day soon, I'd be in the limelight somehow. I prayed about it and asked for answers, but I didn't get anything definitive. I did the Goodwill Manifestation, with blessings for myself and my path in life. I thought my path might lead me to become a somewhat well-known author—maybe I'd do readings or book signings at bookstores, maybe my LOA or other nonfiction writing would take off and get me speaking gigs. All I knew was that I would be on a public stage, in whatever function. So I started public-speaking lessons and became a member at Toastmasters International (if that's something you're interested in, Toastmasters clubs are everywhere in the US and around the world). I told my dentist repeatedly that I needed healthy, great-looking teeth (I had to deal with a lot of crowns and stuff). Over time, I became more and more politically interested, but I didn't put two and two together. I started out as a liberal in a very blue (liberal) state, but then made a complete turnaround and became a conservative. This caused me to lose all of my friends, which in turn led me to a search for other conservatives. The only kindred spirits I could find were a handful of people who made up the Republican Town Committee. Before I knew what was happening, I was made a town committee member... and then a county committee member... and just a few months ago, I opened my big mouth again at a meeting and spoke up about some things I thought needed changing... and the county committee chairman suggested I should run for office this year. I have to admit, I was so shocked that I said no at first. But then I slept over it (which I highly recommend for all important decisions!) and said okay, I'll do it. And today I'm running for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives this fall. Trust me, no one has been more surprised than I was. But from experience, I know that when things fall into your lap like this, you need to say yes to all those opportunities... and keep saying yes as long as it aligns with your goals and values. You'll be amazed where you might end up. The best part is, all the skills I have accumulated over the past few years—all those skills I didn't know what they'd be good for—are coming in handy now. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly, and I'm extremely thrilled with this new challenge. So if things aren't 100% clear this very minute, don't worry too much. You don't have to know today where destiny's winding paths will take you... nor CAN you actually know it. Embrace life as a great adventure, prepare for greatness, develop as many different skills as possible... and then go with the flow.  That new pay raise may feel great for a few weeks or even months, but at some point, it will become the “new normal” and won’t feel special anymore.
The new car you bought is exciting for a little while, but then it too becomes the “new normal.” And so you’ll need higher and higher levels of achievement to procure that same thrill and satisfaction. It’s called the “hedonic treadmill”—and the way to get off it is not to give into the temptations to consume more, buy more, have more. The way off the treadmill is in the other direction: to change your life into one of meaning and purpose so you can recognize materialism as the useless prop it is. The United States is a consumer society; economic growth is achieved by ever higher production and ever higher consumption. But that is not really sustainable… and it’s not really healthy either. We’re taught early on that more is better and he who dies with the most toys wins. Millennials, who have been forced to deal with scarcity, are beginning to change this, as can be seen in the popular FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) that teaches extreme frugality now to reach financial freedom later. Now LOA disciples will say, “But what abundance? Doesn’t the Law of Attraction teach that it’s limitless? So why not have it all?” Because behind all the manifestation magic, there’s one magic word that’s even more powerful: ENOUGH. Sure it’s great to live materially comfortable, but excessive consumption won’t make you happy or fulfilled. As we’ve seen in countless lottery winners, not even a big chunk of money will do it. In fact, a lot of working-class lottery winners wind up in a worse place than from where they started. What most people don't realize is that they’re trying to fill an inner emptiness through consumption and the piling up of material goods. But this is like the proverbial bucket without a bottom: however much you pour into it, it can never be enough to truly fulfill you. Then what can fulfill you? What will do the job? Here are some ideas: Service to Others Instead of Service to Self Turn around and start serving others instead of just yourself. Think of how to make people happy and put a smile on their faces. You don’t have to change the world; start with small, random acts of kindness, and actively consider what you can do today to make someone’s day. Over time, you will find this so gratifying that you’ll naturally want to do more. It’s actually been proven that even people in the thralls of anxiety and depression can drastically improve their health if they get out of their own heads and start working for a charitable cause. Production Instead of Consumption Instead of mindless consumption (that goes for products, food, TV, and social media), try producing something in your spare time. Take up crafting or wood working; take a class that teaches you a hands-on, practical skill like cooking or painting. Start writing short stories or poems, or get going on that memoir or debut novel. Making something with your own two hands is incredibly satisfying—especially for us brain workers whose only output at the end of the day is a bunch of words and numbers on a piece of paper or screen. As an added benefit, if you get really good at making something, you might even be able to sell it and make some extra cash. However, if this means your new hobby just becomes another chore, then don’t do it. To make this work, it’s essential that you keep having fun and not consider your productive side gig as a dreaded “second job.” Turning to God A lot of people who try to self-medicate with consumption and short-term relationships really have a “God-shaped hole” in their hearts that nothing will fill… except for getting closer to God. In 1670, French mathematician, physicist, and Catholic theologian Blaise Pascal wrote: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” Many people who find spirituality or religion report that it made them exceptionally happy and content to feel in communion with God. You might want to give this a try. I’m sure there are more ways to find non-material fulfillment than these three, but they are a good start to get thinking.  Well, there’s a romantic and a less romantic answer. Let’s start with the latter. It’s called the “frequency illusion.”
You’ve probably experienced this before; so have most other people. You buy a blue Subaru Outback, and all of a sudden you see blue Subaru Outbacks everywhere. Your neighbor drives one. Your teacher drives one. There are three in the grocery store’s parking lot as you go for your weekend shopping. So what’s up? Has driving Subarus suddenly become the new trend? No, it’s the frequency illusion. As soon as you shift your attention to something, you start noticing that very same thing more than usual. Your neighbor and your teacher probably had their Subarus for a while (maybe that fact even prompted you subconsciously to want one too), and there probably hasn’t been a sudden increase in Subaru sales since you bought one. It could be the same with the numbers, 11:11 and other so-called “angel numbers.” You may have read about them and now you’re seeing them everywhere. The more romantic version: I do believe that our angels/God are sending us messages on a regular basis, and seeing those numbers can pull you out of your everyday grind for a moment and pay attention. To me, it’s the equivalent of a friendly little wave: “Hi, I’m here for you!” However, these signs can a) be anything you want them to be, and b) mean anything you want them to mean. a) I used to decide that a sign from God for me would be to find a penny on the ground and being reminded of “In God We Trust.” Once I made that decision, I kept finding a lot more pennies than usual. Frequency bias or sign from God? You decide. b) You can also decide that seeing the number 11:11 means to you that your manifestation is working and in the process of materializing. Once you decide that, you’ll probably see that number much more often. Frequency bias or sign from God? You decide. I know it’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but it’s you who gives your life and many of the events in your life meaning. Decide what they mean and enjoy the ride!  There are many books about manifestation out there that you can read. Now, the question is, which ones SHOULD you read?
Just like the quality of what you think will determine what kind of person you become, the quality of what you read and believe will determine what kind of manifestor you become. You see, I believe the meaning of life is to grow spiritually, develop a closer relationship with God, and gain wisdom; you could call it “soul evolution.” Note that wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Knowledge in itself is cold and lifeless. Knowledge + spiritual growth = wisdom. You can learn manifestation from all kinds of sources, but in my personal opinion, not all of them are wholesome and good for you. For that reason, I would recommend to stay away from two types of Law of Attraction books:
I’ve had many supernatural and paranormal experiences throughout my life, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that what I call the “Dark Side” is real. I’m talking about the evil entities that Christians call the Devil, demons, etc. Among my personal run-ins with these entities were two hauntings, astral attacks, and several encounters with the human minions of the Dark Side who are doing its bidding. At least one of them was visibly possessed, and the possessing demon offered me “a small commitment” that, if I were to accept it, “will give you anything you want.” (If you ever hear that line, “Do <fill in the blank> and you can have anything you want,” turn around and run in the other direction, as fast as you can! I don’t care who that line comes from, you can be sure it’s a trap.) Even though it’s mostly invisible, the war between Good and Evil is an actual thing. The vast majority of ordinary folk will never know. To some degree, that ignorance forms a protective shield for the innocent (though they can still fall prey to the minions). But once you start dabbling in what some people call “vibrational matters” and strive to learn more about what the world is really like, including the world of the unseen, you become a beacon in the night for the Dark Side. You’ll also be held more accountable by the Divine. As Spiderman’s uncle said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Spiritual warfare is real, and there’s no neutral zone. A lot of people serve the Dark Side, whether they know it or not. That includes channelers like LOA author Esther Hicks (the Abraham books) and authors who purport to speak with and for God, like Neale Donald Walsch of Conversations with God fame. I used to believe that some spirits out there who talked to humans were indeed advanced masters and “wisdom keepers.” But decades of research and personal experience have convinced me that there aren’t any good channeled entities. They’re all demonic entities pretending to be spiritually evolved and benevolent. No exceptions. Many years ago, I used to be utterly fascinated and enthralled with channelers and their invisible friends. I wanted nothing more than be one of them and convey messages of world-changing importance to mankind. I read everything I could get my hands on, from Jane Roberts’s Seth books to Barbara Marciniak’s Pleiadian series. Conversations with God practically became my bible at some point. It took me decades to start realizing what was really going on because I just didn’t want to believe it. At one time, I bought a ticket to a J.Z. Knight appearance in Germany and was very excited to attend. The room was packed. J.Z. Knight came on stage and launched into an introductory speech about who she was, who her channeled friend Ramtha was, and so on. Then she started to channel and Ramtha came through, speaking in a gravelly voice, almost a growl. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room thickened. Within a few minutes, I felt sick to my stomach and recognized the sensation from when I had endured a haunting in my own apartment. It was the agonizing feeling of being in the presence of pure evil. I got up and left the room. As soon as I was outside, I immediately felt better. Years later, I read the book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, by the late Joe Fisher, who quite likely was driven to suicide by the spirits he exposed. I highly recommend it. I developed a certain suspicion toward channeling, but I still believed that there were good and bad entities, and that you just have to find the good ones to listen to. It took me another decade or so until I realized that they’re all the same. I always thought Christians were party poopers who didn’t want the New Agers and pagans to have any fun. But the more I dug into the matter, the more it became clear that they were right. For example, it is very strange that every single “advanced master” and “disembodied spiritual teacher” (and many LOA books) promotes one or more of the following ideas:
You might say, “Well, that’s because they’re right. Christianity is this old-fashioned, ridiculous belief system, and it has no validity in today's modern world." That’s what I thought for the longest time. But consider this: Any evil entity—even down to alien abduction scenarios—can be stopped by rebuking the entity in the name of Jesus Christ. (Any exorcist will tell you this, and I experienced it myself.) If it were all just a myth, why would his name have any power? If you think I’m some kind of religious wacko, I can’t blame you. I would have thought the same thing just a few years ago. I was a hardcore New Ager with all the fixings, i.e., the full belief system that comes with it. It was incredibly tough to make the turnaround and realize that I had been deceived. What LOA authors would I recommend? The ones who base their teachings on Christian principles. My personal favorites are:
And of course, you can also check out my blog posts and join my mailing list to learn the art of “Sustainable Manifestation.”  What struck me most reading this quote was the sentence, "May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be."
Acceptance of what is, is a major factor in successful manifestation. "But how do I accept a situation that I'm desperate to change?" you ask. Exactly. As long as you are desperate to change it, it will be very hard to do so. Only when you practice surrender to what is and accept your current situation instead of fighting against it, can you start to change it. How do you accept a situation that is less than ideal?
To many people, "surrender" sounds like giving up, but that's not it—not at all. On the contrary, it can bring an enormous feeling of relief, especially if there's something you've been trying to hold onto or to achieve for too long. And often, as soon as you stop struggling, the very thing you've been so desperately trying to get will fall into your lap... just like that. |
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