Isn't the Law of Attraction Essentially Just You Visualizing What You Want and Taking Initiative to Get It, Rather Than Magic Hokum?

No. The difference is that with manifestation/LOA, you can make things happen that are ranging from highly unlikely to impossible. 

Like opportunities falling into your lap out of nowhere.

For example, I always wanted to translate a spiritual book, but it was highly unlikely that my wish would come true.

I had translated some articles and marketing material from German into English, but I didn’t have any contacts in the publishing industry and neither experience nor a diploma as a professional translator. It was a nerdy but pretty futile desire, so I never told anyone about it.

One day, my best friend called me and said that a small German publisher—who got her contact information through a friend of a friend—had emailed her and offered her to translate a New Age book.

But she didn’t feel like doing it, she said: “I thought this would be right up your alley.”

So I actually got to translate the book. What kept the story from becoming a “happily ever after,” was that the publisher ran into financial problems, and the translation was never published.

He also never paid me, despite me bombarding him with increasingly pissed-off reminder emails. Since I lived in a different country, I had no legal recourse.

In the end, I realized that I only ever envisioned translating a spiritual book but forgot to envision getting paid for it too. 

It was a good reminder to be careful what you wish for. So make sure that when you visualize that brand-spanking-new job, adequate payment is part of your manifestation.