If you’ve been on social media, I’m guessing you’ve seen some instance or form of “Manifestation”, “Law of Attraction”, or “Visualization”. You just need to BELIEVE hard enough and it will come true!
Well, the problem with a lot of this short form media consumption is that it’s doesn’t really explain where it’s rooted, and thus, can come across as very “woo woo”, especially if you have an engineering background like me.
So let’s ground it in something more understandable.
Have you heard of “Conformational bias” or “Self fulfilling prophecy”?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-fulfilling_prophecy
Both are studied in psychology, and there are many papers that delve into it. I’m going to keep it more at the lay-person level.
- The brain (conscious and unconscious) doesn’t like being wrong. It really doesn’t like that. See: Being stubborn. Doubling down. Fits of anger. Etc.
- Initial belief systems come from the conscious side of thinking. “I think I am a good cook.” Or, being told “Hey that’s a nice shirt!” Aka how positive reinforcement works.
Note – this “truth” doesn’t have to be grounded in anything in the real world! - Additionally, the brain (conscious and unconscious) doesn’t like pain or suffering. It’ll do what it can to avoid it.
Ex: If you were yelled at / beaten because you stayed out late at night, you may develop an aversion to staying out late / anxiety because your brain is trying to be like “OYE, REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE DID THIS AND HOW THAT ENDED?!”
Also, why many people who have traumatic events and experiences, don’t remember it; the brain trying to do it’s protecting thing. - When you do have a belief system, the unconscious side of you will do what it can to REINFORCE what is already believe. See point 1.
Cute girl says something nice about your haircut? Bet you’re going to keep that haircut for a while.
Believe you’ll be able to buy the car of your dreams? Get the job of your dreams? You’ll be highly motivated to perform actions that contribute towards earning that vs if you didn’t have a goal.
If you think you’re dumb and not good enough, guess what, your brain is going to look for evidence to support that too. It’s definitely going to remember intensely every time you screwed up. This is one way to spiral down.
The point of this post is at least two-fold; I hope to hear comments of your insights! I also invite you to engage Thriving Turtle Coaching to learn more about incorporation of logic and manifestation to hack your internal self..
- Recognize that you have control of your belief system, and if you want to make a change, it takes a while and a lot of effort to rewire!
- Recognize that you have your own biased belief system. This system operates to support YOU. So when other people are acting different, its because they are acting against their belief systems, not yours (And that’s ok!)
Good article!
Great post and topic, Howie. I have a handful of friends and acquaintances who talk about manifesting this and that and I must admit, I cringe when I hear it. I have this reaction (inside my own head or course) that instantly just feels bad for the friend assuming they were duped at some Tony Robbins style seminar into imagining all this wealth will come if you just think about it hard enough and make a poster with all the material things in life you’d like to have. Nor have I seen that work out that way either. That said, I really believe in 2 elements behind manifesting and that’s both the power of positivity and that like attracts like. Having at times in my own life been trapped in a spiral of negativity, it’s so easy to not only get stuck in that but can only make it worse through the confirmations that are brought on being mired in it. Positivity on the other hand, and I mean genuine, grateful humility driven positivity (not just saying everything is “amazing” or “awesome”) naturally puts one in a state of seeing the good in everything and glasses always half full. People want to be around that. People want to support and help maintain that. So undoubtedly someone who exudes true positivity will attract and encounter more opportunities that may ultimately manifest their vision at a macro level. Perhaps this is just an examples of my own biased beliefs but I have certainly seen the results of each path for myself and in the lives of others. Great topics, my friend. Keep it up! The world needs more guidance!
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