Desire and Detachment

Inspirational Thoughts

By Robert Ringer

In our most recent Mastermind Discussion Group session, Joe Vitale was my special guest. Joe, the author of numerous books, including his excellent bestseller The Attractor Factor, has an in-depth understanding of, and unwavering belief in, the ability of the mind to deliver results. His inspirational thoughts are worthy of exploration.

I think most rational adults realize that your life is pretty much the sum of your thoughts. Negative thoughts tend to attract negative results; positive thoughts tend to attract positive results. Simple ... but not quite that simple.

The subject of the law of attraction is far too complex to discuss in detail here, but there is one important aspect of this powerful principle that I would like to share with you. It's the concept of "letting go." On our Mastermind call, I referred to this concept as "graduate-school stuff," because the way it connects with your ability to achieve a goal is subtle and can be difficult to grasp.

In The Attractor Factor, Joe puts it this way: "You must let go of your attachment to success to attract success." He says that you have to be careful not to become addicted to your desire; i.e., don't think to yourself, "I must have this."

When I read Joe's explanation, it reminded me of something Viktor Frankl wrote in his book The Unheard Cry for Meaning about "paradoxical intention" - a technique used in psychotherapy that involves doing the exact opposite of what you're hoping to achieve. In laymen's terms, it's based on the idea that the more we make something a target, the more likely we are to miss it.

The quickest and most certain way to achieve a goal is to mentally focus on what you want, and attach very strong feeling to wanting it. If you picture a result without attaching strong feelings to it, it's no more than a thought.

And that's where the subtle connection between desire and letting go comes in. If your objective becomes an obsession - if you believe that you can't be happy without achieving it - your feelings pass the point of diminishing returns and your focus becomes counterproductive. Sort of like what happens when you press too hard to close a deal. In other words, if you want something very badly, but you don't have to have it in order to be happy, you are more likely to get it.

Again, the subtlety: Having strong feelings or inspirational thoughts about wanting to attract something into your life is a good thing - the stronger your feelings, the better. But, at the same time, you have to let go and allow the universe to deliver it to you. Not an easy thing to master, but well worth the effort. I have seen it work in my own life repeatedly.

To the extent you are able to achieve this fine balance, you are likely to have an abundance of both peace of mind and success.

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