Get Rich with Random Acts of Kindness
by Yvonne Sinclair M.A.

Lately, I have become aware of a movement that suggests our life is the way it is because we have attracted what is there. The “secret” says we are what we think. “Law of attraction” tells us we have to vibrate in the “vortex” to attract the good things.

Now for me, “vibrating in the vortex” means something a little like the Christian saying “Put your hand in the hand of God.” Both statements are oblique and vague. Sometimes I want more step by step instructions. After all, I really want to attract that good stuff into my life. So, I began noticing my thoughts and monitoring my feelings, trying to stay positive, think good thoughts, not get upset, or notice anything negative. Nothing really different happened. Oh, there were times when the princess parking, green lights, and no paper cuts happened. However, it was a struggle. Nothing significantly wonderful appeared. When I would have a bad day, I would say to myself, “How the heck do you turn this into something positive?” This is nasty, on the verge of a horrible, no good, very bad day! How do I find this event positive and “vibrate in the vortex” about it?

I teach my clients they “get what they notice.” As their therapist, am I then noticing the negative in their world and sabotaging my own? This gets really complicated. Think of the war and trauma in the world. It is reported in the newspaper and on the television daily. Actually, I don’t watch the news anymore. I don’t refuse to watch it because of the “notice” thing, but it works that way just the same. Think about all the people in the world that watch the news. The news is 99% negative. By watching the news, we welcome war, despair, injustice, famine, and death straight into our living rooms. If all the people watching are “noticing” these negative aspects, and it works that more negative is generated, then we will get more and more of the same horrible events in the world. What if the news made a commitment to focus on at least 50% positive events? It would be worth a try, and this would make the news worth watching. Perhaps over time, the world would begin to change.

In the 70’s, I saw a bumper sticker that stated, “What if we gave a war and nobody came.” It was a thought provoking statement. What if? I like that thought. So, if we all begin to notice the positive, it could happen. I have realized that it is not so easy. Where do we to begin? What about all the bad stuff? Do we just ignore it?

Abraham Hicks of Law of Attraction says this: "I'm just a hindering fool! Because I observe what is around me. Because I've been trained to be very objective. I've been trained to observe the pros and the cons, the plusses and minuses, to catalog it and pigeonhole it.

I believe I do the world a service by pushing very hard against unjust things. I believe I do the world a service by pointing out what is wrong.
Because after all, how could anything ever go right if I don't point out what's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong?

So, I have become a bastion of ferreting out the unjust and evil and unwanted. As a result, I am a sacrificial hinder-er of well-being!
Well, we got your attention, didn't we? You don't do it all the time, but you do plenty of that!”

Okay, now I am really confused. There is bad stuff. I know for a fact if it is not addressed, and someone is held accountable, more will happen. So, where is the line drawn, and where is the happy medium? If we ignore theft, violent behaviors, rape, etc., the issues will probably not just go away. On a grand scale, this is an overwhelming and seemingly impossible transformation from a negative world to a world full of joy and ecstasy. I think Hicks is suggesting that if we just concentrate on this evil stuff, and if we seek it out, then we are hindering the positive.

One workshop I attended gave me a little insight into my bad day trauma. It stated that the “bad day” is looked upon as gathering information on what you do not want in your life. It is the adopted mentality of “I don’t want to be ‘here.’ I want to be ‘there.’” For example, you can think, “I don’t want to have a stack of bills.  I want to be financial secure.” That makes sense to me. Bad days began to lose their trauma. I no longer see them as meaning I am doomed.

Another insight was to realize the “vortex” was where I “vibrated” during my day. Were my feelings serene and calm or annoyed and frustrated? I noticed that when I played my games on Facebook, and they did not work well, I was annoyed. I would continue to fight with them, sigh, and outwardly express frustration. Hours would go by with the same “vibrating.” Once I noticed how I was feeling/vibrating, I began to change where I stayed. For instance, if the computer is not running smoothly, my game is “out of sync,” or if I had a writer’s block, then I would leave. I leave that activity and go to a calmer place.

No truck loads of joy and ecstasy have arrived, but I feel much better. I like life a bit more. I am sure the peace and calm places are much better for my physical health.  By noticing my annoyed or frustrated feelings and then finding a better place, my stress level has lowered, and that improves my physical health. Perhaps it will evolve into attracting my hopes and dreams into my world.

Perhaps this is a way to begin the world wide movement to “no one showing up for the war.” Each person begins a little peace inside of him/herself. Each person begins to allow only “good feelings places” in his/her reality. I know it is not simple. A lot of aspects factor into finding that inner peaceful place.  It requires possessing the ability to let go and change an activity, having the willingness to let things be as they are, and realizing you have no control over anything but yourself.  You must also take care of yourself emotionally and physically, monitor your self-talk, and complete a plethora of other “duties.”

It seems worth the effort. Even if the “secret,” or Law of Attraction is not right, and we don’t attract what is in our lives or become what we think, we will feel better and have a better life because of our change in behaviors, attention, and self care. Even our physical health may benefit as we play a part in lowering our stress levels and bettering our habits.

Random acts of kindness could not only start at home, but within ourselves. Randomly do something good for yourself. Randomly take the time to notice the breeze, butterflies, and smell of freshly mown grass. Randomly give a family member a big hug. Randomly dance about in your room. Randomly stop your world for a few minutes to be there for a friend. Perhaps even plot your “random” acts of love and caring.

It seems the richness of life would improve. Caring about each other in a sincere emotionally intimate way would increase the joy and richness in everyone’s life. If the “secret” and Law of Attraction are right, then financial richness could also happen. Get rich, get peace, get love, get joy, and get with it!

©Copyright 2010 by Yvonne Sinclair M.A., MFCC. All Rights Reserved. All material is owned and protected. Reproduction without the express written consent of the author is forbidden.