Ever wondered how MLMs thrive? Many of them tap into the power of teachings like the law of attraction—convincing you that your thoughts create your reality. It sounds empowering, right? 🤪

But behind the facade lies a darker truth. MLMs manipulate these beliefs to lure in dreamers, promising wealth and success through their products. 

So, what’s the scoop? The Law of Attraction says that what you focus on—whether positive vibes or the occasional grumpy thought—can actually manifest in your life. It’s all about tuning into those good vibrations and sending out positive signals to the universe.

The law of attraction is a concept that suggests positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s life. It proposes that focusing on positive thoughts and intentions can manifest desired outcomes.

This idea has roots in various philosophical and spiritual traditions, including New Thought philosophy and the teachings of figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Walker Atkinson, Frank Mesmer, Alexander Downie, and Phineas Quimby.

New Thought holds that God (Spirit, the Infinite, the Divine, our Higher Power) is everywhere; true human self-hood is divine; divine thought is a force for good; sickness, lack and struggle originate in the mind, and “right thinking” has a healing effect.

In other words, “change your thinking, change your life.”

The law of attraction gained popularity in the early 2000s with books like “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, touting it as a tool for success, wealth, and happiness.

It’s since influenced self-help, motivational speaking, wellness practices (like yoga and meditation), personal development communities, and has a presence in popular culture and social media, where positive thinking is promoted for achieving goals and bettering life.

“Achieve Success with The Law of Attraction“

The law of attraction is used in wellness communities (fitness, MLM, dieting, spiritual) to promise that positive thinking can manifest goals. However, it can also create unrealistic expectations and oversimplify complex realities.

The teachings of the law of attraction, while promoting positive thinking and goal setting, can also have negative impacts and potential risks:

• Blame and Guilt: It may lead individuals to blame themselves for negative experiences, assuming they attracted them due to their thoughts or vibrations.
• Unrealistic Expectations: The emphasis on positive thinking may create unrealistic expectations about how quickly and easily goals can be achieved, leading to disappointment and discouragement.
• Minimization of Systemic Issues: By focusing solely on individual thoughts and actions, it can overlook systemic barriers and societal inequalities that affect outcomes.
• Financial Exploitation: In contexts like MLMs and certain self-help programs, the promise of manifesting wealth and success through the law of attraction can be used to exploit financially vulnerable individuals.
• Psychological Impact: For some, the pressure to maintain a positive mindset at all times can contribute to anxiety, guilt, and self-blame when facing challenges or negative emotions.
• Dismissal of Negative Emotions: It may encourage the suppression or denial of negative emotions, rather than healthy processing and acceptance of them.
• Pseudoscience: The teachings of the law of attraction often lack empirical evidence and scientific support, leading to beliefs and practices that may not be grounded in reality.
• Cultural Appropriation: In some cases, the adoption of spiritual or cultural elements (such as indigenous practices) within the context of the law of attraction can lead to appropriation and misunderstanding of their original meanings.

As we explore the impact of belief systems like the law of attraction, it’s clear it shares common pitfalls with high control religion and diet culture—promising transformative change through strict adherence while often neglecting systemic issues and fostering unrealistic expectations.

Join me this week on the podcast as we delve deeper into these topics, uncovering how these ideologies influence our lives and well-being.

Let’s navigate these complexities together and empower ourselves with a balanced perspective.