<p>With the "self improvement movement" that is going on in today's society, more and more people are becoming aware of the fact that the attitude that they have about their lives is the single most defining factor that determines what their lives are going to be like.<br /><br />If you have a bad, negatively-charged attitude about your life, and you expect things to never go your way, then you tend to get exactly that. On the other hand, if you keep a positive attitude, and you remain confident that you are going to get what you want out of life, then you tend to manifest a positive and enjoyable life.<br /><br />These are pretty basic concepts that are now becoming more widely known, and as more people grasp and internalize concepts such as these, a marked increase in people living the lives that they actually WANT to live is the net result.<br /><br />That all sounds well and good, but the problem that comes into play for a lot of people is that in an attempt to make their lives more enjoyable, they are actually causing further negativity because they are going about the process from the wrong point of view. <br /><br />Whenever you make a conscious decision that you no longer want a certain lifestyle, you tend to focus on NOT having that lifestyle, which is actually the opposite of what you should be doing.<br /><br />Have you ever heard the term "What you focus on grows?" That is a very real description of the human condition, and it comes into play for positive as well as negative results.<br /><br />To use the example of not wanting a certain lifestyle for yourself, you are focusing on the wrong end of the spectrum. You are focusing on what you don't want, as opposed to focusing on what you want to have.<br /><br />The universal Law of Attraction basically states that whenever you have an emotional response to something, that you will then attract people and circumstances that resonate with that emotional response.<br /><br />In more simple terms, to resonate with something means to be in alignment with it, or to agree with it. A common confusion about the Law of Attraction is when it is described as "like attracts like." On a general level, that is true. Positive attracts positive, and negative attracts negative.<br /><br />However, it actually goes deeper than that when you realize that to "resonate" with something does not necessarily mean that "like attracts like," but rather that the attraction will be on a more "general direction" level. <br /><br />If you focus on something positive, that does not necessarily mean that you will immediately manifest the exact thing that you are focusing on, but rather things that will take your life in the general direction of that focus, thus assuring goal attainment. <br /><br />The science applies exactly the same way to anything that is focused on in a negative manner. You may not get exactly what you were negatively focused on, but you will get things that take you in a generally negative direction.<br /><br />To bring that back around to your efforts at making your life what you want it to be, consider the fact that your job is to focus on what you want to have, rather than to focus on what you already have, but don't want. For example:<br /><br />The statement "I don't want to be overweight anymore" focuses on one thing - being overweight. When you focus on being overweight, you will continue to be overweight.<br /><br />The statement "I don't want to work at this dead-end job anymore" focuses on the dead-end job, thus assuring you that or a similar position in the future.<br /><br />The statement "I am sick of dating people that don't make me happy" focuses on people who don't make you happy. More of them will be in your future, because that is your focus.<br /><br />Let's turn all three of those examples around in order to show you not only what you should say to yourself about your goals, but the feeling that you should have about those goals:<br /><br />"I am happy and healthy, and my body is lean, sexy, and powerful."<br /><br />"I have a rewarding and well-paying job that I enjoy so much that I hardly even consider it work."<br /><br />"I have a wonderful relationship with someone who gives me all of the things that I want, and with whom I thoroughly enjoy spending my time."<br /><br />Do you see how in each of those three examples the end result that you want to bring into your life is the same, but one version focuses on the negative aspects, while the other version considers only the positive end result?<br /><br />This may seem like a stupid "mind trick" that you don't really believe in, and if that is the case, examine that point of view: "...don't really believe in..."<br /><br />Does that point of view demonstrate a positive or a negative outlook about what is possible? <br /><br />Remember that your mind controls what your body does, both consciously, and sub-consciously. If want to resonate with the results that you are looking for - thus bringing them into your life - start looking at your attitude and what you consider to be "possible." You will probably see that on several levels, you are standing in your own way!</p>