Are There Any Real Ways of Attracting Wealth?

Some popular lifestyle theories suggest that a person can attract wealth, happiness, and a good life through the power of positive and directed thinking. This idea is met with enthusiasm by some and scorn by others. To have any attempt of a sane and rational debate on the issue, it is important to break down the mysteries surrounding the concept of wealth attracting behaviors, as well as to look at the available evidence.

Affirmations are statements, mantras, or routines that are intended to shape or shift an outlook on life. Rather than being the magical words of a spell or the mystic answers to changing the universe, an affirmation is a simple tool often employed to change negative or destructive modes of thinking. A person with a phobia, for instance, may have an affirmation to help them replace wildly spinning fears with a realistic look at a phobia-inducing situation. Many of the theories that suggest attracting wealth can be done through affirmations and behavioral changes are, at the heart, suggesting that a person needs to replace destructive thinking habits with ones that are geared toward finding opportunities for increased wealth, and capitalizing on those chances.

As far as that theory goes, attracting wealth through affirmations and behavior makes sense to many people. If a person wants a diamond necklace, but spends all his or her money on nightclubs instead, it will take a change of rationale to make the person shift behaviors to realize that saving money by not going to nightclubs, or taking some extra shifts at work, will allow him or her to buy the necklace eventually. When affirmations help lead to a behavioral shift that improves money management or motivates harder work, they may allow for some results that a prior thought pattern ruled out.

Critics, however, suggest that too much emphasis is put on the affirmation for attracting wealth, and not enough on the behavioral effect. Some believe that affirmation strategies for attracting wealth promote dangerous overconfidence and a sense of entitlement in some people. Those who are constantly affirming that they are winners and that they deserve the best may become somewhat confused or angry if the world does not agree with them; a person completely engaged with wealth-attracting affirmations may be totally lost when they are passed over for a promotion, lose a business deal, or suffer other financial setbacks. Some critics also suggest that a person driven and fueled by a clear, single goal such as monetary success may be insensitive to others and even willing to sabotage others in order to achieve a goal. Another level of criticism suggests that wealth attracting affirmations and similar concepts lead people to suppress and ignore their own true emotions, as well as opening up the doors of judgment against those who are depressed, angry, or feeling negative about their situation.

As to scientific evidence regarding attracting wealth, there is not a great deal in either direction. Some people may employ affirmation strategies and succeed, while others may employ them just as seriously and get hit by a bus the next day. Whether or not a person believes in the concept seems to relate directly to his or her idea about how the world works; those who believe humans play a great part in shaping their own destiny may like the idea of wealth attraction, while those who believe humans are largely guided by circumstances may disapprove.

Financial experts generally suggest that people should focus on maximizing personal financial strategies through careful money management and cautious investing. This rather more pragmatic approach may allow a person to gradually move up the financial ladder through perseverance over a long period of time, which may sound less attractive in many ways. For those who need motivation to get money and job matters in order, however, affirmations for attracting wealth may help start the process by altering financially destructive spending habits.