The Attraction Myth

Myth: We attract into our lives what we want to have.

Truth: We attract into our lives who we are.

Josh read the statement, trying to digest it.

“I'm not sure I understand completely. I want to apply this to my own situation, but how is who I am being stopping my business from growing? Do I need to be more personable?”

“Being is not your personality. It's your intention.”

“Okay,” Josh said, tentatively. “I'm not seeing this clearly. What exactly do you mean by intention?”

“Let me give you some examples of intentions, or states of being,” Travis said. He took one more piece of paper and began to make a list in two columns.

Josh watched as he wrote the words. “I understand those states. But can you give me an example?”

“Sure. The typical way of thinking is that we need to have things in order to do things, and as a result we can be in a certain state. People believe, for example, they need to have more time, in order to do exercise, so they can be health conscious.” With each word, Travis tapped his pencil on the Be Do Have card. “They think ‘When I earn more money, then I'll save more, and I can be financially responsible.”

“And that's backwards?”

“Of course. Working in the opposite direction changes everything. If you begin to be financially responsible, Josh—if that's your intention, then you start to behave differently. You make your bill payments on time. You save. You invest. And that changes what you have financially.”

Josh thought of his missed mortgage payment. It seemed as if it happened a hundred years ago, but he felt his cheeks flush.

“The same goes for your business. My intention was negative. It was to get as much as I could from every interaction. You've been introduced to people this week who have the completely opposite intention. Every one of them is wildly successful.”

Josh thought about Amy. Her intention is to help—to give—and mine has always been to get, get a listing, get a sale. A faint tickle of insight began to appear in Josh's stomach, but before he could question Travis, the guard approached their table. Damn! Josh thought. We're out of time!

Instead of telling them their time was up, though, Mike placed two ice cold sodas on the table in front of them. “Funny thing happened,” he said in a low voice. “Someone forgot to write down the time your guest arrived, Travis. How about we reset the clock for another five.” He looked at Josh, winked, and walked away. To Josh's amazement, he then walked across the room and abruptly ended the visit of a man and woman at a distant table. Josh looked back at Travis, astonished by the guard's paradoxical behavior. Travis just smiled and shrugged. “Be, do, have, Josh,” he said. “It even works in jail.”

“How do you get this special treatment?”

“I've chosen to control my intention here. To be grateful for what I've learned, rather than resentful. To give to the guards, instead of seeing them as taking my freedom from me. They respond to that intention.”

Travis looked at the clock. “Let's finish up, Josh. Just remember: What you're learning applies to everyone, everywhere. To everything. It's more than just a new truth,” Travis continued. “It's a filter to see all the new truths through. For example, you can choose to see abundance as just the action of giving, but it becomes so much more powerful when you see yourself as someone who gives. Being generous is a far more powerful state than a quid pro quo equation.” Travis swept the pieces of paper from the table, and held them out to Josh, who pocketed them. Travis stood and walked Josh toward the door at the guard station.

“The one thing you can control in life, Josh, is your state of being. Your intention. The things you have? They can be taken from you in an instant. Trust me on that one. Your job. Your home. Your loved ones. Your possessions. You can never fully control what happens to the outside of your life. But the inside? Who you are being? Your intention? That's something that's entirely yours to own. Always.”

As they reached the door, Josh paused. “I'm surprised Cor didn't come with me to visit you. You must not get many visitors.”

“You know him and that damn bike,” Travis drawled. Then he became somber. “I told you how I met Cor,” he said. “But I never told you how we parted.”

“Parted?”

“I was Cor's protégé, you might say. His biggest success story. We were like father and son.”

“What happened?” Josh asked.

“Isn't it obvious? I scammed him, Josh. I took his money. Lots of it. He was my last big con.”

Josh was stunned.

“Is that why he didn't drive me all the way here?”

Travis looked at him. “Quite the opposite. He chose to forgive me. In fact, he paid for my legal defense. If it weren't for him, my sentence would be twice as long.” He paused, then reached out and shook Josh's hand.

“The old man lives this stuff, son,” he said. “You'd be wise to do the same.”

And with that Travis turned away and Mike closed the heavy steel door.