The Law of Attraction is not a singular belief. Like religions and philosophies and musical tastes, we have a spectrum of flavors from which to choose. It ranges from the power of positive thinking to the belief that the universe is entirely of your own making.

Nor is it a singular course. Many (to most) of its teachers focus on wealth acquisition and accumulation, ranging from understanding your money blueprint (T. Harv Eker, Garrett Gunderson) to buying real estate (Robert Allen) to managing investment portfolios (Robert Kiyosaki). Others focus on personal growth (Byron Katie) and spiritual development (Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch).

The following table is an approximate overview of the personal responsibility assumption made to varying degrees in the Law of Attraction courses currently raging throughout North America and beyond.

I’ve tried not to pass judgment, as I am convinced that you can learn from just about anyone. While I would not personally take courses from some of the educational forums listed below, I would never go so far as to say they have nothing to offer. Each “teacher” in your life presents you with tools. What you do with them, how you apply them (if you choose to), and what you derive from them, is entirely up to you.

It is included here so that you can see the range. However, it is not definitive. What will make it definitive is your experience (direct or in-direct) with it.

	Educational forum promoting…
	…partial personal responsibility	…substantial personal responsibility	…total personal responsibility
Philosophy	You have some control over the outcomes of your life.	You can shape the outcome of events that impact your life.	You have created every aspect of your life.
Degree of action required	Significant.	Significant. Your thoughts are key, but only if you have the emotional desire to persist through and survive your trials and your failures.	Insignificant. Your thoughts shape everything. That which follows is all a result of your ability to think the right thoughts.
Forums	Books, counselling and therapy sessions, community workshops, one-on-one.	Seminars, classes, leading to larger group.	Large Group Awareness Training (LGATs).
Examples	Positive-thought proponents, authors, counselors, Alcoholics Anonymous. Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People	Events happen to you; how you respond to those events will have a significant ability to shape your future. Jack Canfield’s formula E+R = O encapsulates it (Events + Response = Outcome). Napoleon Hill advocated that you can receive what you conceive if you have an intense burning desire driving your action.	Landmark Education. Their philosophy is that personal responsibility begins and ends with one’s willingness to be central cause of all results in one’s life. Being both the cause and the effect is the ideal way to to live. T. Harv Eker’s T > F >A > R formula encapsulates it (Thoughts lead to Feelings lead to Action lead to Results). It’s all you.
Extreme examples		Your negative thoughts contributed toward your current situation. If you are down, it’s because you don’t believe you are worth better.	Pat Robertson, an evangelical Christian suggests that the recent Haiti earthquake was brought about by the Haitians themselves in a deal they made with the devil to free them from the French.
Further research	Irrelevant to the success of the relationship.	Encouraged. The greater your exposure, the greater your chances at success.	Not encouraged. The knowledge you will receive here is definitive. Stay away from the negative influence of fear-mongering newspapers and magazines.
Costs might fall into this range	$20/book Free consultation then typically $30-$50-$100/session depending on the type	Free intro nights $100-1000/classes $50-$500+/session	Free intro nights $500-$30,000+/seminars Seminars are frequently hosted by a high-profile success story, and run behind the scenes by volunteers.
Types	Positive thinking Therapy Counseling Community classes	Community classes Seminars	Seminars Several of the Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) programs
Techniques	Comfort zone is challenged Guided learning Journaling Peer-led group study	Comfort zone is challenged Mental breakdowns lead to breakthroughs Call-and-response technique	Comfort zone is challenged Mental breakdowns lead to breakthroughs Deprivation (contact, food/beverage, bathrooms, etc.) Group chants or call-and-response technique Deviation from the group can lead to personal humiliation Independent thinking is discouraged (you are here, after all, because you are a failure and you want to learn from the successful expert so shut up and learn)
Spirituality	Not typically present unless specifically seeking religious or spiritual guidance	Implicit or explicit religious overtones	Implicit or explicit religious overtones
Qualifications/ Status	Academic achievement	Track record success	Cult-like status of the guru Group conversations discouraged Challenging the teachings discouraged (you can be physically removed from the session)
The Interpretation of Failure	Failure means you haven’t yet been able to turn it around and look at it from a different perspective.	Failure means you are one step closer to success. Success is built on a succession of failures.	Failure means you are personally being punished. You haven’t “played” at 120%. You are personally weak. Typically, more classes will help you achieve a better rate of success.
The Interpretation of Success	You can live in your current circumstances and be a happier human being.	You can persist through the rough times knowing that the plan and the journey will get you there.	You will be rich.

The Law of Attraction, wrapped in its mantra of self-improvement in the names of God and Wealth, makes for a lucrative industry. In 2006, the research firm Marketdata estimated the “self-improvement” business in the U.S. generated more than $9 billion in sales—including infomercials, mail-order catalogs, holistic institutes, books, audio cassettes, motivation-speaker seminars, the personal coaching market, weight-loss and stress-management programs.[1] It’s also an unregulated field, which means it’s buyer beware.

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[1] PRWeb (September 21, 2006). “Self-Improvement Market in U.S. Worth $9.6 Billion.” Press release. http://www.prwebdirect. com/releases/2006/9/prweb440011.php. Retrieved 2008-12-18. “Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., a leading independent market research publisher, has released a new 321-page market study entitled: The U.S. Market For Self-Improvement Products & Services.”

The is an excerpt from my book, The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman (Chapter 8).

Tags: Byron Katie, Get Rich Seminars, James Arthur Ray, Law of Attraction, LGAT, Postive Thinking, Scams, T. Harv Eker, Wealth and spirituality