Does the Law of Attraction Actually Work?

Law of Attraction—it’s one of those ideas you’ve probably heard tossed around by a friend, or maybe you saw a post on Instagram with someone saying, “Just visualize it and it will come.”

It sounds nice, right? Dream it, and the universe delivers. Like Amazon Prime for your desires.

But… does it actually work?

Well, maybe. Sort of. It depends on what we mean by “works.”

Let’s start with the basics. The Law of Attraction is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into your life.

Think happy thoughts, get happy results.

Want a new job? Picture yourself walking into your dream office. Want love? Imagine the relationship down to what kind of coffee your partner drinks.

Some people swear by it. They say it changed their lives. I mean, I’ve read stories of people who claim they visualized their perfect house and, months later, somehow landed a deal that felt “too good to be true.” And honestly, I’ve had moments myself where focusing hard on a goal—writing it down, thinking about it constantly—did seem to help push things in that direction.

But here’s where I get stuck. Is it really the universe responding to your vibes, or is it just that when you’re clear on what you want, you start acting differently? More confident, more intentional. Maybe you notice opportunities you’d normally miss. You speak up in a meeting. You apply to a job you might’ve scrolled past. That kind of stuff.

So maybe the “magic” is just… focus?

There’s also the danger of oversimplifying. Like, thinking bad things only happen to people because they weren’t “thinking positively enough” feels kinda messed up. Life’s not that neat. People face tough stuff for all sorts of reasons, and suggesting it’s because of their mindset? Yeah, no. That doesn’t sit right.

Still, I think there’s something useful in the Law of Attraction—not as a mystical cosmic ordering system, but as a way of training your brain. If thinking about what you want helps you get clearer, stay motivated, and make better choices, then hey, maybe that’s the real power.

So, does it work? In some ways, yes. But maybe not for the reasons people think.

Also—just a personal note—I’ve found that writing down goals and pairing that with some action (even tiny steps) tends to do way more than just hoping and waiting. But that’s just me.