This article is written by  Suman Chatterjee Team LawSikho.

Do you remember that quote of Confucius, “He who says he can, and he who says he can’t, are both usually right”? Something to think about, if only you understand the deeper meaning of it. 

I am going to talk about a topic that is very dear to me, something I believe in. 

Though it is subject to contradictory beliefs and it is up to one to figure out the scope of truth in it, I would like to believe that this is one of those “secret” factors that have the potential to determine success or failure yet nobody talks about it.

Not your senior…not your college professor…probably, not your parents.

Mind over body

First, let’s talk about Phineas Quimby who suffered from tuberculosis and got cured on his own! 

Medications did not work for him. He believed that he did his with his mind power alone. This was way back in the early 19th century.

Here’s what he wrote in his book The Quimby Manuscripts:

“… the trouble is in the mind, for the body is only the house for the mind to dwell in, and we put a value on it according to its worth. Therefore if your mind has been deceived by some invisible enemy into a belief, you have put it into the form of a disease, with or without your knowledge. By my theory or truth, I come in contact with your enemy and restore you to your health and happiness. This I do partly mentally and partly by talking until I correct the wrong impressions and establish the Truth, and the Truth is the cure.”

That’s when the concept of ‘mind over body’ actually got started. It got popular coverage in 1887 when Prentice Mulford, a champion of the New Thought movement, wrote the book The Law of Success. 

However, when the movie The Secret got released, the notion of Law of Attraction really took off… so much that it has led to the creation of a $10 billion industry. 

I don’t want to use the phrase Law of Attraction though. It sounds cheesy and it’s easy to trash it. The name itself makes us wonder, “Is it yet another voodoo stuff?”

I don’t know. 

But we have multiple examples of highly successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and Tiger Woods who have achieved exemplary success and credit their success to the power of creative visualization.

I will tell you about three such stories now. Each of them is awesome in their own way. 

The man who wrote himself a 10-million dollar check…

He is probably one of the most famous comedians who ever walked on planet earth. He is estimated to be worth around $180 million dollars—a rich comedian so to speak. 

If you have seen any of his movies, you have loved him for sure. 

He is Jim Carrey. 

The “funny” thing is, Jim Carrey is a big believer of Law of Attraction as told in the Oprah Winfrey show. Check out the video here. 

He would often go to his favourite venue and visualize how other famous people are appreciating his work and that he is one of them, famous and rich.

He would go as far as to write a $10 million check to himself for “acting services rendered” and dated it on Thanksgiving in 1995. The check kept on deteriorating and right before that stipulated date, he actually got ten million dollars for his role in Dumb and Dumber. 

He says, “As far as I can tell, it’s just about letting the universe know what you want and then working towards it while letting go of how it comes to pass.”

According to him, you get it when you believe it. 

The man who won Mr Olympia seven times…

Someone I admire. Not because he is rich and successful today. But because of where he came from.

He is an actor, a filmmaker, a businessman, an author, a former politician and a professional bodybuilder. Phew…the list ended. 

We are talking about none other than Arnold Schwarzenneger, the Terminator.

But who knew the Terminator believed in the law of attraction as well.

As a bodybuilder, he would not only lift dumbbells and barbells but also imagine himself growing bigger with each rep. Here is what he said: “I had this fixed idea of growing a body like Reg Park’s. The model was there in my mind; I only had to grow enough to fill it. The more I focused in on this image and worked and grew, the more I saw it was real and possible for me to be like him.”

Is that applicable in bodybuilding only? Nope. 

He has played multiple roles in his life, and in each role, he claims to have used the law of attraction to his advantage. His words were:

“It’s the same process I used in bodybuilding: What you do is create a vision of who you want to be — and then live that picture as if it were already true.”

The man who sold his dog for $25…

Last but not least, this might not be a success story of the power of visualization but it definitely proves that if you believe in your dream, it has got no other option than to get real.

We talked about the Terminator above. How can I not talk about Rocky Balboa in the same article?

Who does not know the amazing rags to riches story of Sylvester Stallone?

He was so broke that he stole and sold his wife’s jewellery to get some money.

He slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. 

He even sold his dog for $25 to a stranger because he could not afford to feed it anymore. 

That’s when he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and wrote the script of Rocky in 20 hours!

Nope, it does not end there. 

In his attempt to sell the script, he got an offer of $125,000. Financial problems solved at last, right? Nope, he had something else in mind. He had to star in the movie as the lead actor, that is, in the role of Rocky Balboa. 

They said they wanted a “real” star, which he was not. He “looked funny and talked funny.”

He refused the offer. The offer was increased to $250,000. Sold? Nope, not yet. It was further increased to $350,000. Finally, accepted the offer? Wait for a second, Stallone would not agree to anything else other than to star in the movie. 

Click Above

Finally, he got an offer for $35,000 along with an opportunity to get casted in the movie, in the lead role. The rest is history.

What did he do with that $35,000? He went to the liquor store where he sold his dog to the stranger. He waited there for 3 days when he finally saw the gentleman. He explained his situation and offered to buy back the dog. 

The stranger won’t relent though. He offered $100. Nope. Okay, how about $500? Still no. Okay, okay, a whopping $1,000? No chance. The man wouldn’t sell his dog back to him. 

He paid $15,000 for his dog that he sold for $25.

We are looking at either a very crazy person or perhaps, the most passionate person we will ever come across. It seems Stallone had the same bulldog tenacity in real life too, just like Rocky Balboa.

I don’t know how the law of attraction plays into this story but I see a man who knew what he wanted and would not settle for anything less. 

Are we selling ourselves short? 

Marianne Williamson said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” 

I truly believe that one of the biggest detriments to our success is our own mindset, the way we think. 

We self-impose limitations on ourselves and occlude our dreams from coming true. 

We tell ourselves lies every day that…

“I am not from an NLU. I will not be able to get that top tier law firm job.”

“I am already over 40 years old. I can’t start litigation now.”

“There is a dearth of work for lawyers today due to high competition.”

Be honest. Have you not ever said any of this to yourself? Or maybe something along these lines?

I have and I am ready to admit it. And I bet you have too.

If you have and are still doing it, stop right now.

You need to create your vision of success and focus on that rather than what you perceive today as obstacles.

However, as Jim Carrey says, “You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.”

You have to work on it.

That’s where we can probably help you.

If you are struggling to achieve your dreams due to lack of legal skills, marketing skills, language skills, management skills or any other skills that are ever needed in the law business, LawSikho is here to help you.

Ready to upskill yourself and be ready for amazing opportunities?

Luck favours the prepared.

Our courses can help you to prepare.

With 24/7 online access to study materials, live classes, practical assignments, one-on-one feedback, doubt clearing sessions, article writing and legal drafting coaching, resume consultation, interview prep, networking training, regular internship and job opportunities…

We have so far helped over 2,000 law students and around 6,000 working professionals in taking their legal career to the next level. We are ready to help you in achieving your dreams too.

The question is whether you are ready or not.

If yes, give our career counsellors a call on 011 4084 5203 and tell us what’s stopping you from realizing your goals. You can also comment below to this article with your phone number and a message on who you are, what you currently do, what your goals are and what challenges you are facing in achieving them.

We will get back to you as soon as possible, with a solution that works for you.

Before that, I want to start visualizing your success and thank the almighty for making it happen.

Positivity creates magic. And we need it in abundance during these trying times. 

To your success.

P. S. LawSikho is running hour-long webinars every day. Want to learn how to improve your learning skills? Prepare an LLM application to a foreign university? Career opportunities in new, upcoming areas of law? Don’t miss these high-quality webinars with industry and academic experts.

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