Did the Law of Attraction help Michael Phelps win the Olympic Gold, or was it destiny?
On August 15th, 2008 I watched Michael Phelps win the gold medal for the 100-meter butterfly in the 2008 Olympics, beating out Serbia’s Milorad Cavic by only 0.01 second. Phelps won by continuing to stroke until he touched the wall while Cavic glided to the wall. Taking the extra half-stroke is what won Phelps the gold.
That’s a lesson in itself, of course, to continue to take action until you literally touch your goal, but I was pleasantly surprised when later, one of the sports announcers commented on just how short that time was by comparing it to a pencil: the distance that Phelps won by is the length of a pencil eraser and the metal part that holds it in place. Then he said, “Tell me that’s not destiny.”
I agree. One can say that it was in his higher self’s plan to win that gold (and he certainly did everything within his bodily power to align with that plan). Aligning with your soul’s plan (your destiny) is what I understand has the Law of Attraction work.
Let me explain. Your higher self and your personality self (sometimes referred to as your “ego”) sometimes appear to have different goals for your life. Your soul’s primary purpose is to learn and to grow the most it can by experiencing things firsthand, not necessarily to “get what you want” or to take the easiest way out. But if you can align with your higher self (by developing a real relationship with it and following through on its guidance consistently), you will find that you will get what you need in order to fulfill your plan.
When you reconnect with your higher self, you are reconnecting to the energy of your potential, the original plan for your success. Connecting with your higher self is also the best, most reliable way to experience more creative flow in your life–that often elusive magical state experienced by athletes (such as Phelps) and artists where everything seems to go perfectly. In short, when you connect, amazing things begin to happen in your life.
So was it the Law of Attraction or destiny that had Michael Phelps win that gold? I would say the Law of Attraction and destiny are one and the same. And when you align with your higher self’s plan (your destiny), the Law of Attraction begins to work in your life.