Why Smart People Believe in the Law of Attraction
- Jerod Foos
- Jul 12
- 5 min read
Original publish date: May 2025.
You don't have to believe in it to wonder why so many successful people do.
A few years ago I was having dinner with someone whose job is helping shape billion-dollar companies in Silicon Valley.
In the middle of our conversation she asked me a question I'd never heard before.
"Do you know what Abraham Hicks is?"
I didn't.
That one question eventually sent me down a rabbit hole about the Law of Attraction, manifestation, and why so many intelligent, successful people believe in both.
If you've ever wondered what Abraham Hicks is—or why the Law of Attraction has captivated millions of people around the world—you're not alone.
That's exactly where my curiosity started. I was listening closely.
She started talking about manifestation, the Law of Attraction, and how Abraham Hicks had influenced The Secret—one of the best-selling personal development books ever written.
I'll be honest.
I left dinner more curious than convinced.
Not because I suddenly believed I'd discovered some hidden truth.
Because I couldn't stop thinking about the question.
Why was someone I respected—someone incredibly intelligent and successful—taking this seriously?
That night I went home and started reading.
It Wasn't What I Expected
I assumed I'd discover another motivational speaker.
Another bestselling author.
Another personality I'd somehow missed.
Instead I found something completely different.
There isn't actually a man named Abraham Hicks.
Esther Hicks is an author and speaker. "Abraham" is the name she gives to a group of non-physical teachers she says she channels.
Together, Esther and her late husband Jerry Hicks spent decades sharing what became known simply as Abraham Hicks.
Suddenly the conversation at dinner made sense.
She hadn't asked if I knew who Abraham Hicks was.
She asked if I knew what Abraham Hicks was.
She wasn't referring to a person.
She was referring to an idea.
And whether you believe that idea is profound, symbolic, or completely unbelievable...
it's influenced millions of people around the world.
That alone made me think it was worth understanding before dismissing it.
I Think Most People Ask The Wrong Question
The internet tends to divide this topic into two camps.
One side says the Law of Attraction explains everything.
The other says it's complete nonsense.
Neither response interested me very much.
I found myself asking a different question.
Why has this idea lasted?
Why are successful entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, executives, and ordinary people still talking about it decades later?
It's easy to dismiss something you've never taken the time to understand.
It's harder to explain why so many thoughtful people continue finding value in it.
Curiosity seemed like a better place to start than certainty.
The Part Almost Everyone Agrees On About the Law of Attraction
Strip away the spiritual language.
Ignore the debates about energy and vibration for a minute.
Underneath all of it is one surprisingly simple idea.
What you consistently pay attention to begins shaping the life you experience.
Not because reality changes overnight.
Because you do.
Think about the last time you bought a car.
Or even seriously considered buying one.
Suddenly you started seeing that exact model everywhere.
The cars didn't magically appear.
Your attention changed.
Your brain decided that information mattered.
You began noticing what had been there all along.
I don't think that's mystical.
I think that's human.
Attention Changes More Than We Realize
The longer I sat with this idea, the more interesting it became.
Because attention doesn't just change what we notice.
It changes what we pursue.
It changes the conversations we have.
The opportunities we recognize.
The risks we're willing to take.
The stories we tell ourselves.
If you spend years looking for evidence that you're behind...
you'll probably find it.
If you spend years looking for evidence that change is possible...
you'll probably find that too.
Not because life suddenly became fair.
Because your attention quietly started organizing your experience.
That doesn't mean you can think your way into winning the lottery.
It doesn't mean the universe delivers whatever you imagine.
It simply means your mind is never neutral.
It's always looking for something.
The question is...
What is it looking for?
Where I Started Pushing Back
This is also where I began disagreeing with some of what I was reading.
Some versions of the Law of Attraction make it sound as if thoughts alone create reality.
That never sat well with me.
I've known too many people who genuinely believed things would change. And they didn't.
Belief matters.
Hope matters.
Optimism matters.
But eventually every one of those has to become behavior.
You still have to make the phone call.
You still have to apologize.
You still have to leave the relationship.
You still have to walk into the gym.
You still have to write the first page.
Your thoughts might point you in a direction.
Your actions are what carry you there.
Maybe We're Describing The Same Thing
The more people I listened to, the more I noticed something.
Different groups often describe similar experiences using completely different language.
One person says manifestation.
Another says faith.
Another says prayer.
Another says visualization.
Another says mindset.
Another says neuroscience.
Sometimes they're arguing about words while pointing toward remarkably similar behaviors.
Pay attention differently.
Expect something different.
Act differently.
Repeat.
Life begins changing.
Not magically.
Not instantly.
Gradually.
Quietly.
One decision at a time.
What I Do Know
I don't know whether thoughts somehow influence the universe in ways we don't yet understand.
I also don't know enough to dismiss every experience millions of people claim they've had.
What I do know is this.
Attention changes behavior.
Behavior changes habits.
Habits change lives.
I've seen that too many times to doubt it.
Maybe that's all the explanation we need. Maybe it isn't.
Either way...
the part that's actually under our control looks remarkably similar.
The Question I Left With
I still think about that dinner sometimes.
Not because it changed my beliefs.
Because it changed my questions.
Instead of asking, "Is the Law of Attraction real?"
I started asking, "What am I paying attention to?"
Because whether you explain life through psychology...
faith...
habit...
or something we don't fully understand yet...
your attention is quietly shaping the person you're becoming.
And that's a question worth asking.
Every single day.
Until next time,
Jerod
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