A Pessimist’s Guide to Manifesting 4: The Law of Dominant Effect

Why are you afraid of your own success?

In last week’s article, I mentioned the Law of Repetitive Effect as a possible factor holding you back from achieving your goals.
This week, we’re going to examine the Law of Dominant Effect.
Simply stated, the Law of Dominant Effect says the strongest emotion wins.
Every time.
That’s not to say that a particular emotion, be it happiness, sadness, joy, anger or fear will always win. This law states that the emotion that is strongest at a particular moment, in regard to a particular issue, will be the dominant force in your creating ability.
Fear tends to be a strong motivator in people who are striving to achieve more and actualize their potential.
Fear of being a failure, or judged as unworthy/unsuccessful, motivates us to step beyond our comfort zone.
Fear of success keeps us there.
Ask yourself this: Why haven’t you achieved more of your goal? Why are you not further on your path?
You may be tempted to reflexively answer from a victim’s perspective that there are elements against you: not enough time, not enough money, not enough ___________.
Those ideas are passive. They take your power away.
You must become aware of these emotional reflexes so that you can instead answer from an empowered place within you.
There is always the same amount of time available to us; money is always a flow, we choose to focus where we spend it; and anything else that you see as an excuse is just that: An excuse.
Active awareness to our circumstances give us the power to be mindful of our resources and direct those assets in the way that is most beneficial to our desired outcome.
You can always be moving forward. Some days it may only be a step or two, but any accomplishment toward your goal is forward momentum.
How can I say that? I can say it because I have been there.
I was deeply in debt, without a job, struggling to make connections to network my business, and running out of money fast.
Every day I made sure that I did something to realize my goal.
It cost me nothing to do the writing necessary to co-author my upcoming book with Iris Terner.
It cost me nothing to research techniques, write blogs, build my own website and create marketing memes on Canva.
By creating this foundation, I was showing the Universe that I was (and am) serious about my dream.
More importantly, it communicated that I was not afraid of success, because I was doing the work necessary to realize my goals.
Isn’t success a good thing? Why would I be afraid of it?
You’re right – success is a good thing.
In our imagination (and in reality), it brings recognition, financial security and leads us to new opportunities to expand our influence.
But what if there’s a dark side to that outcome?
What if the time spent networking and expanding your business is taking away from time with family or friends?
What if your new financial status creates a rift between you and your friends and family?
What if you now have to do hours and hours of reports and tracking to monitor information and staff?
Doesn’t increased income mean more taxes and responsibility?
What if, on a subconscious level, you don’t see yourself as deserving of success?
All of these questions are based on real fear-rooted situations. Situations that are based on our subconscious beliefs and emotions about ourselves.
These answers to these questions can keep us in our comfort zone.
When we operate from the emotion of fear, actually from any negative emotion, we are blocking our ability to manifest our higher good.
In most cases, we are unaware of these subconscious operating systems because they are so familiar to us.
They are our normal state of being. We stop questioning their existence and validity because they are always present.
However, when we have a vision of our higher good, on that requires us to move beyond our comfort zone of a familiar life, then we begin to push against these foundations of our personal beliefs and stories about who we are and what we are capable of achieving.
You can achieve anything you can dream of. That’s the Law of Pure Potentiality.
The key is to be more excited about realizing that outcome than you fear the achievement of it.
The questions that I raised above are all valid issues with how your life may change after you have become the success that you have dreamed of being.
The answers to them do not need to be feared.
Yes, you may spend more time at your work instead of with family and friends, but you can discuss it and create balance, create an agreed-upon expectation that gives you permission to do what needs to be done. Do not be afraid of talking with those who may be affected by the realization of your goal – they will understand that you are working for your dream.
If they don’t, then you will have to make a choice between living in their comfort zone with their fears or living for your actualization. Know this: it is not selfish to put yourself first.
Yes, with increased income comes more taxation and fiscal responsibility. Realize that your money flow is from a larger source.
It’s easy to think about this from your current financial state and become fearful, saying things like, “I can’t afford $XXXXX in taxes.”
And at this moment, in your current state, you may be right. You have a valid point.
But, if you were earning ten times, or one hundred times more money, the increased taxes are only a small percentage of that flow. In your new state of being, that outflow is minor.
It’s time to live in the awareness of your new state of being.
Your homework for this week:
1 Write down your goal in clear detail. Yes, you’ve written it before, but remember, repetition is a key to embedding a message into your subconscious.
2 Now close your eyes and think about all of the complications that you can think of that would be reasons that you WOULD NOT want to accomplish your goal. Feel the emotions that accompany them.
Write down these reasons and their paired emotions.
3 Close your eyes again and imagine all the good things that will come from your accomplishment. Maybe your finances are improved, maybe you are helping others through outreach or creating employment opportunities… imagine those positive outcomes and feel the emotions that go along with them.
Write down the things that support your success and the feelings that are associated with them.
4 Compare your lists.
Are your limiting thoughts and fears valid reasons to hold you back from achievement?
Can you see ways to navigate these limitations to overcome or negate them?
When you compare the feelings of limitation to the feelings associate with success, which are stronger?
5 Decide: Do you want your outcome?
After comparing the emotions associated with your goal, do you still want to achieve it?
If your answer is no, then I have two questions for you:
A Do you want to make adjustments to your outcome that put it more in alignment with your higher good?
If so, write down those changes. Consider this an editing phase to fine tune the image of your goal.
Repeat the exercise above.
B If you have decided that you goal is just too much work and that you are not worthy or deserving of achieving it, stop reading now.
It’s been a pleasure knowing you. Go back to what you were doing in life and have a good time.
For those who are still reading:
Homework part 6
Meditate on the positive emotions associated with your success. Do this every day.
The objective here is to associate our powerful, positive emotions and excitement with our desired outcome.
Through this repetition of message, you are creating the means to increase the association of positive emotions with your goal and negate the limiting ideas that are holding you back.
Limits have no place in your life.
We’d love to hear about your insights this week.