The answer to that is most definitely no! But it’s something that I have been thinking about for some time for two reasons. I was angered at the simplistic way in which the Law of Attraction was being described and wanted to respond in some way. Quantum physics demonstrates that we are all part of one great energy field of which even our thoughts are part. But how damaging is it to think that what we attract into our lives is due to the thoughts we put out there? Think of the guilt and the fear and the anxiety that that creates.

I then went on to read an article written by Barbara Ehrenreich in which she described her anger at her diagnosis of breast cancer and her feelings about “the tyranny of positive thinking”. Her views were reinforced by Jenni Murray, another well known breast cancer “survivor”. As I read their words it has given me the courage to say what I want to say about some of this positive thinking stuff and then go on to what I think can be useful. Anger, depression, fear must be experienced by all women given such a devastating diagnosis as breast cancer and to suppress it is brewing trouble for later; it is part of a natural grief process.

However there is no doubt that bringing positivity into our lives has an impact mentally, emotionally, physically and socially. I have been reading Barbara Frederickson’s book “Positivity” in my quest to find some evidence to support positive thinking. Barbara is a scientist through and through, and has used randomized controlled trials, the gold standard of research, to demonstrate the impact of positivity. She has also seen the impact in her own life and the lives of others. Her key argument is that positivity broadens and builds the mind. She also suggests that there is a tipping point which predicts whether people flourish or languish and that tipping point is three positive experiences to one negative. The book is full of ideas for how we can do that. She does not suggest for one minute that we can or should banish or ignore negative experiences from our lives

Finally I want to express my anger at the amount of stuff there is out there suggesting that this is all so easy and there are people making loads of money on the back of it. That does no favours for my profession of coaching. Change is never easy but there is a body of evidence growing out there to demonstrate that whatever age we are we can change the way our minds and consequently our brains work. It is possible to create new neural pathways in three months. Therefore a life coaching package of three months can give you results.

You can buy Barbara’s book should you wish via the recommended reading section of my website.