Student Ambassador Julieta Ranieri offers a personal insight into a pseudoscience that she uses to stay motivated towards her goals…
Have you ever found yourself slacking, missing motivation, and being driven far away from your goals? Or stuck in the same loop of “I don’t know where to start”, which eventually takes you nowhere?
As future members of the hospitality industry most of us, whether directly or not, draw up a list of long and short term goals that we want to achieve at a certain point in life. Academic goals, financial goals, emotional goals. The obvious approach is usually “work hard to achieve those goals”, but the occasional burnout that makes said goals seem further and further away from us does tend to appear.
Especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of our goals have had to be put on hold for the time being, due to our inability to work, travel, or socialize. And online classes – while a replacement we’ve all had to get used to – cannot be as effective as face-to-face education. Therefore, the constant feeling of “I am working to the best of my abilities but my goals seem further away” or “I am never going to achieve this goal” is very much present.
This is my “law”
In this article, I want to introduce you to the pseudoscience of the Law of Attraction. It has been my motivational tool for the past two years, and in that time I have not once regretted its practice. I am going to walk you through the basics of the theory, the methodologies of said theory, and how it helps me every day, in an attempt to help you consider this new strategy for your future career goals.
The theory of the Law of Attraction is based on the concept of manifestation and the belief that negative thoughts attract negative experiences; while positive thoughts attract positive experiences.
Odds are that, if you have ever seen the movie The Secret, you already know what I am talking about. While never proven, the Law of Attraction has grown in advocacy and popularity as a motivational tool, on the concept of “sending out into the universe what you want or need, and the universe will give it to you”. Via the utilization of constant visual motivators and manifestation practices, the Law of Attraction claims to help you visualize your goals and work harder for them.
“The aim of a dream board is to have it placed somewhere you will see it every single day, and it will constantly remind you what you want and what you are working for, and achieve a higher level of motivation.”
How it works
Whilst mostly visual, the methods that encompass the Law of Attraction are many. One of the most popular ones is the creation of ‘dream boards’. These are collections of pictures and quotes that represent clearly the things you want to achieve, whether in the short or the long term.
The aim of a dream board is to have it placed somewhere you will see it every single day, and it will constantly remind you what you want and what you are working for, and achieve a higher level of motivation. A lot of people use just pictures; some people mix them up with quotes, or some people just write their goals in lists that they can see often.
Personally, I have been making dream boards and lists every year, following the story of YouTuber Amber Scholl – who started out as a broke college student in Los Angeles and has grown her career online with the Law of Attraction and now inspires others to do the same.
I collect pictures of things I want to achieve – objects I want to buy, academic grades I want to get, amongst others – and make a visual dream board; both a physical one and a digital one, on my iPad or computer.
Supporting my hospitality studies
I have found the Law of Attraction and the visual techniques to be a vital part of my life as a hospitality student. We, the future generation of hoteliers, grow up in a community of success and constant need of affirmation. And sometimes living up to our desired lifestyles and goals can be discouraging, stressing and difficult.
Having something to work for every day and being constantly reminded that your hard work is worth it is a great aid to a successful career. Because why would we believe that if we push ourselves for our dreams, the universe will not recognize it?
My message to you is that the Law of Attraction is worth a try. It might not be everyone’s ideal motivation theory, but there is essentially nothing to lose with trying. It has helped me study hard for my grades, push through my internships and fight the negative thoughts and criticism that arose.
So grab a big piece of cardstock, a glue stick and scissors. Print out all those goals you want to achieve – even if they look insane or unachievable – and stick them on. You will be reminded every morning of what you are fighting for and the grind will become much easier.
For a more formal introduction to the Law of Attraction, you can read my academic essay on the topic – just click this link to download it.
