Self-Fulfilling Prophesies, The Law of Attraction and Affirmations

Definitely not posting as much anymore but still keeping up with the bi-weekly posts. Thanks for reading!

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Back in high school, we had to read the ancient Greek play Oedipus. The story was about this guy Oedipus who kills his father and marries his mother without knowing that they were his parents. The reason he didn't know was because when he was still a baby, it was prophesied that this would happen, so the father trying to run away from this destiny left the baby on a mountainside to die. Of course, some couple finds him and raises him and then he grows up to do all those things. 

Whenever I hear stories like this, I'm always left thinking... well what would've happened if the father didn't believe in the prophesy and raised his own son? Would Oedipus still have killed his father? Or did the father basically commit himself to his fate the minute he tried to kill his baby? 

I don't think any of us believe in self-fulfilling prophesies, but there's also these "new-age" ideas called "Affirmations" or the "Law of Attraction" where people believe that whatever positive or negative thoughts you have, you attract positive or negative energy into your life. 

So I used to think these ideas were kind of ridiculous. Like I thought, if this is really how life works, why bother working hard. All you have to do is sit there, think happy thoughts, and good things will come your way. But now that I've reflected on these ideas a little more, I don't think that's how these philosophies really work. 

What I think they're trying to say, (or what I'm trying to say), is that if you're thinking positive or negatively, it can paint your experience and how you interpret things in a positive or negative light. 

It's crazy how perception can distort your reality. 

Maybe you think you're an unlucky person. But maybe you just remember all the times you've been unlucky because you've been worrying about being unlucky all the time. And we just tend to remember the negatives more than the positives. 

So for example, one of the things I had to deal with when I first started therapy, was this self-image I had that I wasn't fulfilling my potential.

I felt under-achieving and felt that I didn't work hard enough and I realized that I kept affirming these beliefs because of what I call, the "buts"

You were great, "but"...

You worked hard, "but"...

You're smart, "but"...

And I'd ALWAYS be waiting for that "but". Which kept me from really enjoying my accomplishments because I'd just be waiting to hear where I wasn't "perfect". 

So it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, because when I do hear the "but", it's like, "ugh, I knew it was coming". But the thing is, there's always going to be a "but." 

I've come to terms with the "buts". Because they are what drives and motivates me. And now that I realized that I had these "buts," I have more control over how I let them affect me because I'm aware that they're influencing how I interpret my experiences.