"There’s a difference we sometimes fail to notice between willing the good and willing the goods. The most common misconception about the secret of life is this: When you set your intention and decide what you want, you can control the universe—or at least your little corner of it—and find happiness."

-Joan Borysenko

As the quote says above: there is a difference between willing the good and willing the goods. Or, to put it another way, "You are here in this lifetime not to work the Mysteries, but to let the Mysteries work you."

When I first began to understand the Law of Attraction I saw it as a magical formula for willing the goods, a way to control the universe, to work the Mysteries, for the purpose of getting whatever I wanted. But even then I intuitively understood that it was not that simple. If it were, why wouldn’t everybody just always get what they want? And why are so many on this planet who got what they wanted, materially speaking, not happy? While the mass success of Rhonda Byrne's The Secret shows humanity is more hungry for happiness and fulfillment than ever before, her approach is an echo of our current level of consciousness--where we try to use universal laws to serve our egos instead of the other way around. We're trying to will the goods, but perhaps we're missing out on willing the good.

I want to be clear that I'm not saying it is bad to want to have things or do things. After all, that's why we are here: to experience! But I do believe that if we always look outside of ourselves to find happiness, it will never work. We are all here to fulfill a greater purpose and by manifesting only to serve our personality’s desires without also manifesting our best selves we will never be truly satisfied. There is nothing wrong with material goods, for sure. But if I am only serving myself, only desiring goods as the sole means of self-fulfillment and satisfaction, then how am I serving myself, anyone else, or my Soul? That is what I mean by willing the good. It is looking at the motivation beneath our desires and ensuring that they are life-sustaining. By placing your intention on the giving of your inherent talents and passions, your ‘good,’ you serve others, yourself, your world, and your Soul. And, you receive joy as well as material goods in exchange.

It is my suggestion that rather than spending your time focusing on attracting the goods, you instead focus on willing your good. Yes, you need to eat, pay the bills, etc. but as you set your intention on inner abundance, and on giving THAT abundance away to others, something miraculous will occur: the goods do indeed show up!

Excerpted/adapted from the book Delighting the Soul: Lessons on Life Purpose, Authenticity & the Law of Attraction.