Nursing, The Law of Attraction, and Everything Else in Between

Every nurse has noticed it. You walk onto a quiet ward, think "this is going to be a good shift," and somehow it is. Or a coworker mutters that it's too calm, and fifteen minutes later the whole floor is calling out at once. We all know the colleague whose shifts feel cursed and the one whose shifts always seem to glide. This piece is about that pattern, and the idea that the way you think shapes the day you get.

The law of attraction, popularized by Rhonda Byrne's book The Secret, says like attracts like: what you focus on tends to show up in your life. Stay pessimistic and more of the same finds you. Steer your attention toward what you want and you start to notice it arriving.

All that we are is a result of what we have thought. – Buddha

You can read it as metaphysics or as plain psychology. Either way, where you put your attention changes what you see and how you carry yourself, and that changes how the shift goes. Doubt, negativity, and fear are what stall the things you're after. Here is how to work with it, whether you're stuck in a low-paying job, grinding toward the NCLEX, or just trying to move your life forward.

1. Visualize the outcome and feel it

When you visualize, then you materialize. If you've been there in the mind, you'll go there in the body. – Dr. Denis Waitley

Say you want to pass the NCLEX. Focus on the end: picture yourself at the computer seeing the pass result, and let yourself feel it. The relief, the pride, the doors it opens. Do it once a day, more if you want, and make the feeling real, not just the picture.

2. Drop the doubt

The universe likes speed. Don't delay, don't second-guess, don't doubt. – Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

You can feel confident in your head while your gut still holds the fear. That's where the work is. When a negative thought shows up ("I'm not good enough, I'm going to fail"), don't fight it head-on. Nudge it somewhere steadier: "Things are working out for me." Repeat it until it sinks below the surface. You're training your brain to treat the goal as possible.

3. Give joy and love to other people

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive, because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny. – Gandhi

Acts of kindness feed back to you. Be generous, and it tends to come back around.

4. Aim to feel good most of the time

Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions. – Albert Einstein

When you feel miserable, don't bury it. Acknowledge it, then let it go. A short walk or run, time outside, a favorite movie, your pets, even singing, all shift the mood. A bad day doesn't send you back to square one. Like the tide, your energy ebbs and flows. Off today, better tomorrow. It's a practice, not a switch.

5. Live as if it's already done

Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand. – Bob Proctor

Neville Goddard taught living each day as though the wish were already granted. Build a mantra that assumes it: "It's wonderful that I'm now a registered nurse." Repeat it until it feels ordinary, and belief follows.

6. Be grateful

Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren't grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more. – Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Thank the small things, even when the big picture looks bleak. Research on gratitude links the practice to greater happiness. The more you appreciate what you have, the easier it is to want and notice more good.

7. Learn to let go

Last night I lost the world, and gained the universe. – C. JoyBell C.

Letting go isn't quitting. It's releasing the anxious grip on the outcome. The NCLEX is a week out and the fear is climbing. Surrender it. State what you want, trust the process, and stop white-knuckling the result. Focus is what makes any of this work.