Torque

"You have to say 'this is what I intend; this is what I will do if the universe is willing for me to do it.' So an intention is not a wish, and it is not a hope, it is the conscious use of your will." ~Gary Zukav

The words above are taken from what Gary Zukav told me when I asked him how people achieve fame. First, he taught me an important lesson. Being famous, he said, is not important. Not in the slightest. Being a positive influence in the world is important. Then if the universe wants you to be famous it will make you famous.

At the time I didn't know if I believed him. I was 17 years old. Mind you this was years before Oprah popularized The Secret, although she was friends with Mr. Zukav. For years motivational speakers have espoused the benefits of positive thinking. Mind over matter. Intention. But is any of it true? Although I deplore that some would capitalize on it as self-help authors and self-appointed gurus, I have come to believe it is true.

Years later, when I revisited the interview, I began to understand what Gary Zukav meant. This is what people speak of when they talk about the Law of Attraction, or about things seeming 'meant to be.'

Almost everyone I know can think of a time when things started to fall into place. When the pins and tumblers clicked and the locks opened. When things were going right. I would wager everyone who reads this can think of some time like that, and, probably, the feeling of rightness will be coupled with extraordinary coincidences.

It isn't magic. It is what it is. And, as Alexander Pope said, "What is, is right."

Many people don't believe in the law of attraction, even though they succeed by it. There is no need to. The universe doesn't care whether or not you believe. It cares about what you do. The key is posture, and -- you guessed it -- intention. Not to mention, I think, humility. Being humble may be the most important component of all.

And one more thing...

To make dreams a reality, something more is needed by the dreamer. Some internal harmony. Intentions within and without must coincide. And there must exist a drive. I will call this force Torque (known as intrinsic motivation to psychologists). Without torque, intention is nothing. If intention is a conscious use of your will, then torque is the energy that translates into willpower.

For my intention,

I will write as well as I can, as much as I can. People will read my stories for mindfulness; I will communicate with them. In the Fall of 2009 I will, if the universe is willing, attend a writer's workshop at the University of California - Irvine, or at the University of Iowa. I will be a positive influence in the world. I will be mindful. Above all, I will try my hardest every day to reach these goals, especially watching, as my father reminds me, for signs that I'm traveling the right path.

This is what I will do, if the universe is willing for me to do it.