The Bible Passage more potent than the Law of Attraction.

What is the key to getting more success and happiness out of life? If you believe in the Law of Attraction, you might trust the maxim that “like attracts like” and that by focusing on the positive you can attract the positive. Believe you’re going to land that job, win that contest, find the ideal mate, and good things will come your way.

To a certain degree it makes sense, because nothing good ever comes out of negative thinking. But if you’re like me, you may have discovered the Law of Attraction doesn’t always work the way we envision it. In spite of our best efforts, the outcome is not always what we expected. Sure, the Law seems to work sometimes—just not all the time.

But recently I read a twist on the Law of Attraction that makes a little more sense, that rings a little more true. It was called out in a book by John Templeton, the billionaire businessman turned spiritual philosopher, who believed the following Bible passage held the key to a happy and successful life. It’s found in Acts 20:35 and reads:

It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

Now Templeton didn’t just quote this passage, he took it a step further and put a little more context around it. He linked it with the Law of Attraction to form this simple but powerful idea:

Giving can make you a magnet for success, because good attracts good.

 What Templeton has done is swapped the idea of positive thinking bringing you a positive outcome—and replaced it with the notion of doing good bringing you a favorable outcome. It’s a formula that’s set in motion by the act of giving. Templeton has even set up some rules around this idea:

• If you want to be happy, strive to make someone else happy. Give happiness.
• If you want to have more love in your life, strive to be a more loving person. Give love.
• If you want to be successful, help others to succeed. Give of yourself.

It’s the Law of Attraction brought to a higher, more meaningful level—because it doesn’t just center around positive outcomes for ourselves. It recognizes that we’re part of something bigger, that what is good and positive for us must also be good and positive for others.

As Templeton points out, “if you only receive, that’s all you end up having. If you give, you have the pleasure of knowing that you have helped others, plus the rewards that giving brings back to you.” And it all starts by taking to heart a simple Biblical passage:

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

The truth is if we want more happiness, success and love out of life, we have to give more to life. It’s a good reason to forget about receiving and start “giving” today.

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