Giving your way to Happiness

There have been  books such as Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intention and Think and Grow Rich  by Napoleon Hill, as well as many others which discuss the concept of the "Law of Attraction." The Law of Attraction is basically that what you are is what you will find more of in your life. If you think positive thoughts, you will attract positive events and energy. If you are generous, you will attract generousity. It sounds like a new-age, incredibly hokey concept. But let's examine it for a minute.
There has been plenty of science that supports the benefits of  positive thinking. My understanding of the Law of Attraction is basically that it is positive thinking + positive action. Let's look at an example of how the Law of Attraction might change an outcome:

Jane is feeling down and isolated from her friends. In fact, she doesn't even feel her friends like her anymore since no one has called her in over a week. She walks to the coffee shop, head down, feeling bad and thinking, "I'm so lonely. I'm a loser. Who would want to be friends with me anyway?" Her day doesn't improve.

Jill is also feeling down. She decides that she is going to push these bad feelings away and make the most of her day. Even though no one has called her in over a week, she calls one of her friends. "Hey Jill, where have you been?" her friend asks, "you haven't called me in over a week!" After that, Jill walks to the coffee shop and notices the beautiful weather - and someone smiling at her. She's feeling a lot better.

In this example, positive thoughts plus positive action seemingly move the universe to give Jill a different response than Jane got. They each got what they gave and it wasn't too hard to see why. Now, this is admittedly a simplified example, but we can see how it works. If you take an open, positive stance in life rather than a fetal-position, waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop attitude, you are more likely to "attract" open positive events in your life.

So how does this apply to giving?

Just as in the example above, you miss opportunities and benefits if you don't give.

Many of us have read about the health and psychological benefits that we receive from altruism, including stress relief, increased peace of mind, and improved social support. If you give from your heart to something you care about you cannot help but get something back. It's like trying to be angry with a huge smile on your face. Because you put yourself into that state of grace, you can't help but feel better. It also opens you up to opportunities. If you are a giver, people will want to give back to you. If you give to those less fortunate, your problems will likely seem smaller. If you are giving to something you care about, you are building the vision you have for a better world.

Giving well, which means giving to something you are passionate about in a way that resonates with who you are, will almost definitely put you in a state of mind that is more open, optimistic, generous and peaceful. These attributes alone should be enough to make you want to give. Who doesn't want to feel that way? But that is not all that happens. People are attracted to positive people. Your blessings seem to grow. The mystery of the "Law of Attraction" starts to work for you. By becoming more open and generous you begin to change the lives of others, and your own life as well.