The Law of Attraction gets a ton of buzz these days. The publishing/DVD juggernaut, The Secret has sold millions of copies, promising people that if they just ask for something, and really believe they'll get it -- why, they'll most certainly get exactly what they want.

It's so simple! So easy! And so flawed.

Indulge me a minute. I am going to ask for something that supports a passion I have nurtured for years -- football. What I'd really like is to be a defensive lineman for the Washington Redskins.

Yup, me. A nearly 48 year old woman. A defensive lineman. Now, how plausible is it to think I can "manifest" getting that assignment?

You could argue that given the past couple of seasons the Redskins have had, perhaps a 48 year old woman could do a better job than what they've got...

But, honey, the truth is that big, muscley 48 year old dudes don't play the line. They are too old. As to me, I would take the first hit and crumble into a pile of fractured bones and dislocated everything else. I'd boo-hoo like a little girl. If I lived.

So the Law of Attraction, applied to me getting a line position in the NFL, ain't gonna happen,no matter how much I want it or how positive I am.

However, I can attract opportunities to support my passion for football. I can fully, shamelessly own that I am a football-loving woman. I could even create opportunities to attend more games. I'll bet you I can even get invited to a box! Those are all plausible ways I can attract good things around my passion.

Which is what the Law of Attraction is all about. You can attract things into your life when you are consciously allowing what you want, rather than unconsciously rejecting them.

A few months ago I decided that I would hold the thought in my mind, "There will always be a parking place for me." And, guess what? Now there is always a parking place for me, right in front of wherever I go. It's weird. And fun.

There's an old story that says the natives couldn't see Columbus' ship as it neared their island because they had no word for it in their vocabulary. For the natives, the ship simply did not exist.

I wonder if the Law of Attraction is like that. We create thoughts to support our goals, giving those thoughts names, and then we are able to see them. Maybe parking spots have always been available in front, but my thought was "There's not going to be anyplace to park", so I didn't see what was right in front of my eyes.

A friend who says she wants a partner more than anything, and follows that thought with "but I'm 50 now and am reconciled to the idea that it's probably not going to happen for me" is creating a situation where she can't see the great men who are already there in her life. If she could shift her consciousness to "There is someone who will be a great partner to me, and I may already know him or will meet him soon", my guess is that she'd find a great partner pretty quick.

I believe the Law of Attraction is about getting myself into alignment (clear about who I am and what I want, positive, open to new ideas and people, and honoring the authentic "me") and then simply allowing what I need to flow to me.

I know this works. Because it's the way I live. And some wonderful things flow into my life. People, opportunities, money, love and happiness. When organizing your life around attracting that which you need, every day is like unwrapping a lovely gift.

The Flaw of Attraction is the idea that anyone can get anything by just asking and believing. But the real Law of Attraction requires the hard work of self-awareness, and a shift from only seeing limits to seeing possibilities. Only then can you allow all the good things already in place around you to flow.