thoughts about the law of attraction?
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thoughts about the law of attraction?
How does the law of attraction work? I heard about it briefly yesterday. At face value, seems scientifically unsound.
the secret was crap
Forget about the movies and opinions of the movies. If a movie is a bad movie it doesn't mean the principle of attraction is wrong.
You dream your world. Focus on what you want and you will dream that into your world. Focus on what you don't want and you will dream that into your world. Of course, you may need to work at it. Do everything you can for what you want and you get what you want. Put all your energy into avoiding what you don't want and you end up running from what you don't want, and it chases you. Be optimistic, not pessimistic.
It is very simple. It is a natural law so everyone knows it, they just do not know that they know it.
Nobody created it, so there is no HOW that you don't already know deep in your heart by the virtue of being human it is your birthright just like drawing a picture with crayons is for a child.
Personally I hate the phrase "law of attraction" and never use it to describe the method...but the method works. It's like the universal placebo effect.
So I've been dreaming of girls all my life but I still haven't had a girlfriend. Fuck the law of attraction! It doesn't work.
What you need to do to make your dreams come true is simply act. Your actions can attract girls yes, but your dreams cannot.
Napoleon Hill's book was not about the law of attraction.
Good point his book was basically about using desire.
Action is part of it. You do what you can to get what you want. Things like trying to get other people like girls is harder because girls are not things. And even if you practice the law of attraction but are a jerk then you still ain't going to get a girl. I am not saying that you are a jerk, I'm just saying... Yes, action works, it is putting your energy into getting what you want. Sometimes action is not possible, but you can put action into something symbolic, this is how ritual works, etc.
Pretty much the best post in here.
I've read tagr several times and nowhere does it talk about attracting ones dreams via mental strain. The closest thing to where you're reaching is the chapter on sexual transmutation, but then again.. you'd still be reaching quite a bit. Please, take the time to actually read the book before tossing it into the crap factory that preys on poor - middle class gullible individuals like the secret does. Thanks. =/
Bullshit.
Sure, if you want things enough you'll be more likely to do something to achieve it, and you'll notice it more when it does happen. But the magical wishful-thinking-makes-stuff-come-true? Come on...
Still, his book wasn't even about that.. It's more about crystallizing an achievable idea in the mind, planning on how to achieve it, and persisting in action so success will be inevitable.
It does talk about using the mental strain of desire to attract your actions. I think what this guy was trying to point out that the way to get rich is to desire money. The fastest way to get rich is to have money as your only desire, hence the sexual transmutation. But then again, I only skimmed through the book, so I could be very wrong.
I think where general idea of the law of attraction is going wrong is saying that thinking about X is enough to gain it. What the law of attraction really is trying to say, is that being obsessed with X is going to make you gain it for sure. If your only goal in life is X, you will get it, for sure. You are getting ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWZ all the time, all you need to do is stop getting those so you will get XXXXXXXXX instead!
The only way to make the law of attraction work, is to think about X.. all the time. The moment you abandon X for sex for example, you make the law of attraction fail as you stop attracting X you start attracting sex. What the law of attraction forgets to mention is that we are already using it all the time. We are already using the law of attraction to achieve everything we do, so in order to achieve something else we must first see how we are already using it, stop using it that way, and then, start using it again, but for X instead of whatever other thing you were thinking about before.
If you think the law of attraction doesn't work, then according to the law of attraction, this type of thinking will attract the law of attraction not working. Your mind is like a filter, and if you believe something doesn't work, you will only see things that confirm this believe, and filter out things that do not confirm to this believe, and this is the power of the law of attraction! But obviously, the law of attraction can also lead to and in most cases does lead to misfortune, something that is rarely mentioned.
Forget thinking, its 100% emotional.
The first step is actually the hardest. You must own up to the way your life is now, abandon accusing others, and take a deep look at yourself and why your life is how it is. If you aren't willing to accept that only you are solely responsible for the life you live now, then you've already given away your power to take control of your life. Victimhood won't get you anywhere.
It can be really hard to wrap around the idea that your life is the result, most primarily, of your emotional state of being, expectations, and beliefs. For most of us, that just seems impossible. (I can recommend some books if anyone is curious, but I'm not here to debate the validity of co-creating.)
But consider this. The average person is rarely lucid when they dream. And even when a dreamer is lucid, it doesn't guarantee that the dreamer recognizes the dream as THEIR dream, or even that they recognize that their dream characters are projections of them self!!
In other words, the average person doesn't even recognize their own mind when its staring back at them!! How much harder it is to recognize your waking life as the result of your own mind. You have to become aware of your own thoughts and emotions (waking lucidity). And if you want to change your life, you have to first accept that this means changing yourself. And NOT your circumstances. Change the way you feel. Change the way you feel towards situations. (we see this played out in dreams as well)
Changing your emotional state of being isn't so easy as changing your thoughts. Sure you can think of something happy, it won't guarantee you FEEL happy thinking it. So there is a huge difference between changing your thoughts, which you can do in a second, and changing your emotions. . . .Changing your emotions is going to take a little more work than just changing your thoughts. But consider this, the electromagnetic field produced by the heart is insanely more powerful than the electromagnetic field produced by the brain! The heart is literally more powerful than the brain.
Which is why its all in the emotions!
There are ways to help you change your emotional state of being, and take control right now.
I recommend:
First you have to recognize the difference between thoughts and emotions. Two you have to recognize what emotion it is you are feeling. Does it feel good? Does it feel bad? Becareful with those no-emotions. Most "I feel nothing"sis actually a red flag. Dig deeper on that emotion and you find fear, doubt, apathy, worthlessness, hopelessness, and so on and so on. The feeling of "I feel nothing" is very common in today's society. And I would even say society would have us believe the feeling of "I feel nothing" is NORMAL and NATURAL.
No its not!! It's an empty feeling that has you sit on your ass and waste away.
You want to change your life, you want to attract better things in your life, you have to change yourself, you have to change the way you feel. And that also means understanding that what society considers normal emotional states of being - isn't normal or healthy!
Happiness is our natural state of being. And its been scientifically proven that when we feel happy our bodies are healing and rejuvenating itself.
Three, you can practice feeling different regardless of where you are in life.
One simple exercise is to make a list of every negative emotion you can think of. Make another list of every positive emotion you can think of. The first list is easy. Can you get the second list past ten words, how about twenty? You might need a dictionary.
Now that you have your two lists, focus on a negative emotion. Try to conjure up the feeling of this emotion for a couple of minutes, at least five. Journal what you felt. And be honest if you didn't feel anything. Next pick a positive emotion, and try to feel that positive emotion for five minutes. Imagine what ever you need to imagine to conjure up that positive emotion, even if its unicorns licking your face. Note down what you felt. Repeat flopping back and forth between feeling negative and feeling positive. And repeat this exercise as often as you need to!
The more you do this the more you can recognize that your body undergoes distinct changes between negative and positive emotions. From being tensed to being relaxed. Become aware of your body, and you'll become aware of your emotions.
Or, if you're struggling to feel a positive emotion, then you can at least completely relax your body.
Only when you feel positive can you then add thought back into the picture of consciously co-creating. If you try to think of a positive situation to FORCE yourself to be happy, and to force a happy situation in your life, it won't work. It just doesn't work that way. Because no outer situation can bring you happiness, and your subconscious knows this!
You have to feel happy first, and then outer situations can be an expression of your happiness, and not the other way around.
This subtle difference confused me for a long time. I would try to imagine a happier situation that I wanted in my life, to feel happy. You know what happened? That "happier situation" became harder and harder to obtain. Because what I was really sending out was "I feel miserable unless I have this". I was subtly demanding the Universe to make me feel happy. Doesn't work that way.
So take it from me. The emotion comes first.
And if you need thoughts to help you conjure up an emotion, try a visualization meditation instead. Imagine yourself in a beautiful and healing environment. And then when you feel healed and happy, only then can you think of all the things you desire in your life. (if you even still desire them!)
BTW I really recommend stepping into the emotion of Complete. :D
What you are talking about is the female perspective. For women emotions generate thinking, for men thinking generates emotion. (Explanation: As the present is created from the past and the future is generated from the present, we can conclude, there is only the present moment, there is only now. We imagine time as linear, as a line, but there is only a dot. There is only the present, only right now exists. Why does this matter? Because it allows you to change cause into effect and effect into cause. In an infinite small time-frame, it is impossible to tell which is the cause, and which is the effect.)
What the fuck is the emotion of complete tho?
To Juroara, I didn't read your whole post, but I agree with the idea that your position in life is created by the mass of emotions that is your personality. I've been pondering this ever since the middle of last year. Your entire emotional state as a whole is reflected within your life, meaning that if you feel something is one way, the more you will affect reality over time to make it become that way. This happens subconsciously through your actions, and is in fact nothing more than placebo. It is possible that on the quantum level we are affecting reality by some other means with our emotions (i.e. "magic"), but that isn't a viable explanation for skeptics, and I honestly feel much more sane believing it is our actions that our subconscious acts through which creates the effects. Think of it this way. If you were to lay in the same spot in bed for 24 hours in an empty house in the middle of an empty desert with your doors locked, it wouldn't matter what mood you were in; the same thing's going to happen: nothing. However, if you were to walk around a busy city having strong emotions (let's say you're very irritated), you would have much more effect on the environment around you because you interact with it much more. Soon enough, you'd be making people irritate you because they subconsciously accept your subconscious reality that they irritate you, causing them to act in irritating ways toward you, once you have enough interaction with them. The same applies to inanimate objects; you are subconsciously drawn to things which your subconscious deems to fit into its present emotional reality, increasing your chances of slipping on the unseen banana peel or choosing to insert your change into the kind-of-shady-looking-but-who-cares-i-just-want-a-damn-coke-right-now, broken vending machine. Your emotional state forces you to only accept things of that reality into your life, therefore making that predominantly your reality. This is out of your control until you choose to take control of your emotions and actually change them. This isn't the same thing as denial; denial is simply covering up your true emotions.
I probably didn't do the best job of explaining this; it's hard to put it into words.
I think you did a pretty good job explaining this, it cleared up alot for me, very nice insight! I know understand what juraora was trying to explain. So basically what you are saying is how you see and feel the world is how the world is going to react to you?
Yes, or to make it more simple, it's your mood that determines your day; it's your personality that determines your life. It's all subconscious.
It's also very easy to change your subconscious, therefore your personality, within lucid dreams. Try taking a "positive" pill in your dreams and tell me how that affects you tomorrow. :)
I don't know much about it, but IMO simply believing something will happen, it doesn't mean it will. It's different than a placebo effect though, in which it only affects yourself and doesn't cause things to happen externally.
...I'm finding it really hard to explain this. :P
It greatly increases the chances, by letting it happen and causing you to take action to make it happen. There is also more at work on the subconscious level. Most people would like to be millionaires, but few ever take the action to become one. In the United States it's actually relatively easy to get rich, but few have the confidence or willpower to become one unless they're born into a rich environment. Many people blame laziness, but that's just a label. They lack the motivation, which is wanting it and believing they can have it. Everything that happens originates internally.
Think of it this way. If you go around thinking that nothing you do is going to make you a millionaire, you'll probably miss the opportunity. You could get a great idea, but discard it because you think to yourself, "Nah, that's never gonna work." If you take action with confidence that it will happen, you have a much higher chance of succeeding. Of course you need to know certain information to make something happen and you're not going to instantly know that when you believe you can do it, but having the motivation causes you to learn those things to allow you to do what you want, followed by actually accomplishing it.
It's very simple; believe something, and it comes true. (Of course in actuality it's something of a much greater probability, but you can't be thinking of probabilities in this case, because that causes doubts. Just make it simple. Believe it, and it's true.)
The Law of Attraction is a crock of shit. Anything worth having in life you have to work for, thinking about it and wanting it doesn't make it appear. Actions direct your destiny, not magical fairy thoughts! The only thing I can think that makes this work is a Placebo, or you could just have confidence in yourself instead.
See my previous post.
In effect, it is only your actions which determine what happens in your life. I believe that your subconscious works through your actions, which is why you can often get a 'feel' for somebody by interacting with them.
The more you think about something, the greater a part of your reality it becomes, and the more your actions are influenced by those thoughts.
Has anybody else here heard about the double slit experiment? An experiment is set up such that a focussed beam of light shines through two slits of metal (I think it was metal). When this is done, the photons shine through the slits in a wave-like manner, as opposed to a particle-like manner. In the experiment, when a conscious observer present in the same room as the apparatus is told the light will shine through only the left slit, the light behaves like a particle and shines only through the left slit. When he is told it will shine through the right slit, it shines only through the right slit. When he is told the light will shine through both slits, it does so. This is without changing any of the mechanics of the experiment, with the only variable being the prejudice of the observer, which is previously determined by the experimenter, who tells the observer what will happen without modifying the light apparatus in any way.
Basically, what can be concluded from this experiment, is that the prejudice of the observer changes the behavior of the beam of light. The beam of light only acts in the way that the observer believes it will act.
This leaves some food for thought as to whether it extends to all interactions with humans and their environment.
e: The particles were electrons, not photons.
e2: Fuck, I don't know. I'm reading online and seeing both photons and electrons.
Hmm, looks like I've got to retract my double slit experiment claim. I can't find the web page I read that from, nor can I find any other website making the same claim, so it's possible I misinterpreted what they were saying.
Yeah, as a general rule, whenever you see "consciousness" and "Quantum Physics" referenced in the same document, you can be pretty sure that there's a lot of bullshit coming.
Here's a video that gives an easy explanation of the experiment. It's pretty much like what MindGames said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc
So PhilospherStoned, how do you explain this experiment then if consciousness has nothing to do with it?
That experiment has nothing to do with consciousness. The number of people that don't understand this is astounding.
It's not the act of a consciousness observing it that changes it.
It's the method they use to observe it. The equipment they use.
Also this should be moved to SB/RS/IS
Ok so I guess Dr Quantum doesn't know what he is talking about, he says the observer collapsed the wave function by simply observing? What does he mean then when he says this?
So what you are saying is that if they use tool A to observe, it will be particles, and if they use tool B to observe, it will be waves? How exactly does the equipment, the method they use, change particles into wave? You say the number of people that don't understand this is astounding, so it would be pretty cool of you if you did us a favor and gave us the explanation. :P
edit: I did some reading and apparently nobody understands the double slit experiment. This kinda pisses me off as people will claim this experiment shows us something but at the same time nobody even understands the experiment? What the hell is the point of this experiment if nobody even understands it?
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc...0/phy00713.htm
Anyway, the experiment seems more like an unexplained mystery. The only explanation I can come up with is that light photons never really were particles to start with, and that light are actually waves, like you have soundwaves, waterwaves etc. Tada mystery solved. Or maybe they are just both. So yeah you were right tommo this experiment has nothing to do with consciousness at all. It's all about the confusion about whether light is particles, or whether light is waves.
It is the act of observation that collapses the waveform. The observer does not have to be human, nor does it have to be conscious, although the observer can be human.
ChaybaChayba,
The particle only collapses at the moment it is detected. In fact, no tool can observe the waveform, since it is only a mathematical concept, and when we try to observe the waveform, we simply end up observing a particle. The only point in time that any tool can observe a particle is when the waveform collapses into a concrete value. In fact, a particle collapses into a static value at the first moment it is detected. It is only the point in time in which the particle is detected which determines what the final result will be on the electron detection screen. There's your explanation. :)
Obviously there is some confusion here, so let me explain the particles' behavior so that we're all on the same page. In the case of the double slit experiment, the electron is shot out of the device, and as it travels, it is a waveform since it has no need to collapse into a particle since it travels undetected.
When it passes through the double slits when there are no detectors on the slits, it is still a mathematical waveform of probabilites while it travels through the slits (meaning it hasn't collapsed into a static value yet because it hasn't been observed by a device). The interference pattern develops after the waveform passes through the double slits because the waveform separated into two waveforms at the moment it passed through the double slits. Dr. Quantum explains the interference pattern in his video. It is because the waveform turned into two waveforms that it develops an interference pattern before it hits the electron detector on the back wall. When it hits the back wall, the waveform turns into a static value since it is detected. The probabilities of the placement of the particle change based upon the interference pattern that the single particle created with itself before it hit the screen.
Now, when the particle passes through the double slits when there are detectors on the slits, this is what happens: The particle shoots out of the electron gun as a single waveform, and when it reaches the double slits, the particle is detected by one of the two detectors, making it collapse into a static value at that point. Now, here's the interesting part: since the particle is already collapsed, that value is retained while it travels toward the electron detector on the back wall. Since its value was already detected at the point of the double slits, the electron travels as a collapsed particle with a static value, thus landing within one of the two slit-shaped lines on the wall. It is the location that the waveform is collapsed that determines its behavior later on.
Capiche? :shadewink:
Okay, that helped clear things up for me, too. The double slit experiment does not itself provide solid proof that it is consciousness that determines values (although it is possible in some complex way which I don't want to explain right now, so I'll leave it at that). In fact, it is the act of detection which collapses the 'waveform of probabilities' into a static value.
But what does this mean for the law of attraction? It doesn't necessarily mean anything. There's no evidence showing that we can change the probabilities of where the particle ends up being detected.
At this point, I am still convinced that it is simply our actions that our subconscious works through, and not some magical means. The fact still remains, though, that we can change our lives by changing our subconscious prejudices to accommodate what we want.
Aha thanks for the further explanation I think I get it better now.. that is pretty amazing indeed but its still a mystery why the observing affects the behavior.. so I am very much interested in your complex explanation about how our consciousness could determine the values tho that is pretty much what this thread is about anyway..
Hmm, I don't know if I'm going to be able to explain it. Basically, our consciousness could somehow be performing the conversion from waveform to the static value when anything is done to permit determination of the results of the experiment. If that were the case, that would mean that all of our consciousnesses would have to be somehow interlinked, otherwise physical reality would change from person to person. It would also mean that our consciousnesses are interlinked with physical reality itself.
Anyway, there's nothing saying that it is our consciousness that does the work; it's just a possibility. It's interesting, though, that this does provide an explanation as to how probabilities of a waveform are changed into actual values.
Interesting speculation... combine it with the theory of our consciousness being an electromagnetic field, and it becomes a real possibility as electromagnetic fields naturally harmonize and resonate with eachother, just like you would pull a string on a guitar, the other strings will also resonate. This opens up the possibility of all our minds being interlinked through resonance.
Electromagnetic theories of consciousness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
However I still don't see how exactly our consciousness would perform the conversion from waveform to static value, what kind of mechanism did you have in mind?
Well, don't get ahead of yourself now. All I said was that it's a possibility. There are in fact many other explanations for the phenomena, some of which are more believable than consciousness being the process for wave function collapse.
If consciousness was the reason for the collapse of wave functions, it would be making these calculations behind the scenes somehow.
I'd much rather remain skeptical of any supernatural explanations since many more times than not, things can somehow be rationally explained.
You guys should read the Intention Experiment, some interesting ideas if you want to read more science meets the law of attraction. And becareful, no one here is assuming that the process is supernatural. But neither do I believe the process is simply you motivating yourself via emotions.
The Intention Experiment's website describes itself as an experiment which measures the effects of mass intention on objects. It has nothing to do with the Law of Attraction.
The Law of Attraction has been known as many things, including mind over matter and creative visualization. All of which are the act of consciously intending to manifest an outcome. The website was about performing your own intention experiment to prove to yourself that the Law of Attraction is real.
But actually I was referring to the book, not the website. The book talks about different experiments to help open up the reader to the possibility of how real of the Law of Attraction is. It asks a lot of questions regarding how it potentially works. It asks questions such as, what is intention (directed thought) composed of? Literally? At the quantum level, what is thought? Isn't it energy? What type of energy? And given everything we know about quantum physics, when we identify what exactly is consciousness, then we can understand some basic properties about consciousness that exceed the human body.
After discussing some experiments, the book offers the theory that thought/intention is literally composed of photons of light. This opens up the door to set up new experiments to study thought/intention.
In one experiment, going on the theory that intention is literally composed of light, they asked an individual to 'intend' to heal another, just from their thoughts alone. They watched the process using a telescope brought in from Nasa meant to see the darkest regions of space. When the individual intended to heal, light was seen emitting from their hands directed at the individual meant to be healed.
Virtually every experiment discussed in the book begged more questions than provided answers.
The book also asks the obvious questions we got from the Law of Attraction, can I use my thoughts to transform my cup into a kitten? Does consciousness only influence probabilities (the future) or can it also influence reality once its collapsed into a set reality? Either way, its comforting to know that the future is potentially a flux of infinite possibilities just waiting to collapse into something real. Nothing is set in stone!
What is the importance of frequencies? Namely, the different waves that brain operates at? How do the different brain wave states influence the outcome of collapsing probabilities? Are all intentions equal? What's more powerful, a thought or an emotion? Can we measure it?
I'm not saying that the book answers all of these questions. But what I think the book does aim at is to show thatthere is a lot to ask! It's not just a debate of whether or not thoughts manifest into reality. How can we even have that argument if we don't even know what a thought is at the quantum level?
Do you understand what I mean? A lot of people think the LOA is bullcrap, that theres nothing to look at, that theres nothing else to it. I say that these people aren't considering the quantum properties of our own mind, and what that could potentially mean. I partly blame our modern schools which separated the sciences, making many believe on a subconscious level that there is no relationship between quantum physics and biology. That we have laws for the tiny reality of particles, and laws for large things like organic molecules.
The problem with understanding what the LOA is saying is we haven't adequately merged the two fields of science into one. But there are scientists who are working on that, understanding what quantum physics means for our biological selves. It's a whole different paradigm than what most of us grew up with.
The other problem with the LOA is many people don't even recognize their own mind. Most of us carry baggage, negative thought patterns we aren't even aware of. It's very easy to say the LOA is bull because of all this junk in your life you didn't intend for when you haven't looked deep within yourself.
If you take the LOA seriously, it begs you to rip open your mind and excavate every dark corner. Because if you haven't, how can you be in control of your life, when you're not even in control of yourself?
I hate it so much when someone comes in to a fairly rational conversation and posts an 800 word slab of gobbledigook.
If someone believes that it will work, they will likely be more motivated and more likely to take realistic steps to achieve their desires. That's all it is. I'm guessing that for the very improbable things which, realistically, take a lot of luck as well as talent and work to achieve, most people fail. But those who do make it, mostly due to luck, are the ones you hear about, and they insist it was the law of attraction that caused their success.
My view is that our subconscious influences the actions we make based on what we believe is true. Everything you pointed out is true, although I don't agree about the luck part. I think you can accomplish anything with enough determination and belief that it will happen. (With the exception of, for instance, dying before you accomplish it, the task being impossible, etc.)
What about becoming the a great mathematician when you have very little understanding of math and very little ability to grasp the concepts?
Do you think you can influence your brain to restructure itself so you're good at it?
As opposed to a savant or a genious who had the luck of having an innate ability to do maths.
Can the process be reversed? Un-collapsing the particle back into a waveform, that is.
I ask because I'm confused about how the electron is emitted as a waveform in the first place. If it interacts the detectors on the slits and collapses into a known value, why does it retain that value on its path to the wall sensors?
I haven't looked into it, but my common sense tells me that the brain is very powerful, and people can change their brain structure to a certain extent, making themselves better at solving problems, memory, etc. I've always believed this, just from witnessing what I'm able to do with my own brain. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out there is a limit to how good someone can get at something, at least in some areas, and that limit might be different for different people, but maybe not.
As for things in the real world, I think a lot of it unfortunately is luck. For example, the chance that a particular business has of succeeding, no matter how creative and innovative and charismatic and intelligent its members are, since there are so many businesses that are just as ambitious, is going to be due to what we might as well call random chance. A potential customer happens to be dating the boss's daughter, etc. It's analogous to winning a lottery, but maybe with better odds.
I believe differently. I believe that if a product is innovative and very useful, people will want to buy it, and will recommend it to others. There are many determining factors which go into how successful your business will be. Whether or not the business takes all of these into consideration is where their success is determined.
I know about that, but VVVV
I pretty much agree with this. I've had experiments and experiences with my own mind too, confirming this for me, even before I heard of neuroplasticity. However, most people can probably only do it to an extent. Research has also shown that some people are better at it than others.
Maybe given enough time, like if we achieved immortality, it would be possible to change your brain completely. Maybe.
But my understanding is that geniouses and savants etc. have fairly different brains to the average person, which enables them to do these amazing things and I'm not sure whether it is possible to change your brain that much. Of course I may be wrong, but no one knows at the moment.
Agreed.
This kind of thing isn't really chance. There's definitely determining factors. It's just a case of whether you know what they are. Of course it may be impossible to determine all the factors. But that doesn't mean they aren't there.
For example if I decided to set up a company which sells "small portable telephones".
It would most likely fail. But there could be a lot of people in the area where it's set up which have a good sense of humour and decide to buy one and it could spread from there. But you can still determine whether a demographic has a sense of humour which would help this company succeed.
Unless, I just realised, you might be talking about people who don't research these factors and just start up a business and just happen to succeed. But then there could be sub-conscious processes at work, "telling" them to set up this business, who knows.
But now I have forgotten why I am arguing this.
Oh yes (that analogy wasn't very good and I thought I was arguing solely about that for a second lol), if you're leaving it up to luck, you have a high chance of failing. 50% chance. No amount of wanting to succeed will increase your chances. This is proven by the studies in which "psychics" etc. fail to score any better than chance for a given task. Unless you make an exception for stuff which isn't physically possible.
But that's kind of contradicting your belief isn't it.