Success Secrets: The Fractal Law of Success
by Molly Gordon, MCC

There are laws that govern the way our lives unfold, and they are the same as the laws that govern the world around us. Here is a timeless and essential success secret - understand and apply these laws, and you will begin to manifest success. In fact, if you understand and apply these laws, you cannot fail.

Consider fractals. (This article will make more sense if you have a visual understanding of fractals. You can view images of fractals at:
http://www.fractalus.com/ifl/) These are complex, self-similar shapes that repeat fundamentally similar patterns at ever increasing and decreasing scales. That is, when you magnify a segment of a fractal pattern, you will discover a microscopic version of the pattern. Magnify a still smaller section, and the same pattern will again emerge in infinite complexity with self-similar fidelity. Conversely, zoom out, and you will see the same patterns emerge.

In business, your beliefs, behaviors, and success or failure are part of a single fractal. Each aspect of this fractal shapes and is shaped by every other aspect. Your attitudes, aspirations, and ways of being generate the large and small actions you take each day. It is the sum of these actions and states of being that attract or repel opportunity and disappointment. (Yes, you can attract disappointment. In fact, if you are not paying attention, you can get quite good at it!)

Fractals explain why it is who we are being far more than what we are doing that determines the shape of our days and the quality of our experiences. Here's an illustration of fractals in action from my coaching practice of fractals in action. The client's identity has, of course, been changed.

Margaret's Story
Margaret was frustrated because, in spite of a concerted effort to market her art, she consistently attracted people who did not want to or could not pay for it. Her experience was that the people who liked her paintings could not afford to buy them at prices that would allow Margaret to support her family.

I asked Margaret lots of questions to help her become aware of her beliefs about the value of her work and the relationship between art and money. She soon realized that she believed that art patrons only valued work by dead painters! Further, she noticed that she harbored a resentment against people who had disposable income that they could spend on fine art.

As she practiced just noticing, without trying to change, her beliefs and emotions, she discovered that they were shaping her behavior and choices. She realized that in thousands of subtle shifts of speech and body language (not to mention attitude), she was infallibly creating the very result she complained about.

What's more, Margaret noticed that she tended to apologize for her prices and to assume that people would think they were too high. She would propose a reduced price or barter before her prospects ever had the chance to discover for themselves the value of her work.

Once she became aware of these patterns, we looked at them together. (It was important for her to have the support of a respectful coach at this step so that she would not fall into a trap of self-criticism.) Margaret saw the similarity between her own beliefs and behaviors and the results she was getting. Seeing this connection energized and inspired her, for this connected proved how powerful she really was. She was in fact, producing results in the outside world that precisely mirrored her inner state. It was not a theory any more, it was fact: she was "being" the kind of artist who could not earn a living.

Margaret began to play with new ways to think about and embody her offer as an artist. She practiced looking for examples of living artists were successful. She looked for examples of wealthy patrons who used their riches to bring joy and beauty to their own lives and their communities. She got curious about how it would feel to have patrons like that. Within a week she had sold three paintings at twice here usual prices.

What can you do with your life and business now that you know this timeless success secret?
Test the law of fractals in your life. Think of a situation in which you are being consistently frustrated. Describe it in a sentence or two. What is it you want and how is that desire being thwarted?

Now, imagine that this thwarting of your desire is part of a pattern that emerges from underlying beliefs and behaviors in you. This is no time to indulge in beating yourself up - it is time to simply observe what is so. In what ways are you not surprised by the results you are getting? In what ways can you notice yourself somehow stepping back from or getting in the way of the results you want? (One way to reveal hidden beliefs is to state the problem as you see it and add the phrase "and this means..." For example, "There isn't enough work to go around and this means I might as well not even try.")

Notice how these beliefs and behaviors are "self-similar" with the very results you dislike. Let yourself feel this direct connection, because in feeling this connection you will also experience your power to manifest results. Rather than trying to change your beliefs and behavior, just be curious. What would it be like if you felt differently? What would it feel like to believe that there is enough to go around?

Cultivate lightness as you play with the possibilities. After all, one sure way to get stuck is to gun your engine and spin your wheels. Once you begin to play with different ways of being you will have already disturbed the original pattern and things will begin to shift of their own accord.

A final word: this is not magic, it's life. Let these images and laws live in you! It's not about what you DO so much as it is about how.

Do you ever worry about whether you have the credentials you need to succeed? Read this article about the most important of all success secrets to find out how credentials can sabotage your business.