The other night, I sat having dinner with two friends. One is an old friend, the other I just met that evening.

As we ate and talked, my old friend went on a mini-rant, complaining about some of the people in his life.

My new friend (who knew nothing about my work in the field of attraction) was having none of this complaining and came right back at him.

“You attract what you are,” he said.

My old friend did not take notice of this comment and the conversation moved on, but I lingered on the phrase.

Typically, I’ve heard people say, “You are what you attract.”

And while I suppose this is technically true, it feels passive and not an especially helpful or directive piece of advice.

Comparatively, “You attract what you are,” struck me as both informative and hopeful.

Here the responsibility for what you are experiencing falls squarely on the proper place — who you are being.

Second, I like the sense of hopefulness that I feel in this second phrase.

After all, “what you are” can change at any moment you choose.

Don’t like what you’re getting?

Just remember… you attract what you are.

So don’t complain. No one wants to hear it anyway.

Instead, look inward.

And change what you are.