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Stop Chasing: Start Attracting

Updated: Jan 25

For most of my life, I was the classic overachiever, workaholic, and external validation addict. I chased goals like they were the last bus leaving a bad neighbourhood, and I couldn’t afford to miss one.


I had this relentless, almost frantic, need to be doing, achieving, and moving. My diary looked like a battlefield of to-do lists, deadlines, and goals that I was always hustling to meet. I wore my busyness like a badge of honour — until I realised it wasn’t making me happy: It was making me miserable.


Despite all the chasing, there was always something missing. I was so focused on where I should be going that I was completely disconnected from where I actually was. I was never present. And more importantly, I had forgotten to ask myself why I was so obsessed with chasing in the first place. What was I really running toward? Or worse, what was I running from? Was it a fear of not feeling worthy, a fear of abandonment, or that without achieving that I would not survive? These are our deepest fears, and they drive us incessantly and compulsively until we become conscious of it.


Stop chasing: Start attracting


That’s when I stumbled upon the concept of attraction — not in the cheesy, false social media “Buy my course to manifest millions” way, but the idea that instead of tirelessly pursuing every dream like it’s a fleeing opportunity, you can actually sit back and let things come to you. You are not in control.


The 'Law of Attraction', as it’s often called, didn’t just sound like some mystical, out-there concept anymore; it was starting to make a lot of sense. I was desperate for change, and something about letting go and allowing abundance to come to me felt like the peace I’d been missing.


So, I decided to experiment. What if, instead of chasing every goal with the intensity of a marathon runner at the last mile (I have run five marathons, I am sure for the same reasons), I focused on my energy? What if I took time to BE instead of do? What if I trusted that what was meant for me would come, without me needing to force it into existence?


At first, it was uncomfortable. It was a new habit. Every part of me wanted to jump back into my old habits. When you’re used to being in control all the time, trusting the Universe feels like driving with no seatbelt.


But I stuck with it.


I started small: Daily affirmations, meditations, and visualising what I wanted without obsessing over how it would come to me. I created space in my mind and life for the things I wanted, rather than cluttering my time with tasks that were just distractions disguised as progress or indications of self-worth..


It didn’t take long before I started noticing a shift. The first thing I attracted was peace — seriously, the kind of inner calm that I hadn’t felt in decades. I wasn’t constantly running on empty, or feeling guilty when I took a break. Then, the external changes started showing up.

Opportunities that I had once been frantically pursuing just started finding me. The right people showed up in my life at the right time. I started to feel that I didn't need accolades in order to love life.


Projects and connections I used to force were now flowing naturally, without me needing to try to shove a square peg into a round hole. It was like the more I released control, the more things fell into place. I was no longer chasing abundance; I was attracting it. And trust me, there’s a big difference.


The thing I realised is that chasing creates resistance. When you’re running after something, you’re essentially telling the Universe that you don’t have it. That lack mentality gets mirrored back to you.


But when you focus on attracting, you’re operating from a place of trust and abundance. It’s a mindset shift that says, “I already have everything I need,” and guess what? The Universe believes you.


Now, I’m not saying I just sit around doing nothing, waiting for my dream life to arrive on a silver platter. There’s still action involved, but it’s inspired intuitive action— action that feels aligned, not forced.


When I work on something now, it comes from a place of excitement, not desperation. The stress and panic of “What if this doesn’t work out?” has been replaced by the quiet , humble yet powerful confidence of “It’s already on its way.” Jesus used to pray with gratitude, safe in the knowledge that his prayers had already been answered. This is exactly how he performed miracles.


Shifting from chasing to attracting didn’t just change my external life; it changed me internally. I stopped seeing life as something to conquer and started seeing it as something to align with. Something to enjoy!


And when you’re in alignment, everything flows. It’s a lot more peaceful, and a heck of a lot more fun than chasing ever was.


So here’s my advice: Stop chasing. Start attracting.


You might just find that everything you’ve been running after is already on its way to you, the moment you stop running.


Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly

Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD.

Fully qualified and certified coach


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Hello,

I am very pleased to meet you. Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching.

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Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD

Fully qualified and certified coach


“Transformative life coaching uniquely creates and holds the space for you to see your self afresh, with clarity, and step into new ways of BEing, which will transform how you perceive and intuitively create your world. My work is to guide you to raise your own conscious awareness to the level that you want to achieve.”

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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have published over 50 peer reviewed scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works. I have written 400 articles for you and an eBook to guide you on your transformative journey, which are all available for free on my website - click on the link below:


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