It’s time for another awesome reader question! Awesome Dudette asks: “How do you use the Law of Attraction to get rid of, say, B.O.? Or bad breath? Or even smelly feet?  And if you’re unlucky enough to have to work in a neighboring cubicle by “that guy”, how does one escape?” Brilliant question! And while the subject matter may seem a bit silly, much like the post on Yvonne the Cow, it will allow me to explain and illustrate some really important Law of Attraction principles. Because explaining LOA through weird and wonderful yet totally applicable examples is my specialty. You’re welcome.

If you are the stinky one

Does the subway clear out when you raise your arm to hold on to the rail? Has the CDC classified the stank emanating from your sneakers as a possible bio weapon? Do flies drop in mid air every time you yawn? Do your farts make your dog throw up? First of all, if this is you, know that I still love and accept you, but I reserve the right to do so from afar. Just saying.

I’m going to assume that if you have a problem of an odiferous nature, that you’re aware of it, and that you’d love to do something about it (as opposed to be proud of your stank and answering all the above questions with “Damn right!”) . In short, you’re stinky and sick of it. How can the Law of Attraction possibly help you?

Figure out what you want and line up with it

You know what you don’t want – to listen to your cat gagging melodramatically every time you take your shoes off, for example, and that has helped you to define what you do want: to smell good (or at least neutral), to feel comfortable in your own skin and around others. And when you focus on that, when you stop obsessing over the problem and start opening yourself up to the solution, the right solution for you will present itself.

Remember that manifestations will always show up in the way that’s easiest for you to allow and accept. So, instead of you waking up one morning, magically and miraculously stank-free, it’s probably much more likely that you’ll find a doctor, a treatment, a new kind of odor eater, a change in your diet, or a new deodorant that will finally rid you of your smelly aura. But you can’t find that solution while you’re still focused on the problem. You can use the technique I’ll be describing below to help with a funky co-worker, to help line up with the energy of being stank-free yourself.

If you’re being subjected to someone else’s stank

But what if you’re not the stinky one, but rather just being subjected to the odors of another? I actually have a certain amount of experience with this. In Europe, many offices aren’t air-conditioned, leading to some pretty sweltering conditions in the summer months. Add to that the fact that a large part of the population does not wear deodorant and you have a great chance of being slapped in the face by soupy air, thick with the odors of the unwashed. It’s not like everyone stinks, don’t get me wrong. But the chances of encountering an offending armpit are fairly great. It’s one of the reasons I don’t ride the subway (that, and it’s easier to pretend I’m in a chauffeur driven town car while in a taxi). So, I know whereof I speak.

Again, what’s important is figuring out what you want and then lining up with that. It can be difficult to ignore “reality” when it’s creeping up your nostrils, so this is best done at home or any time when you’re NOT being subjected to your malodorous colleague.

Figure out what you’re feeling

As always, you have to be aware that whatever is in your reality has been drawn to you by you. And your clue to figuring out why you would manifest a smelly co-worker is in how that experience makes you feel. Are you angry? Frustrated? Disgusted? What’s really going on here? Perhaps you have a belief that others can infringe on your comfort and that there’s nothing you can do about it. Maybe you think that the only way to solve this problem is to confront the stinky party and make them aware that the fire alarm that went off last week was not triggered by smoke, but their gaseous emissions, and that the cleaning lady’s real reason for retiring early was that the funk clinging to their workstation was giving her hallucinations. In other words, you may think that the only way to get resolution is to go and be a total bitch or bastard. And perhaps the prospect of that makes you really uncomfortable, so you feel trapped.

So, let’s say that your real issue is with confrontation. You want this issue to go away, but the only way you can think to do that is to hurt your colleague’s feelings, something you don’t want to do. Your belief that you have no other options will keep you stuck there, and has most likely caused this manifestation in the first place. It’s an opportunity to release this false belief.

You may think that what you really want is for your co-worker to stop funking up the office. But even that is you trying to control HOW you’re going to get what you REALLY want, which is for you to stop being subjected to your co-worker’s stank, preferably with no hurt feelings.

Leave the HOW to the Universe

Remember that it’s not your job to figure out HOW a problem will be solved. It’s up to you to line up with the solution. And in order to do that, you have to allow for the idea that the solution you want is actually possible. You have to believe that it is possible for you to stop smelling your co-worker, and for that to happen in a way that doesn’t force you to do something you don’t want to do (to have a confrontation that feels bad).

First, consider the idea that your co-worker could be transferred to another department. Or that they could simply move to another workstation. You could move or be transferred as well. They could be made aware of their funkitude by a family member or friend, causing them to adopt an improved and much more effective personal hygiene regimen. They could get a new lover who introduces them to the joys of soap. They could see a doctor who diagnoses a condition which caused their malodorous state and by treating that condition, the fog could be lifted. Another co-worker could find a way to let them know. Or, and yes, this is a possibility, you could be inspired to say just the right words that would make them aware of the issue without hurting their feelings. These are just some of the many, many possibilities that would solve the issue, while meeting your criteria of not hurting anyone’s feelings.

Again, it’s not your job to figure out the HOW. Your job is to simply line up with what you want.

How do you line up with the non-smelly version of them?

First of all, I’d like to reiterate that what you really want is for YOUR experience to be better, which isn’t the same as focusing on THEM making a change of some particular kind. You don’t necessarily need the smelly party to stop stinking in order for YOU to experience relief. Get clear on what you REALLY want.

Second, spend some time while you’re on your own, and not subjected to their stank, to line up with that vision. In this case, I’d highly recommend Writing a Letter to the Universe. (please read that post for a full explanation of this technique.)

Here’s an example:

Dear Universe,

[State the problem]

I have a problem. Bob, the guy who sits next to me at work, smells like a skunk who rolled around in fermented cheese and then went for a swim in a sewer filled with old people’s feet.

[State what you don’t want and what you’re afraid of]

I don’t want to have to confront Bob. Despite his personal force field made of stench, he’s actually a really nice guy and I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Also, I have no idea how I could even approach this subject without being a total bitch. I get so offended and irritated that I’m not sure I could even be nice about it at this point. I don’t want to hurt him. I just want it to stop.

[State what you want]

I want to be able to do my work in peace. I want to be able to come to work without dreading it. I want to get along with my co-workers and feel comfortable around them. I want to have a positive relationship with them. I want to be able to breathe easy when I’m at my desk. I want to know that no one can really infringe on my reality without my permission. I want to be Who I Really Am, a kind, compassionate, loving person. I want my working environment to be pleasant and safe and comfortable. I want to feel safe and comfortable. (Notice how you want to gravitate more and more toward how you want to feel).

Once you’ve written the letter, you’ll already feel better. You’ll have realized what you REALLY want, and also stated what you’re afraid of, soothing the fear that the solution you want may come at a price you’re not willing to pay. You’ve also spent just a few minutes describing what you want, starting the process of lining you up with that energy.

The solution may or may not include you

Next, take a few minutes each day and visualize yourself, happily at work, no intrusions, no distractions, joking and laughing with your colleagues. You are visualizing the absence of the problem – what your work environment would look and feel like if the problem was solved. Try not to put any restrictions on how that problem was solved – whether or not Bob is still working right next to you, or how the solution actually came about.  Just know that it did come about and it was comfortable for you.

If the manifestation of the solution involves any action on your part, you will be inspired to it. Circumstances will be created that will allow you to easily say or do whatever it was that you were supposed to, in order to make that solution happen. And it won’t be uncomfortable, confrontational or ugly. It’ll be easy and effortless and natural – inspired action always is. Again, you can’t be afraid of any part of the solution and still fully allow it to appear. This does take a certain amount of trust. This is where the letter technique comes in. By stating clearly what you don’t want and what you’re afraid of, it makes it easier to let go of those fears. It makes it easier to believe that the Universe knows what you don’t want and won’t include any part of that in the final solution.

Have you suffered from smelly co-workers? What about other kinds of pollution (like co-workers who are too loud, constantly negative, gossipy, etc.)? What did you do?

Also, if you’ve found this post helpful and/or entertaining, please do me a favor and share it on FaceTwitGoogleBook or whatever. Thank you!