In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success author Deepak Chopra teaches readers his formula to achieve success and fulfillment through a mix of spirituality, positive thinking, and law of attraction.

Bullet Summary

• Let go of your ego as a separate identity
• Join the connectedness of the energy that underpins the whole universe
• When you connect to divine energy, you can get anything you want

Full Summary

These are the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:

1. The Law of Pure Potentiality

We are part of the divine force that created the universe.
That gives us infinite potential.
To find it, practice non-judgment, meditate thirty minutes twice a day and connect with divine energy.

2. The Law of Giving

Give what you want to receive.
Deepak Chopra invites readers to give gifts and happily receive gifts in exchange. Keep that wealth circulating and there will be more wealth for everyone.

Give to Get – Don’t Save!

Deepak Chopra says that to get you need to give.

And saving money is a great way of interrupting the flow of giving and taking. Much better instead is to spend that money, let the flow go out.

My Note: Potentially Dangerous Advice
This is another idea with which I don’t fully agree.
The concept of letting go of the need to save, enjoy life and give is great.
And so is the idea of spending for education and advancement. That indeed might pay off big time.
But the idea that saving “stops the flow” and spending is the best way to get is nonsense.

3. The Law of Karma

We have a choice in every moment to plant a good seed or a bad seed. But whatever we choose, it’s not without consequences.
The universe we will return in kind as we reap what we sow.

4. The Law of Least Effort

Grass doesn’t try to grow and birds don’t try to fly. They just fly.
Accept people for who they are, don’t try to change them. And accept your current situation for what it is.

5. The Law of Intention and Desire

Decide what you want in life and who you want to be.
Then think positively about it and they will come to you.

6. The Law of Detachment

We must be passionate in our pursuits and yet detached from the outcome.
Similarly, do not force solutions but allow them to spontaneously emerge.

7. The Law of Dharma

To give is to get.

Help Others to Find Their Life’s Purpose

To obey the law of Dharma Deepak Chopra basically paraphrases John Fitzerald Kennedy:

You should not ask the universe what it can do for you, but ask what you can do for the universe.

And a great way to give to the universe is by helping others.

There is some job, task, or calling out there that allows you to both leverage your talent and help others.
Once you find it, you’ll be able to tap into the unlimited source of energy and joy that is the divine energy.

Follow Your Personal Calling

A big question in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is:

If you had all the money and all the time in the world, what would you do?

Deepak Chopra says that we have a unique set of gifts and experiences that we can leverage to give something to the world.

And have a moral obligation to answer that question. Because once we answer it, then we can dedicate our lives to it and give the fruits of our talent and passion to the world.

How to Enjoy True Self & Ego Dissolution

If you have had the experience of deep peacefulness and connectedness you have already experienced your true self.

It can happen sometimes when you lay beneath the stars, or when you go for a walk in the woods.

That’s the moment when you realize that you are not a separate entity from all that is around you, but that you are all part of the same interconnected energy.

That’s the infinite source of energy that powers the whole universe. And when you realize that, you also realize that your Self is equally unlimited.

When you tap into the source of infinite energy that powers the universe, you can unlock the potential to fulfill your life’s desires.

How to Dissolve Your Ego

But to connect with the divine energy, you must first let go of your ego as a separate entity.

You do it by meditating.
Focus your attention on your breathing and observe your thoughts without judgment.

Little by little you will become more peaceful until your ego dissolves and you reconnect with your true Self.

Also read:

• The Untethered Soul
• The Power of Now

Embrace Your Current Situation

Deepak Chopra notices that we always have a drive to seek something better.

But we’re never really content, and when we get what we wanted, new problems arise.

The solution, he says, is to embrace our current situation and be content with it. Whatever it is that you are “lacking”, you are not really lacking anything if you stop focusing on it and focus on being content instead.

And every bad situation can teach us something if we approach it with a positive mindset.

Practice Defenselessness

Becoming defenseless means stopping trying to defend your idea, convincing others and trying to change people’s minds.

In an ideal defenseless conversation, people would share their point of view without having any interest in “winning” or convincing the other.
Much more peaceful, and more enriching.

Detach From Your Desires to Make Them a Reality

The author says that when you think too much about something you want, you will rarely get it.

It’s because you communicate a distrust of the universe and the universe doesn’t have a chance to step in.
It’s indeed when people stop to pursue something so eagerly that they often find it. It’s because finally the universe has the chance to step in and provide it for you.

My Note: This is Unscientific at Best
I don’t agree one bit with this.
A strong drive coupled with incessant and smart action is the best way to get what you want.

Think Positive to Get What You Want

Thinking positive will help you get what you want by spreading positive vibes into the universe.

The author indeed suggests that many don’t get what they want because they think in negative terms.
If they want a new job they pollute their mind and the universe with thoughts of how much they dislike their current job.
But you must stop that. Catch yourself doing it and change your negative thoughts into positive ones immediately.

Real-Life Applications

Conquer Fear of Death With Ego-Lessness
When you feel connected to the universe you will not fear death anymore.

Give Before Asking
I can’t stress this enough.
Asking without giving is the worst sin in social skills and wealth accumulation alike. That’s entitlement mentality as its purest.
Think of how you can give more and better instead.

CONS

First and foremost:

Naive self-help

Anything based solely or mainly on the law of attraction without any attention to strategy, self-development, and practical life optimization is at high risk of being ineffective and naive self-help.

The laws of dharma and karma and the concept that the more you give the more you get are at high risk of turning you into a giving sucker when you make the mistake of taking them to an extreme and meet the many life’s takers.
I highly recommend the article on enlightened collaboration to set up win-wins that don’t turn you into a sucker.

Read here to inoculate yourself against BS:

• Naive self-help

And a few more downsides include:

Unscientific, Untested, Unproven

Obviously, but if you picked up this book and like it, chances are that you’re OK with that :),

It’s Maxims, Not Laws. These “Laws” Don’t Hold

The laws format reminded me of “The 48 Laws of Power“, which has become popular in good part for using the word “laws” as a marketing ploy, while instead listing a few good principles which are not laws.

The proof that the laws are not true

I like the idea of Karma, but a little bit of historical knowledge and a modicum of observation spirit will easily dispel this law as nothing more than wishful thinking.

I’m not aware of any universal law that stopped Genghis Khan from building the biggest empire in the world founded on torture and rape.
And I haven’t seen any Karma stopping cruel individuals from wreaking havoc on unsuspecting and naive victims one after the other.
No, there is no universal Karma.
The Karma is us, my friends.
It’s up to each one of us to stand for good. Don’t expect no f*cking Karma to do stop evil and do the job for us.

Unpalatable Mix of Spirituality & Materialism 

The author says that when you connect with the universe’s power, then you can get anything you want.

Be spiritual development, success or… Wealth.

I find this outlook on spirituality to be quite poor, egocentric and ethnocentric. Very similar to the good old law of attraction, The Secret style. Just tap into that source and here’s your money.

PROS

Good on Meditation
The meditation part is good.
I particularly liked the idea of not being afraid of death once you let go of your ego as separated from the whole.

Review

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is a mix of the law of attraction, bland spirituality, and the power of positive thinking.

Personally, I wasn’t very impressed and I’m not the biggest fan of this ilk of self-help.

However, Irina in the forum made a great point:

Practicing defencelessness in times of social media is a gold principle, it remembers me of your most recent post, about the enlightened individualism, in which you emphasize the importance of not putting celebrities or brands, for example, above us, as individuals.

Serena Irina

I think she’s right.
Personally, I was very put off by the law of attraction, especially when used to “get rich” in what seemed to be a mix of fake enlightenment and spiritualism, and good old greed.
But, otherwise, there are some golden nuggets in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

Check the best books collection or get the book on Amazon.