"The Secret"

I have not read the book but my husband is the most amazingly optimistic person I know. He has his own business and has needed that positive energy. He starts every day with a smile and a cheerful "good morning" to me and the kids. He can even get me to smile on my most hormonal days! from what others have written about the premise of this book, I do not agree because bad things do happen to good, hardworking, honest people, and good things happen to bad people. If it was as easy as believing in something to make it happen there would be no cancer in the world. But do try starting you day with a smile, be nice to those around you, there is some research that points to serotonin (or some such happiness chemical) being at higher levels in people who are happy, and that by being positive you can increase that chemical. Cheers!

Hi Erin,

I have it. I've read it, seen the movie and had the concepts shoved down my throat by my mother's fiance who believes it to be God's Honest Truth.

Here is my take - thinking positively DOES alter the way that we behave. This concept is nothing new. When I was little I would hear famous athletes would talk about positive imagery - they would think about themselves making the basket, or jumping the hurdles or making a touchdown. They would close their eyes and almost meditate thinking really hard about how their muscles would move and how their arm would move and how far apart and fast their stride needed to be. And in many cases they would say that it helped them achieve their goal. I believe that it did.

"The Secret" is that concept hyped up on crack with good marketing and music to get you pumped up.

There is a great movie (NOT connected to "The Secret") along the same concept - it's called "What the bleep do we know" and it stars Marlee Matlin. It's basically about quantam physics and how your thoughts are powerful enough to move atoms in the universe.

The premise of "The Secret" is that you can have anything you want if you really honestly just think about it.
Conversely, if you are NOT thinking about what you want or you are putting negative thoughts out there in the universe then YOU are responsible for how crappy your life is. Abusive relatinship? You don't have a board. Lost your job? YOU didn't create positive thoughts. It's a dangerous premise.

My question for my M.'s fiance - was "yeah- not working for you is it... you free-loading out-of-work liberterian freak". (no - not REALLY what I said... just what I wanted to say). However, point made. How did it work for him? It didn't.

I think you will be hard pressed to find real life stories of help from this book.
What you will find are people who know someone who had a friend with a cousin that worked with someone who really did turn their life around by using "The Secret".
The same way that you will find people who know someone who had a friend with a cousin that worked with someone who really did wake up in a bathtub of ice with the phone next to them and a sign that read 'call 911' and their kidney was missing. Urban legend, at best.

Now - don't get me wrong I believe TOTALLY in the power of positive energy. I think that if you believe yourself to be a certain thing there is a self-fulfilling prophecy that comes along with it. If you are confident you will get that job. If you think you are smart you will take more business risks that will have a higher payoff. etc etc.
I also thinks that you have to use whatever works for you when you need help. So, if "The Secret" gets you through your darkest hour or gives you the motivation to look for another job or improve your situation - go for it!!!!!!

I don't think the secret is 'dangerous', per say, the way that you will find some who think it's a cult oriented mentality set up for the financial gain of the founders (there are those allegations). I think there is a modicum of truth to the concepts. I just don't think it actually works the way they say it does. Otherwise everyone would be a millionaire or whatever by going out to get a posterboard and cutting out pictures from a magazine of what they want and then the universe just gives it to them. Not everyone can be Michael Jordan no matter how hard they 'think' about being the greatest basketball player in the world.

Just my $0.02 (OK, well really it's like my $5.00 worth)
B.

Hi Erin
The secret is based on the law of attraction. I agree that there are alot of good concepts in the book but there is nothing new. I think this book is a mish mash of different philosophies disguised as some big new secret concept that we all should know.
Basically the law of attraction is based on our thinking.
If we think positive and visualise good things coming our way then it will happen.
The same goes for negative thinking,it will attract negativity.
So basically we need to try to control our thinking ,as everything we think goes out in the universe and eventually comes back to us.
The next step is to write down (usually on a yellow piece of paper) the vision we have for our future and each day visualise and look for signs to achieve this future.
So again I do naturally try to think positive about my life but I don't see this book as one that had a massive impact ,as some of my friends have,on my life.
Good wishes
B.

I read this book and agree completely with Bernie! It is a good, positive, feel-good book about positive energy and thinking/imagining good things. But I caution folks from buying into any "magic" bullet. Just thinking good thoughts about someone's disease healing won't necessarily make it go away. See what I'm saying? It could certainly help your outlook on having the disease but it doesn't fix what's broken. Despite my realistic approach about things, I do pray and meditate and try to fill my mind with positive thoughts as much as possible. So it certainly can't hurt to try this approach and see if the change in your outlook is enough fulfillment for you.

I can't tell you how many things just so happen to happen how I want them to work out, because I had a friend sit me down and we watched the movie.
I was already a positive person, but this just steered me more in the right direction of what I should and should not be thinking. Not controling what I was thinking, but more showed me my negative side and showed me why things weren't going my way in a particular section in my life.
I highly recommend this to people who wont just make fun of it and really want a change in their life.

Hi Erin,

I read THE SECRET. It is not magical. Even Oprah walked herself back on the book, admitting it does not promise immediate gratification.
I felt the book was like a pep rally. Everyone telling how to get what they want, very upbeat and positive. But, if you put the principles into practice, you will find that you do not get instant manifestation. That said,
it is my experience that we get what we ask for (and we get what we don't ask for ;), so to pray or contemplate or think about what you truly desire, and then proceed to HELP the manifestation, you will have more success. I find that calling on our angels and guides, and whatever we call God, our prayers are answered...eventually, and often in ways that we wouldn't expect. But they respect our free will and unless petitioned, do not directly intervene. THAT said, I believe wholly in serendipity, and even spontaneous manifestation...for the spiritually mature!

"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

This book gets alot of negative attentionnow because of the author. I don't buy into it completely. However, overall, I can say that we all know positive people attract positivity in thier life. Or maybe they just see the positive in everything. And nothing good ever seems to come about for negative people. But maybe they just don't look for the positive in thier situations. I don't know.
I know there have been times someone random, that I rarley hear from, will cross my mind and then call me within an hour or 2. There have been times when I thoutht something to myself, saw the whole thing unfold in my mind, then it actually happened just that way. I've also had some crushing disapointments when I was just sure everything would work out well! I saw Michael Jordan speak once about the power of the mind. He said he pictures making the basket, feels the ball in his hands, hears the crowd in his head, sees success before he ever takes the court. Visualization is a technique used by a lot of atheletes. So call it the secret or power of positive thinking or visualization. Who knows if it works. It's not science. But it can't hurt to be positive, think good things, be more focused on what we want to achieve and how to achieve it.

The premise of the book is that if you believe it hard enough, then it will come true. Which to me seems sort of ridiculous, and in my experience, doesn't really work (I still don't have the pony I wished and hoped for as a kid...). Positive thought is all good and fine, but in and of itself does not mean you will get everything you want. It doesn't take the place of hard work, good timing, or (let's face it) luck.

I have it, never bothered to read it.

So basically we need to know what we want first. Is there a pre-requisite book to help us determine what exactly it is we want first?

My friend read a similar book and says that it really does work.

I love the book but of course you have to pick and choose what parts work for you. To me its more about uplifting my spirits on a bad day. I don't feel it is going to change everything but it helps me stay more positive when everything around me seems to be out of control. You can sign up for their newsletter on their website. I keep some of them other ones I delete. You have to find what works for you. Read I Promise Myself by Christian D. Larson, that is what actually got me interested in The Secret.

I read the book and listened to the audio tapes. I took it as what ever you put out ther comes back to you. As well as being super specific on what you verbalize what you do or do not want in life. I talked the talk for about a month, as me and my co-worker were reading at the same time, but I also had hoped it was a cure-all, but it's more of a positive affirmation book. Did you see that dumb reality show, Pretty Wild Things, about 3 girls in Hollywood being raised by their M. who homeschools them on the basics of the "secret"? I'm surprised child welfare didn't jump in, the kids were learining about essential oils and secret proverbs, but no real schooling. Some people take it to the extreme and I believe in taking it with a grain of salt.IMHO