What is The Secret?

Several years ago, a new book called The Secret hit the bookshelves. It had a huge impact on many people's lives. The book was followed by a documentary style movie of the same name that featured the same guest speakers as were included in the book, talking about various aspects of this great secret.

The whole thing was pieced together to form a running commentary by its experts on how we can all improve our lives in many different ways just by following their teachings.

The book and move were both called "The Secret" and were the brainchild of Australian businesswoman turned author, Rhonda Byrne. Her own role in the movie was minimal apart from some commentary, her introduction and a lead out at the end.

It was the personal development experts that were the meat of both the book and the movie and it was their insights and explanations that got so many people hooked on its teachings.

The Law of Attraction

The main focus of this great secret is nothing more than the principle that has been promoted through the years by many personal growth proponents.

That principle is that whatever we think about is what we attract into our lives.

The secret is simply that as long as we hold a goal or a desire in our thoughts for long enough and with enough positive emotional charge, it will eventually manifest in our lives.

It relied on what has become popularly known as the Law of Attraction to explain why this should be.

Of course, the presenters made some very compelling arguments backed up by apparently strong medical and scientific "evidence" that it is a real law of nature.

As to whether it is truly accepted as a natural law like the law of gravity, for example remains to be seen.

The Misconception

There was a problem with the way in which the movie in particular was presented. The message that most people who watched it took away with them was that if they simply thought about something they wanted, it would drop into their laps as if by magic.

This concept is wrong and the movie's message misunderstood or at least not fully understood by the majority of its viewers. While it was clearly explained that prolonged, concentrated mental work combined with physical action was necessary to bring that desired thing into a person's life, most only heard what they wanted to hear.

That was, "here is an easy way to get what you want!"

The Reality

The reality of the concept of the law of attraction is that while its chief element, "what you think about you will attract" is correct, it is not a simple case of sitting back in a rocking chair dreaming of what you want and expecting it to roll up into your drive in a truck. The mental discipline required to bring about a real attractive mental force is extensive and takes a lot of practice, time and mental effort to acquire the level of proficiency needed.

Added to the mental side to this concept is the physical aspect where the person needs to take action to bring their desire into reality and form. Many detractors of this concept cite its unrealistic nature in that the physical action a person takes will bring the desired goal into the person's life in ant case and it has nothing to do with intensely wishing it to come about.

Of course the argument will continue for a long time to come. It's not very different from the debate over the existence of God where believers have total faith in God's existence, whereas disbelievers argue there's no evidence to support it.

Is It Real?

Does the law of attraction exist? Quantum physicists tend to agree that it does in the form of the attractive force of energy. Thought is a measurable energy form and as such produces vibrating waves on frequencies that match the emotional stat of the thinker's mind. Not being limited to the inside of the thinker's physical brain, a thought is free to be transmitted into the ether.

As such, thoughts vibrating on a frequency that matches that of the particular good desired will be attracted to them and attract aspects of that good back to the person transmitting them. Energy attracts like energy but a thought will not attract a new sports car into a person's life!

What it will do is to give the person an idea or a hunch that they can choose to follow up that will lead to a means to generate the financial circumstance that will allow that person to go and buy their own sports car if that's what they want.

This is the "action" aspect of this law of attraction. The mental activity will result in ideas that will lead to the making of plans that will be favorable to creating the necessary series of actions that will result in the receiving of the thing desired.

Do You Have Faith?

Real or not, the law of attraction, this great "Secret" will have its proponents and its detractors. Just as any other concept that doesn't provide solid visible evidence to appease both sides of the argument, some will simply disbelieve while others will have faith.

Without faith, there would be no religion as we know it.

In fact, without faith, we would still be living in caves and killing wild beasts to survive. That's because no one would have dared to step outside their comfort zone to invent anything that would have progressed life and created civilization.

It takes faith to grasp an idea and dare to act upon it to create something that doesn't already exist. It takes belief in yourself to go ahead and do something that most everyone else says can't be done.

Some things are hidden in plain sight waiting for someone to look at them in just the right way to reveal their presence. When you believe in your convictions, you can achieve anything you set out to do.

The Great Secret

That's the real and perhaps strangest secret to life and one that only a very few will ever truly grasp, embrace and practice. Because only a very few will dare to contradict the many and do what they believe can be done, when no one else believes.

Rhonda Byrne dared to create her book and produce her movie. Millions read and watched. Many believed but were disappointed. Many decided it was nonsense. Some believed and embraced it. Either way, you get to choose how you view The Secret and what you do with it will ultimately be your choice.

What will you choose?

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