“The Secret” and “The
Law of Attraction” are the Big Buzz these days, and I am
sure that many of you reading this are big fans. I think it is
great that so many people are interested in ways to take responsibility
for their lives using the power of their minds. I have a few thoughts
to share with you about the other side of the teachings, and things
to watch out for while practicing the principles.
In the book, The Secret, it says: “The Secret is
the law of attraction! It has been . . .hidden, lost, stolen,
and bought for vast sums of money. . .Everything that’s
coming into your life you are attracting into your life. . .whatever
is going on in your mind you are attracting to you. . . As you
learn The Secret, you will come to know how you can have, be,
or do anything you want.”
Here are some of my secrets about The Secret:
1. It is not a secret.
People have been writing books about how your mind affects your
reality since the beginning of books. Jesus and Plato talked about
it. Toltec Nagual and author of The Four Agreements,™ Miguel
Ruiz wrote about it. Most of the authors and experts quoted in
the movie and book have been writing about it for a long time.
That has nothing to do with the value of The Secret, it only points
out the hype factor,
which you may have noticed is pretty big. For many people, being
able to have power over their lives and the choices they make
is a big revelation. This is an important value of The Secret.
2. It does not always work.
If only it were as simple as “what you think, you get”
and all you have to do is think good positive spiritual thoughts
and your life would be devoted to what the book offers: “…eradicating
disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcome obstacles, and achieving
what many would regard as impossible.”
In The Four Agreements™ Miguel Ruiz invites us
to be impeccable with our Word, because the Word is the creative
force of the universe. He includes in The Word every thought,
belief, action, and spoken word. It is the most deeply held beliefs
and agreements that are this creative force. Affirmations on the
bathroom mirror often do not change us, because there are other
contradictive agreements that are held deep in the subconscious
that are the creative forces in our universe.
It is true that our own personal universe is
created by our thoughts, but we usually don’t even know
what our thoughts are; or especially, how they are creating the
world we live in.
3. It can be a big set-up for self-judgment.
If you see a movie or read a book and it tells you that you have
the power to create any life you want, to create wealth and overcome
disease and find the perfect relationship… well, it sounds
great, of course, but if it doesn’t work. . .wow! This is
a big set-up for The Inner Judge. They say you can do this if
you just do it right. You try, you apply the principles as you
understand them, maybe some things work, and maybe you can’t
get so much as a good parking space, let alone the riches and
love!
The Inner Judge loves those moments, and will use them against
you. Don’t let The Secret become another “should”
-- like the latest diet you couldn’t stick with, or the
gym membership that you never use.
If it were as easy as they say, everyone would be healthy, wealthy,
and loved beyond measure.
This, to me, is the most important secret about The Secret: It
is not that easy, and it is not your (spiritual) fault if it does
not work the way it is advertised.
4. You might not actually have any choice.
This is really a subject worthy of a more thorough exploration
than we can give it here, but let me say that The Secret works
for those it works for. Their minds and belief systems are prepared
in some way for what The Secret offers. For minds that are not
prepared, the principles have no place from which to operate.
Again, if it worked as simply for everyone as advertised, we would
all be there already. Enjoy The Secret and The Law of Attraction—and
do it without any expectations that you should be able to quickly
change your entire life and become rich and healthy because you
changed your thinking. It is simple, it is true, and it is not
easy.
Do your best, and accept yourself just the way you are. The rest
is play.
Have fun!
