The Secret
 

This book is phenomenal! Has anyone else read it? Believe it or not, it's been working wonders for me. It's almost frighteningly wierd how it's been working.

For those of you not familiar with The Secret, it's a book about how you can clear negative thoughts out of your mind, and how you can attract whatever your heart desires, through gratitude, and believing in your heart, soul and spirit that whatever you want is already yours--and recieving it!

Has anyone else here read this book? And if so, has it worked for you?

I started a thread about it last year, I thought it had some very negative ideas about overweight people, like "don't look at them."
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...ghlight=Secret

I went and read that earlier thread--missed it at the time.

Well, it's easy to think that The Secret is just wishful thinking, but I believe it's more than that. I don't think anyone can magically wish away their body fat--and that's not what the book says anyway. What the book says is that your thoughts affect your life. Hard to disagree with that!

In the video, the Universe is represented as a Genie who says, "Your wish is my command." This is a simplified way of looking at it--but what it means is, your attitudes can affect outcomes. That's all! If someone is used to saying to themselves, "I'm fat, it's hopeless, I'll never lose this weight," then guess what? That attitude becomes an additional barrier to success. If someone says to themselves instead, "I'm fat, but I can change this, and I can be more healthy," that attitude can help carry them along.

Obviously, you can't just say the magic words and not follow it up with action. I saw some of the book's teachers on Oprah, and one of them said, "If the bank is foreclosing on your home, and all you do is think positive thoughts about it, you'll find yourself sitting on the curb with your belongings." So the message of the book is a lot more than just New Age positivity.

Last year, during a terrible housing market, I bought a new home, and within five months sold my old home, paid off the mortgage on the new home, and am now debt free. I did not let any fear of the market enter my mind! What I told myself is, "My house is beautiful, and all I need is one buyer." Did that alone make it happen? Maybe not, but it didn't hurt anything.

Jay

I don't think that being a positive person hurts anything, after all, everything is in our minds, isn't it? And if we can view the positive in a situation, and just continue on then all the better. I think that there are people who see more negative in life and maybe because of that think more negative things happen to them, when really those things are neutral.

That being said...

I did read some of it, but I found it placed blamed on people for things that are beyond anyone's control. Quite frankly "Crap Happens." The last thing I want to think is that I deserve all the crap that happens to me or people around me. (That seems like a negative thing to think, afterall ;)) Yeah, it's true, we do bring some of it upon ourselves with our attitudes about it. But that doesn't always mean our attitude causes our situations.

Yes, I agree about the fact that you have to take some sort of action, and not just think positive thoughts. The Secret says you have to take action when you see the chance and know it's there.

Last year a friend after reading it, told me that I could "cure" my fibromyalgia if I wanted to, and that if I was sick or in pain, it was because I wanted to be. Not so much a friend anymore.

I do believe in positive thinking, and even the placebo effect. Wishing, wanting, and believing have a lot of power, but many, if not most things in life aren't so simple.

I actually prefer Dr. Henry Cloud's book The Secret Things of God It refers to [U The Secret[/U] and discusses many of the principles in the book.

I have not read the book, nor watched the DVD...HOWEVER, I am a huge fan of the Law of Attraction. (I don't say I "believe in it" because it is a Law--it is there whether you recognize it or not.)

Anyway, I am more attracted to books by Esther Hicks. She translates (or channels) for a group of non-physical beings that call themselves Abraham. You can read more here: www.abraham-hicks.com Even if you don't "believe" in channeling, the teachings that come forth from Esther are very inspirational.

I also enjoy reading books by Eckhart Tolle, Louise Hay, and Dr. Wayne Dyer.