Wednesday, March 21, 2007

'The Secret': Unlocking Powers Within

'The Secret': Unlocking Powers Within
By MARY KEARL, FOR AOL COACHES
'The Secret,' the latest self-help best seller and movie, has all the big daytime hosts talking. The buzz started after last year's release of the documentary by filmmaker Rhonda Byrne.

Oprah recently dedicated a full-hour show to 'The Secret' and its successful followers. USAToday, the L.A. Times and even Wikipedia entries have joined the media frenzy.

According to Byrne, believers go further back in time -- at least 4,000 years from Aristotle to Napoleon to recent historical figures, such as Lincoln and Edison.

And what is this mysterious secret? Surprisingly, it's a well-known theory. The power of positive thinking based on the law of attraction that says our thoughts -- our dialogue with the universe -- and positive will are the conduits that make things happen.

How Do My Thoughts Shape My Life?

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    Yet, just knowing about "the secret" isn't enough. People want details on how to cultivate powerful thoughts. It's part of the reason for the recent resurgence in the "positive-thinking" literary genre at your local bookstore.

    If you peruse through Amazon.com's best-selling list, included are 'The Laws of Thinking: 20 Secrets to Using the Divine Power of Your Mind to Manifest Prosperity' by Bishop E. Bernard Jordan; 'The Science of Success: How to Attract Prosperity and Create Harmonic Wealth Through Proven Principles' by James Arthur Ray and 'The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham' by Esther Hicks.

    Both authors Ray and Hicks have intimate connections to 'The Secret.' Ray is a contributor to the book. And Hicks was featured in the documentary but doesn't appear on the extended DVD version.

    AOL Coaches asked a few "law of attraction" experts and believers about their successes. Bob Proctor -- author, businessman, life coach, and a contributor to 'The Secret' -- says he went from high school dropout to a millionaire within a few years of learning one of the most "natural laws of nature," as he calls it. He's applied the principles to his daily life ever since he read Napoleon Hill's 'Think and Grow Rich' in 1960. Proctor began by setting a goal -- to earn $25,000 -- and wrote it on a card that he carried in his wallet.

    Each time he touched the card, he says a signal was sent to his brain. Which in turn, created more signals -- positive thoughts and vibrations -- helping him to tune in to people discussing money. He figured out a way to turn his idea into an attainable goal -- he ultimately created a floor-cleaning business. Since then, for the past 38 years, he has shared his beliefs through seminars and books, including 'You Were Born Rich.'

    Another dropout-turned-millionaire, Christine Comaford-Lynch uses the law of attraction in all major aspects of her life at home, at work and in love. Her initial results with positive thinking helped attain goals of becoming a successful entrepreneur and millionaire. Her first step was to order a poster with a photo of a million dollars piled up. While looking at the poster, she asked the universe for her own million-dollar idea, repeating the thoughts, "I'm ready. Bring it. Bring it. Bring it."

    "If I hadn't been focusing, paying attention and using the law of attraction, I would have missed it," says Comaford-Lynch, also an acquaintance of Byrnes. Amid internal changes and turmoil at Microsoft Corporation, her former employer, she was able to create her own successful business.

    Since then, she has used a variety of tools to speak to the universe. She keeps a "dream board," where she posts positive images, like a woman giving a compelling speech to help the universe help her give compelling speeches. Or photos of amazing views of a wine-country villa, that she saved for two years until the universe helped her find a real-life version.

    The universe, however, gave her these rewards only after she learned to quiet her "jabbering mind." She has been able to get rid of negative and anxious energy through walking, meditating, praying and going to the gym.

    Comaford-Lynch says it's important to remind ourselves of how great it will feel to achieve a particular goal.

    "It's going to happen in the universe's time and not in my time," she says. "I don't need to be pushy, fearful, or doubtful. I need to just trust, continue my focus exercises and keep my eyes open."

    Comaford-Lynch's book, 'Rules for Renegades' (McGraw-Hill), will be published in the spring. Although, she knows that her beliefs have impacted all aspects of her life -- including meeting her husband -- she realizes some people might not buy into this unconventional ideology.

    "It makes complete sense. The law of attraction is about certainty," she says, "Then it's about thanking the universe."

    And with that certainty, for Comaford-Lynch, there is no secret.

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