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When you were a child, did you ever wish for anything, wish REALLY hard? Did you get it? If not, you must not have been wishing clearly enough. According to “The Secret” and its, dare we say, disciples, if you imagine it will come. Oprah did her own show on the topic, exclaiming, “I've been talking about this for so many years on my show, I just never called it The Secret!” And if Oprah's been talking about it, then you know it's gospel.
Now, The Secret has made its way into the NY Times bestseller list and is creating a buzz here, if you count a NY Times Styles article and the NY Post's coverage. In fact, the Post quotes a Diane Von Furstenburg staffer, “It made sense to us because we all have seen how Diane achieved things using similar principles. Diane is the type of person that if she wants it, it will happen."
The real secret is in the marketing. The book and DVD draw on well known historical figures from Aristotle to Winston Churchill, in a pseudo-documentary. The Secret proposes that the law of attraction is an idea that has been hidden from the public throughout history. If you have yet to buy the book, the DVD or the streaming video, Gothamist will throw you a freebie…
If you think about what you want, and really visualize it, you will get it eventually.
Ok, we’re not as poetic as Secret teller Rhonda Byrne, but that’s the gist of it. The film even shows a boy focusing on the cut out picture of a new bike – a bike he eventually receives. Critics claim it downplays the importance of actual work. Schools of positive thinking, however, are not new. The Secret is very similar to The Power of Positive Thinking, for one. Gothamist doesn’t know if this whole “law of attraction” thing really holds any water, but we’ll be cutting out pictures of stacks of money just in case.
Have you heard of The Secret? If not, see Wikipedia for more on “the Secret”. We're trying it the next time we're waiting for an F train.
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Clearly all those starving kids in Africa don't want food enough.
The opportunities are endless. For starters I am going to be sending my landlord photos of my monthly rent as opposed to the actual checks themselves. I'm sure if they concentrate long enough the money will arrive.
Also, does anyone know if this works for trains? During my morning commute I often concentrate on the W train I need to arrive at the station. So far it hasn't seemed to work. Maybe I need a cut out picture too.
Solipsistic narcissism as a force of nature. Sounds just about perfect for this day and age.
Please, if there is a GOD, (or Uncle Bush)
Just End the World Now.
Clearly all those starving kids in Africa don't want food enough.
Maybe Oprah can ship a few million books to Africa to spread "the secret".
The authors must really be wishing for quick cash. Move over Tony Robbins!
I think part of the idea is that if you visualize yourself as attaining a professional goal, you are more likely to feel confident and deserving and thus will take the steps (prospecting, brushing up on skills, whatever) to set about achieving your goal. At least that's what I've always read about visualization.
I think it works more in the sense of saving money for your dream house or a vacation or attaining some visualizable professional achievement (seeing yourself get promoted or something), rather than just visualizing yourself winning a car.
i used to wish that i could live in g.i. joe cartoons. i would even go to bed meditating about how awesome it would be to drive one of those jeeps so i could dream about it. well, that never worked.
I for one welcome a mass conversion to Oprahnetics.
It looks like "The $ecret" works...just ask the author$.
I watched The Secret and did try it. I think confident people with vision are simply more successful in general, I don't think the universe necessarily bends to our will, but I do think the subtle gestures that come with thinking certain things can help you get the things you want.
The Sunday Times spread last weekend was hilariously sarcastic, though. I basically said, "If it worked for Ghandi and a bunch of 1920's robber barons, it must be right!"
I tried this very thing the first time I found my dad's stack of Playboys at the tender age of 11. I wished harder than I had wished for anything up until that time that I would be the beneficiary of a spontaneous visit by Miss December 1977.
Guess I never lacked for a rich fantasy life.
If I had to sum the entire thing up, it's that the Law of Attraction
is all about alignment. You've got to do the "work" if you want to
bring something info your life.
This is where I think people mess up, which gives the entire thing the
"MLM/Amway" kind of vibe. You can't just sit around eating junk food
and watching reruns and expect to live on the beach...regardless of what
the infomercials say.
People like Joe Vitale are out working. Bob Proctor is out working.
James Ray is out working.