The Present Hidden in The Secret

Everyone's talking about the movie The Secret (www.thesecret.tv) and the Law of Attraction these days. Oprah Herself even devoted two shows to it recently! As a person who has always been very interested in helping others to change their lives, I'm thrilled to see such positive and powerful concepts floating down the main stream.

I know many of my readers are already quite familiar with the Law of Attraction. If you are one of them, feel free to skip the italicized paragraphs, which are a brief synopsis of the principles. Mosey on down below them, where I will offer my two cents on the subject.

Here's a little bit of the summary of Oprah's show about The Secret from her website. You can read the entire summary at http://www.oprah.com/spiritself/slide/20070208/ss_20070208_284_101.jhtmlJack

[Canfield] says that everything in the world is made up of energy, which is controlled by thoughts and feelings. According to Jack, thoughts can travel long distances, so you are sending out signals to many people without even knowing it, and these signals attract like energy to you.

Jack and James [Ray] say that this means there is no such thing as a coincidence. "Everything happens by principles and laws in our universe. And so consequently, we have an absolutely unlimited power within us," James says.

Michael [Beckwith] says that thoughts—which turn into experience, speech and behavior—become the "feeling tone of your life." "An individual can actually begin to generate a certain feeling of gratitude, of love, of peace and of harmony, and the universe will begin to match that feeling tone—and what will flow into your life will match the feeling that you're holding," he says. "It means that everyone…can release themselves from being a victim and begin to take control of their life's destiny."

Okay, now here's my two cents:

Many people, when they first hear of The Secret, think it is a handy tool for getting what they want in the future.

They are excited to hear that if they just:

1) Focus on what they want instead of what they don't want
2) Find things to be grateful for where they are right now, and
3) Keep open to nudges from the universe to take inspired action,

then life will deliver their heart's desires to their door.

And I've seen it happen exactly that way -- many times -- which is very cool!

But I wonder sometimes if we might be missing the forest for the trees when we look to the future. For me, the benefit of The Secret is that it improves my world RIGHT NOW.

It's much more fun to ponder what I want and why, rather than obsess about what I think I will never have and why.

Gratitude is much lighter than the heavy burden of blame or victimization.

Inspired action feels like play, whereas doing what I think I should requires discipline and hard work.

I don't have to wait until later to reap what I sow.
I reap most of it while I am sowing it.

So if I happen to die in a freak accident in the next five minutes, before the universe can complete its delivery of all that good stuff I have attracted, that's just fine with me. Because the real benefit of focusing my thoughts on gratitude and joyful expectation is that when my mind is occupied in this endeavor, I feel happy with myself and my life.

And since any moment could be my last, and whether I am dead or alive my experience of each moment will never come again, it makes sense to me to spend as much of my precious time as possible feeling peaceful and joyful.

So to me, the future stuff is a fringe benefit. It's cool to know that when I feel at peace, I am inspired to act and speak with kindness and compassion, and my deeds may create ripples of sweetness that expand out into the world around me. I like making the world a better place. And I like getting the material stuff I want as much as the next guy.

But even better, I like knowing that simply by shifting my attention, I can change the quality of my inner experience at any time, under any circumstances.


copyright 2007 karen alonge

www.karenalonge.com


I offer individual consultations by phone and email to help you consciously harness the Law of Attraction to improve your relationships, parenting, career, and personal development. Contact me to schedule a free 15 minute conversation ... karen@karenalonge.com

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