Is The Secret Making You Poor

Photo Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici

Is “The Secret” Making You Poor?!?

Since 2006, Rhonda Byrne’s video and book, both named “The Secret,” have taken the world by storm. Book sales alone exceed 19 million copies per Wikipedia. Lauded as “an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it” on the inside cover of the book-wrap, one might be tempted to question why we are experiencing the worst economic times since the Great Depression only 6 years after its debut. Surely 19 million transformed lives should have had a noticeable, positive impact!

Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT bashing the information contained in The Secret. Based upon thousands of years worth of literature, philosophy and religion from some of the greatest minds of all-time, The Secret is NOT inaccurate. However, it IS presented in a somewhat misleading fashion, tends to be confusing and is INCOMPLETE in its application. Following it precisely as presented could easily lead one to the depths of despair and poverty!

Based upon the Law of Attraction, The Secret delineates a 3-step process to manifesting all of your heart’s desires. Several variations of the “Creative Process” are given as follows:

• Creative Process – The Secret (DVD w/ Esther Hicks) (1)

1. Ask
2. Answer
3. Receive

In this variation, Step 2 (“Answer”) is explained as “the role of the Universe” and, as such, is really not a step that YOU take at all.

Step 3 is explained as follows: This involves bringing your thoughts and emotions up into alignment with your desire.

• Creative Process – The Secret (DVD & Book with Lisa Nichols replacing Esther) (2)

1. Ask
2. Believe
3. Receive

And, finally,

• Creative Process – The Power (Rhonda Byrne’s book sequel to The Secret) (3)

1. Imagine It (Visualize it)
2. Feel it
3. Receive it

The Law of Attraction states that you attract people, circumstance and events into your life based upon the thoughts you think, the emotions/feelings you express and the actions you take. In the Creative Process steps I have just reviewed, there are guidelines for your thoughts (Ask; Believe; Imagine it; Receive) and feelings (Feel it; Receive) but NO MENTION of action strategies! Without this key step, most will doom themselves to failure!

A better 3-step process (4) is as follows:

1. Decide “WHAT” you want – [tangibles] – (this is congruent with Step 1 of the other 3 methods)
2. Up-level “HOW” you feel – [intangibles] – How would you feel, after the fact, if you had your desire already? – (this is congruent with Steps 2 & 3 of the other 3 methods)
3. Act “as if” – Strategies to create the “after the fact” feeling, pre-emptively, through the actions you take now

For example, in the movie, The Secret, a young boy wishes for a new bike. He cuts out a picture of a bike, thinks about it and imagines having it. What actions could he have taken to generate the feelings of having it now, pre-emptively? Probably not sitting around his room moping like the video shows! That is just wishing without really believing and all it will manifest is more reasons to mope.

By omitting the necessary 3rd step in the Creation Process (Act “as if” strategies), it leaves people without any guidance for “how” to conduct themselves once they have asked for what they want and brought their thoughts and emotions into alignment. Without this extra guidance, people then act or behave however is most familiar or “natural” to them (i.e. watching TV, playing solitaire or computer games; moping). If their “familiar” patterns were sufficient, there would be no need for The Secret in the 1st    place.  People need to be taught new ways of being. For instance, the kid wishing for a new bike would have been far more likely to manifest his bike if he:

• Cleared out a space in the garage for his new bike
• Sold or donated his old bike, if he had one
• Mapped out trips to where he was going to ride his bike to
• Organized a bike club with his friends

In other words, if he would have acted now how he was going to act once he got his bike, it would have conveyed a far more valuable lesson than just waiting (wishing and moping) until his grandfather bought it for him!

Attempting to implement the Creative Process as outlined in The Secret is a great start. But, without the missing piece, the acting “as if” strategies, it is likely to leave you unfulfilled at the least, and destitute at the worst!!!

Dr. Jon M. Ketcham

Author iContractor 1 & Dream re-Kindler to Earth-bound Travelers of Light

Bibliography (re: the Creative Process)

(1) The Secret (DVD)

(2) The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, pp. 59-61

(3) The Power, Rhonda Byrne, pp. 61-63

(4) iContractor1: Constructing Your Perfect Life by Remodeling YOU from the Inside-Out!, Dr. Jon M. Ketcham