Overview:
The Secret is a self-help book about the power of positive thinking by Rhonda Byrne. The book is based on a pseudo-scientific theory called the “law of attraction” – the principle that “like attracts like.” Specifically, Byrne focuses on the idea that your dreams do in fact come true – thinking about money and wealth will attract these very things, causing them to manifest in your life. Likewise, fretting over a worst-case scenario will only cause your fears to be realized. Hence the importance of positive thinking. There are no accidents and bad luck. Instead, Byrne writes, “Your life right now is a reflection of your past thoughts.”
The Secret Revealed
People often accumulate great wealth only to lose their fortune and gain it again in cycles. She argues this is due to the law of attraction. People lose money because they allow “fearful thoughts of losing wealth to enter their minds,” causing their fears to be realized. Once the money is gone, their fear disappears as well, and they are able to focus on rebuilding their fortune.
This is the law of attraction in a nutshell – if you think it, it will happen. “Like attracts like” – so envisioning riches will actually bring you wealth. Byrne means this literally. She believes that thoughts are magnetic, emitting a positive or negative frequency. Whatever thoughts you send out into the Universe will attract similar energies before returning like a boomerang. She explains, this is not different to watching TV. You receive a signal that the channel is programmed to send you. If you want to see something different, you have to change the channel. Thus the importance of positive thinking and sending the right frequency into the Universe.
The Secret Made Simple
The law of attraction is always at work. If you think you have no control over your destiny, then you will attract situations that render you helpless. The trick, she says, is to tell the Universe you have control over your life.
Byrne offers a tip to tell whether you’re thinking negatively: listen to your body. Too much worrying often brings pain in your stomach or chest. Byrne goes one step further, arguing that these feelings are actually a message from the Universe. She quips this is the Universe’s way of saying “Warning! Change thinking now. Negative frequency recording. Change frequency. Warning!”
Byrne closes by introducing the concept of “Secret Shifters.” These are activities that can help brighten your spirits so you don’t stay focused on negativity. Byrne suggests making a list of things that can help shift mood in times of distress, such as a fun song or thinking of a loved one.
The Secret to Health
According to Dr. John Demartini, the “placebo effect” explains how the law of attraction applies even to your health. “You tell the patient that this is just as effective, and what happens is the placebo sometimes has the same effect, if not greater effect, than the medication that is supposed to be designed for that effect. They have found out that the human mind is the biggest factor in the healing arts, sometimes more so than the medication.”
Surrounding yourself with positive thoughts is important when trying to heal. Byrne says that disease can only remain in the body when people are holding it there with their mind. Avoid focusing on illness if the goal is to make it go away. Talking about it only creates more negative energy. Change the topic in order to improve the way you feel.
Byrne says it’s important to not buy into “preconceived” notions of disease. “It is as easy to cure a pimple as a disease,” she writes. “The process is identical; the difference is in our minds.” Byrne gives the example of Morris Goodman, who crashed his airplane and was told he would remain a vegetable for the rest of his life. Goodman says he used his mind and willed himself to get better. In just a couple of months, he walked out of the hospital on his own. Byrne ends by her motto: nothing is impossible as long as you believe.
The Secret to You
Byrne talks about the spiritual side of The Secret. She argues that since we are made of energy and energy cannot be destroyed (it only changes form), it makes sense to believe our true essence “has always been and always will be. You can never not be.” Byrne also points out that idea or knowledge is already out in the Universe, waiting for somebody to draw from it.
Byrne follows up by reminding readers to always be aware of their thoughts. When the mind is left to run wild, it allows all kinds of thoughts to enter including negative ones. Instead, Byrne says it’s important to stop and ask, “What am I thinking now? What am I feeling now?” Byrne also believes that the Universe can answer any question. Once the question is released into the Universe, the answer will manifest at some point. However, awareness is key to “catch” the answer, as it can come in many different forms, such as a newspaper headline, an overheard conversation or even a sudden inspiration or mental image.
The last chapter of The Secret focuses on “purpose.” Byrne quotes Neale Donald Walsch, who says that God hasn’t decided on our life purpose – instead it’s up to us to decide what that mission is. Byrne says you “get to fill the blackboard of your life with whatever you want.” If there are negative things or baggage from the past written on it, you can wipe it clean and write on it again.
