Three-Secrets To Making The Secret Work For You

Everyone loves a secret; that's one of the things that made the book and DVD, "The Secret," so popular. Everyone wants to know the "Secret." People naturally want things to be better; and they want to know how to do that. That's why "How-to," and, "Self-Help" books are so popular. And if there's a Secret that can do the trick for me, tell me the Secret!

The Secret really isn't a secret; but there is a trick to living and working in harmony with the very real natural laws discussed in all of those Law of Attraction and Self-Help books. When someone tells you a secret, they are giving you knowledge you presumably didn't have before because it was hidden or suppressed for some reason. Once you are in possession of that new knowledge, it is your choice what to do with it.

The information provided in The Secret has indeed been hidden; but it has been hiding in plain sight. And now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, how has life changed for you? You see, we had this information all along; and we have been using it all along, as well -- maybe effectively, maybe not. There seems to be a difference between having a secret tool, and using that tool effectively. The information in The Secret is just a tool. How you use that tool determines your experience; and how you use that tool is completely up to you -- even if you choose to use it in the same way everyone else does.

So, what's the big Secret? Your life, your body, health, experience, and everything else you are aware of is the product of thought, and subject to your mental processes and interpretations. In other words, you create your own reality with your thoughts. Even though there are many people who make silly faces and scoff at the idea that you can "think up" your own reality; every religion, philosophy, and science worthy of the title has an fundamental understanding that you get what you ask for and find what you are looking for.

"As a man thinketh, so it is done unto him," is the way Jesus was said to have taught this idea; and Gandhi said things like, "Man often becomes what he thinks himself to be." The Buddha said, "Man is formed and molded by his thoughts;" and Jesus was actually quoting Jewish teachings that appear in the Old Testament. The Chinese have an ancient saying, "Be careful what you ask for because you'll probably get it;" and all physicists understand that you cannot observe an experiment without affecting the outcome with your thoughts, intentions, expectations, and perceptions.

In medicine, we have heard of Psycho-Somatic (Mind-Body) illness for years. Now, thanks to advances and breakthroughs in science and medicine, we can observe the chain of events that connects our thoughts to our health and behaviors. Thoughts stimulate neural-electrical activity in the brain and nervous system; this electrical energy stimulates the production and release of chemical energy in the form of hormones -- that's right, stress hormones -- which create all negative emotional states and physical discomfort in the body. Different thoughts release different combinations of electrical and chemical signals -- creating the vast array of human expression, illness, behavior, etc...

The Placebo Effect is another way of saying that, if you do something which you believe will generate a specific result, your belief may be enough to generate the result. In placebo tests, sugar pills are often more effective than the "real drugs" being compared to them -- but without as many negative effects. The placebo effect basically demonstrates that it doesn't matter what's in the pill you take as long as you: A.) Believe the pill will make you better if you take it; and B.) Take the pill. This sounds a bit like, "Go...your faith has healed you." Healing is healing; it is the answer to a prayer. Do you think it really matters how the healing is achieved? Is it better to be cured by a sugar pill, or take the real pill and experience a "side-effect?" In the end, we don't do any of those things without THINKING about getting better. Our thoughts are behind everything we do.

The Secret, it seems, could only be a Secret to someone who has never read any book about religion, philosophy, science, or life. Even then, you'd also have to ignore most of your own thoughts, and the events in your own life, to not realize that thoughts always precede (prayers, wishes, plans, worries, etc...) and follow experience (memories, regrets, wisdom, knowledge, etc...). There is no part of your life that can be separated from thought, or experienced without thought. This is no Secret.

The real Secret is HOW to manage the different thoughts -- and the different kinds of thoughts -- constantly assaulting our awareness. The Secret is ALWAYS working; it is simply natural law. But we aren't always working with that law effectively; because we mostly don't think effectively. Why? Simply because we mostly weren't taught how to think; we were mostly taught what to think. The secret to using The Secret is to spend some time thinking about Thinking; learn how to think differently about the things in your life that aren't bringing you joy. When you change the way you think about your experience, your experience will change completely.

There are essentially Three Keys to making The Secret work for you the way you want it to work; these keys are not always easy to use, but they do represent the Three Secrets that will make The Secret work for you. Just as we seem to consist of three distinct parts -- Mind, Spirit, and Body -- joined together as a whole; there is a key for each part of us. We must devote body, mind, and spirit to our desire if we truly desire the experience; each part of us has a role to play:

1. THINK -- only about what you want. Learn to focus your thoughts "single-mindedly" on your desires.

2. FEEL -- love and joy at all cost. Think about your desires in a way that makes you happy and excited.

3. DO -- only what you Love to do. Don't waste your life or time doing things you don't want to do, or doing things that make you think of things you don't want to think about, or that make you feel bad.

The mental aspect, the responsibility of the Mind, is to focus your thoughts on the best possible version of your desire. You must tip the scales in your favor by thinking of your desire more often than you think of the lack, or absence, of your desire; and you must eliminate negativity -- especially when thinking or talking about your desire.

The Spiritual, or emotional, aspect is to feel the way you would feel if your desire had already come to pass. The only way to do that is to PRETEND that it has come to pass, and let yourself feel the gratitude and joy of an answered prayer wash over you. This is the Belief aspect of prayer; and children do it better than anyone. If you don't think you have enough belief, MAKE BELIEVE until you do! Imagine the best possible version of your dream coming true; and bask in the joy.

It is important to spend your time thinking and feeling the way you want to because time is all you have; and, you can only think of one thing at a time. Likewise, if you spend your time doing things you don't enjoy, you'll find there is less and less time left to create your future, or enjoy your life. This trend will continue until you die as a result of the stress that results naturally from living this way, or being unhappy and unfulfilled. Do what you love, and only what you must do. If you aren't having fun, do something different. If you want something specific, you need to do something specific -- specifically, thinking about what it is that you want. Remember these keys:

1. THINK Specifically, Positively, Single-mindedly, and Regularly about what you want -- your DESIRE.

2. FEEL as Happy and Grateful as possible, as often as possible, any way you can.

3. DO things you feel Inspired to do, things you want to do, and things that make you happy.

You only have so much waking time during the day in which to think about and create good things in your life. All thought is creative; so, if you spend any time doing anything other than the above three things, you are spending time creating things other than happiness and gratitude. Not to mention the fact that each moment you spend thinking other than positive thoughts is time you are "broiling" your body parts in stress hormones. The benefits of teaching yourself to think these things seem both practical and "magical."

If you truly apply these keys, you'll find yourself becoming more and more happy and healthy over the coming days and weeks. And, if you are truly spending your time doing only things you enjoy doing, how bad can life be? If you think you need more of something you don't have in order to be happy, you are simply mistaken or misinformed. You can certainly sit and stare at the black spot on the carpet, rather than find a clean part to look at and appreciate, but you'll find the spot gets bigger, more pronounced, and is perhaps joined by other spots. There is no way to win by focusing on the negative. Even if you reach some short-term goal, you will be an unhappy person who accomplished something.

If you want something, think about it. If you want to feel good, find something to think about that makes you happy -- and think about it. If you want good things to happen, do good things with your time. That's the secret. Abraham Lincoln said, "When I do good I feel good, and when I do bad I feel bad. That's my religion." What is a secret to some is obvious to others. I'd invite you to spend some time thinking about Thinking; and not looking at The Secret, or any self-improvement offering, as a quick-fix to any problem, but a map you can choose to follow or not -- or a tool you can become as proficient with as you choose.

Imagine a hammer; like the Law of Attraction, a hammer is a pretty straight-forward proposition. You can use a hammer to build a beautiful birdhouse, or you can use a hammer to break a window; or, you can smash your thumb with it. If you hit your thumb, it isn't the fault of the person who invented the hammer, the person who made that particular hammer, the person who sold it to you, or even the hammer itself; your results depend on your use of the hammer. If you hit your thumb, it doesn't mean that the hammer doesn't work, or even that it won't work for you; it simply means you need to put more energy into some part of the equation -- more practice, more attention, more patience, etc...

Like a hammer, the Law of Attraction can be used to create wonderful masterpieces; or it can be used to smash your thumb. Ultimately, the Real secret to making The Secret work for you is you -- and what you think, feel, and do.