The Secret….

Howdy from somewhere between El Paso, TX and Lubbock, TX. The sporting event marathon continues as we make our way to Lubbock,TX to watch Bobby Knight and his Red Raiders take on the mighty Miners of UTEP.

DISCLAIMER: Many of my dearest friends and business partners are
big fans of The Secret so what I write below is not intended to insult (though
I do poke fun) but to be controversial and, at the very least, thought
provoking. Please feel free to comment and express your opinon (…good
or bad ) using the comment link at the end of this blog post……

The Secret….my two cents

I know I have offended most of you with my comment in last blog saying that
the book, The Secret, is a bunch of garbage. Did I mean it?
Yes….and kind of.

I had a good argument against the book, The Secret, by Rhonda
Byrne…. but as I watched my beloved Texas Tech Red Raiders fall behind by
fourteen points to the University of Virginia Cavilers in the Gator Bowl…I
decided to “envision” my Red Raiders winning the game…and guess
what….they won by kicking a last second field goal…so…The Secret
does work. Luckily…no one from University of Virginia “envisioned” their team winning….whew!

On a more serious note…..or not so serious…..

The Secret has reached an all time high in popularity. A result of
aggressive marketing based on the notion of a “new” way to get rich.
Kudos to the marketing team on taking the world by storm by creating a religion
based on “The Law of Attraction.” Repackaging old ideas with
the supernatural and unveiling it as a secret hidden for hundreds of
years….”Until now…” This marketing is just hands down effective.

The reason I believe The Secret is so popular is because people want to believe
it. It is easy….it is accepted….and it only costs $20. The
Secret reminds me of an infomercial I used to see on tv around 3 AM. The
infomercial was about weight loss audio tapes on how to lose wait by
breathing. It showed people sitting in nice fluffy lazy boys using
headphones, listening to the “lose weight by breathing”
technique….”Breath in…hold….breath out…now do this again…but
pick up the pace…” Wow…that is easy….and that is why it sells. Does
it work?…only when you get out of the couch and go breath while running a
couple miles. What they have done is taken out what really is the heart
of losing weight and convinced you via marketing that no action is
required. Of course it does not work…but oh…how we want to believe it
does. So..now I ask…why is The Secret so popular? It’s so
easy….and we all want to believe it works. No real action….just tap
into the powers of the universe…or this mystical “electrical power”
and “will it,” “ask for it,” “envision it,” “confirm
it,” “attract it.”…etc. Just imagine…sitting in that
same fluffy lazy boy “willing,” and “envisioning” cash in
your pockets….

There is a story here…here is mine….

I am a realist (or at least I want to be) and it took me a
while to figure The Secret out….for a while I was confused…because
of self-inflicted peer pressure (is that possible?) and the fear of being in
the minority….let me explain…..

When the book, The Secret, came out….it was making a big impact on
my friends, business partners, mentors, etc. I took the bait…I bought
the DVD online. I watched and wanted to believe that there were answers
beyond what I knew was true (with the “hope” there was an easier
way). I was on the wagon for a while…but I was never comfortable riding
in it (Oh…but I wanted to believe). I remember having a deep discussion
with my business partners from Grasslands regarding The Secret on our
way to a Grassland’s summit. I could not communicate why The Secret
made me uncomfortable…but it just did.

Then…I found myself justifying the book to other
“non-believers.” I still was not sure why I agreed or disagreed
with The Secret…but I was playing the part….just not sure what that
part was.

Today….The Secret it is not only just another book…but a very bad
one to boot. There are some good things and a lot of not so good
things. I do not recommend the book….but I would have to say the book
makes some good points…but the good points are nothing new. Many of the
points have been said before but I think Byrne takes obvious and accepted
practices such as “postitive attitude” and adds pseudo-science to
make it appealing. The “genie in a bottle” portion of the book
is just insulting….but I digress.

Now….like I said….The Secret is not something new. Not at
all. It is old thought with a new spin. It starts with a little
Hindu thought of “like kind attracts like kind” and then throws in
chunks from a book called The Science of Getting Rich by W. Wattles
written in the early 1900s. Now add the writings of both Napoleon Hill (Think
and Grow Rich) and Robert Cialdini (Power of Persuasion), mix in a
little faith movement teaching (Kenneth Copeland, Oral Roberts, Joyce Meyers,
Joel Osteen), add a garbage truck full of supernatural interference and a dash
of inaccurate science, plus a league of new age “guru” thought…and
now you have The Secret. Of course this is my opinion …

Nothing can be a substitute for passion, skill, healthy attitude, and
action. Having the will is all about passion….but “willing”
something to happen without action is lazy….but I digress.

“Law of Attraction”….says who?

I understand the thought behind the “Law of
Attraction.” But let’s get one thing clear…”law of
attraction”…is far from any scientific law…or any type of law for that
matter….it is just an idea or theory at best (using the term
“theory” very loosely). The basis is logical and is evident in
everyday life….it is not a secret…it is not supernatural…it is not
electricity..and it is absolutely not a science. It is simply the idea of
putting yourself in a position for success…having an attitude or a
“can-do attitude” is a huge benefit to success in anything. A
skilled person who is focused and has the right attitude is hard to stop.

The package of good attitude, skill, good personality, and focus results in
something very special…”Likability.” People that are
“liked” have a much easier time of getting things to happen in their
lives because likability leads to relationships (Wealth Lifelines)….deep,
transparent relationships lead to all definitions of wealth.

I have had the opportunity to coach hundreds of people and you can tell who
is going to be successful and who is not just by their attitude. Winners
have an attitude that is magnetic and…likable. It is not supernatural….or
new age… Test this yourself….Act bitter and complain all the time and see
what kind of people you attract….other bitter people….science? I
think not….just human nature.

Oh gee…Thanks!

Another item that The Secret discusses is the point about
gratitude. Again…OLD NEWS! Yes…if you read books by Anthony
Robbins, Dan Sullivan, Dale Carnegie, Napolean Hill….this is a common
practice of successful people. But again… it is not mystic…it is not
science. You can read more about what I have to say about gratitude in a
blog post I wrote last year by clicking on this link: Gratitude…a
wealth variable

Envision a Vision…..

The Secret talks a lot about “envisioning yourself in your new
sports car, new luxury home, having big bulging muscles, having nice lean
body.” Now…keep doing this….and soon enough…abracadabra.
Which brings back the breathing exercise tape in order to lose weight.

Now…vision exercises are common in sports, entertainment, etc. I do a
lot of “vision” work for my different companies. But having a
vision for a project helps to define plans, those plans turn into goals, then
milestones….you get the picture….in order to accomplish/implement the
vision. In other words, vision without action is just dreaming.
But…dreaming is easy…taking action is not….hence telling you to take
action does not sell books…but the thought of sitting in a lazy boy dreaming of
losing weight just by listening to “weight loss breathing techniques”
is very attractive…we emotionally get attracted to the possibility of
“what if it really works?”

Okay Rob…so you hate the book…who cares what you
think?

Now…I know I have touched on a couple points regarding The Secret
and I also know I am simplifying things and leaving a lot out…but…one thing
I know is that nothing…not one thing will replace passion, purpose,
education, relationships, accountability, and action. Especially by just
“willing” something in the hope of.

I think people are looking for a mystic way of doing things in an attempt to
take God out of the formula (Calling God “the universe” is a big
hint). The biggest fallacy of the book, in my opinion, it that the book goes
all out to tell us that the world and what happens in our life is all in our
control (This is very different than taking responsibility)…the notion that
we are little gods and that we can have it all…..”the universe is your
genie” is dangerously misleading. The Secret tells me that I am in
charge and the world is my oyster….that I am my own god. I believe in
God….and I am not Him. I also believe in responsibility….and that I
am responsible for my actions….the point here is taking action.

I could go on and on…but I digress.

Let me ask you a question…..

What is your vision for your life?

Now…assuming you have dreams and a vision of what you want your life to be
like….now ask yourself this question….

What do I need to do in order for my vision for my life to become a reality?

Now, let’s take action on your vision…identify the tasks you need to
accomplish it. What should be more obvious is what needs to change in
your life. So…if you focus on what your vision is for your life…you
will start seeking people, ideas, environments, mentors, etc….that will help
you accomplish what you need to accomplish….in your effort to achieve, you
will “attract” like minded people, attract ideas, and you will start
thinking differently, doing things differently, and your results will be
aligned to what you are trying to accomplish. Is this science?
No…it is just obvious.

Now….if you are your own god…then by all means buy the book so you will know
how to do it.

Until next time…..rob

• Running is Overrated
• Blogging Heroes - Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers by Michael A. Banks
• Matt Furey: 101 Ways To Magnetize Money