Footloose and Cancer Free.

When I was 12 years old my family lived in Riverside California.  I was not very good in typical school sports like baseball and football, but I was good at running. I loved it so much in fact that it became one of my greatest joys in life and unbeknownst to me at the time, would deliver me 47 years later to the Boston Marathon.

Back then I organized a little weekend run with my friend—Dennis Potter who lived down the street. Dennis was a different sort of kid, rather introverted, with a gravelly voice and a round, red face.  We didn’t hang out together much but we met almost every weekend for our race around the neighborhood.  It was a set course on the quiet streets around my house, about 2 miles long as far as I can recollect, and the finish line was in a vacant lot right next to old Mr. Stringfellows big yard.

One thing about this little competition that is important to my story is that I always won.  Always.  Dennis would huff and holler and try very hard to beat me, but in the end I always, and without exception, won the race. I had a good “kick” as runners refer to the last 50 yards or so of a foot race, and it was there that I surged ahead with great confidence and celebration to claim the prize.  Victory was mine. And always mine.  Dennis was forever frustrated by this and he would shake his head and mutter that he would “get me next time”, and that was the end of it.

We continued our competition for many months and one day my father announced that we were moving to Newport Beach and I would be saying goodbye to my school, my friends and my weekend race. Dennis and I met one last time before I left. Our final race went as expected with me leading all the way, but as we rounded the last corner with about 100 yards to go, I had a spontaneous thought that startled me completely, so much so that I can still recall its remarkable impact and the way it felt. It shook me from head to toe and I recognized it as something that I had not yet experienced in my 12 years of life. I was suddenly pulled out of the victory dance that had already started in my mind, with a mental image of Dennis Potter winning the race, a thought that until that very instant seemed impossible to me.  Because I always won.   In order for him to finish first, I would have to actually make myself lose.  How crazy was that?

But I wondered, what would be the consequence of letting him win—just this once?   I knew of course that he would gloat and puff up and feel mighty proud—just as I had for so many months.  And I knew I was the faster runner, no doubt about it, but what if there was something bigger and even more important than winning at this moment?

As I remember it, these thoughts and others like them raced through my brain ever so much quicker than my footsteps on the hot pavement. I had only seconds to process this crazy idea, but in those few seconds I experienced a feeling in my body that was exhilarating and satisfying, even more so than winning the race.

I was, perhaps for the first time in my life, feeling a hint of an undeveloped compassion for another human being.

With the finish line in view I suddenly pulled up with one leg, pretending to lose my balance for a moment. I cursed out loud and kicked up a little puff of dust as Dennis, now tasting the possibility of victory, chirped with delight and like a conquering gladiator, shot by me to cross the finish line with outstretched arms.

“I did it!  Oh my God…..I did it!” he shouted, over and over. I pretended to be annoyed with myself while congratulating him on his well-deserved win.  Amazingly, he didn’t celebrate his victory alone, but ran over to me, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close in a sweaty embrace as we hopped up and down in his dance of glory. The pride on his face, the clarity in his voice, the excitement in his eyes was something I have never forgotten.

I didn’t see Dennis Potter again after that day. And though I wish it were not true, my introduction to compassion would take many more years to integrate deeply into my own life. One good deed, after all, does not a compassionate person make, but it was a start.

Now at the age of 64, newly diagnosed with breast cancer and reflecting on the many gifts I’ve discovered in my life, the memory of running with Dennis Potter has faded, but the feeling I had while watching him celebrate his great achievement and including me in that embrace of ecstasy, is just as strong today as it was then.

I don’t think we have one-sided lessons in life. Just as a broken bone heals stronger at the point of fracture, every defeat allows us to grow a little too. I believe that each time my cancer knocks me back a few steps, the reverence that I have for living and its endless lessons grows a bit.  And I know now that on that race day so many years ago, I needed to lose just as much as Dennis Potter needed to win.

by Khevin Barnes | 0 comments

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Unleashing Your Potential: Molly Fletcher at TEDxEmory

she makes some solid points!! agree?

8 Communication Barriers in Business

Companies must develop a working environment that is conducive to open, trusting, caring relationships between people—an environment that welcomes new ideas and encourages constructive feedback; one in which management actively serves as a catalyst for nurturing and then disseminating new ideas. One of the functions of management is to recognize communication barriers so that the organization can avoid them. Discussed below are some of the most significant communication barriers to avoid.

Communication barrier: Rigid adherence to organizational charts. Organization charts in a company neither define relationships as they actually exist nor direct the lines of communication. If the organization doesn’t reside in the minds and hearts of the people, it doesn’t exist. No chart can fix that. An organization’s function is simple: to provide a framework, a format, a context in which people can effectively use resources to accomplish their goals. The problem is that organizational charts imply that communication should only flow vertically. The fact is communication must flow across organizational and functional units as well.

Communication barrier: Management isolation. Management should keep in mind that creating lavish executive offices, having administrative assistants construct what amounts to barbed-wire enclosures around those executive offices, establishing perquisites—the corner office, executive parking spaces, separate executive floors, private washrooms and dining rooms, limos, even flying first class when others sit in coach—loudly proclaim who is boss. These “perks” increase personal distance and ensure that people feel that their leaders are unapproachable.

Communication barrier: The development of caste systems. The caste system creates artificial barriers that inhibit communication. For example, does your organization encourage clear language or is jargon the norm? Are there opportunities for people at different levels and in different functional groups to spend time with one another, or is there socializing only along status lines?

Communication barrier: The existence of physical barriers. Distance poses another kind of problem in the workplace. People communicate most with those physically closest to them. Thomas Allen of MIT notes that “beyond a distance of 25 or 30 yards, personal interaction drops off markedly. That is why it is important for management to try to bring together as much as possible those who work together.”

Communication barrier: The ambiance surrounding meetings. The process of setting up a meeting and the nonverbal cues during a meeting often communicate as much as the content of the meeting itself. For example, how often are meetings held? Are people early or late for meetings? Is the boss late? What’s the layout of the room? Who gets invited? What’s on the agenda? How is the agenda prepared? How long does the average meeting last? How much time is allotted to each subject? Is the tone of the meeting formal or informal? How much dialogue is there?

Communication barrier: Consistency of words and actions. Are the actions of your organization consistent with its policies? Does management say they care about innovation, but promote those who don’t rock the boat? Do they say that they reward excellence, but give across-the-board raises? Do they say they reward creativity, but have a long-drawn-out approval process that frustrates anyone with a new idea?

Communication barrier: Political warfare. Some people hoard information for personal gain. They believe they increase their power when others are in the dark. Organizations must combat the idea that playing politics with information will bring personal gain. Organizations marked by politics, turf battles, and staff infighting lack adequate communication.

Communication barrier: Poor listening habits. When report cards are given out for how well we listen, very few of us would receive passing grades. Barriers to listening include assuming a subject is uninteresting and tuning out, focusing on the delivery rather than the content, reacting too quickly before the message is completed, picking up on emotional words and not hearing the rest of the message, listening only for facts rather than trying to absorb ideas, allowing yourself to be distracted, and avoiding listening to subjects that you don’t understand. Everyone must learn to overcome these barriers.

The bottom line is that there are four elements required to make communication thrive. First, every organization requires accessible, affordable, easy-to-use technology. Second, an open, honest work environment should be embraced. Third, people should be encouraged to break down the communication barriers that exist. Last, great leaders must communicate the guiding principles, beliefs, and values of the organization—this will rally everyone to a common cause. For just as the stars were used to navigate ships in the night, these guiding principles dictate what is important, how decisions are made, how people are rewarded, who gets promoted, what kind of person joins the organization, and how people communicate with one another.

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The Year I Hit Rock Bottom

“When in doubt, choose change.” – Lily Leung

It was the year everything changed. I gained over 30 pounds of fat. Crashed my first car. Got kicked out of college.

Growing up, I was always athletic. Losing weight was never a problem. That changed my first year of college. You’ve heard of the freshmen 15? Many college freshmen gain 15 pounds with less exercise, more junk food, more stress. I doubled that. I put on over 30 pounds and it was NOT muscle.

How did a kid who was tall and skinny his whole life suddenly have a pot belly? I stopped playing any sports. I ate pizza, subs, wings. I drank too much beer and pop. Up until then I never had to worry about gaining weight. The challenge I had was being too skinny. I just burned off anything I ate with plenty of sports and activity.

I Hit Rock Bottom

Not only did I put on over 30 pounds, I crashed my first car (an old 87 Chevy that was a gift from my Grandfather) and got kicked out of college. Quite the first year of college I had! Something had to change or else I was going to end up dead before I got close to graduating college.

Time for Changes

My dad was angry and disappointed, as you can expect. I promised him that I would do whatever it takes to get my life back on track. He agreed to help me get another car. I enrolled in community college and joined my first gym. Dad showed me some basics at the gym. I didn’t know what I was doing. There were no internet programs back then (hard to believe, I know). All I tried to do was show up three days a week, do some running and weight training.

It was far from perfect, but it was a start. Those 30 pounds started to burn off. I was feeling more optimistic about my future. I still had some bad habits to clean up. Smoking. Drinking. Staying out too late. Not sleeping enough. But it was a start. I had a long way to go before I would transform myself into the man I was capable of becoming. We all have to start somewhere. I didn’t know at the time, but this was a huge turning point in my life.

Learning Valuable Lessons

My freshmen year of college taught me valuable lessons:

• I had to work much harder. In high school, I coasted by without doing much work. I could pass easily and get B’s with a little effort. This wouldn’t work in college or the “real world”.
• If I drank too many beers I would sleep on a couch, instead of driving home. The risk was not worth it.
• The body needs regular exercise and solid nutrition (I was still working on the diet part).

Like I said, I wasn’t perfect but I was improving. It would be a few more years until I quit smoking. I still drank too much. Sleep wasn’t a priority (I was young and thought I could get away with it). During this time I got my grades up, lost most of that freshmen 30+ and I proved to be more responsible. Here are what I consider to be the keys to my life-change:

• The car crash I survived was a wake-up call. I walked away with only a concussion and staples in my head. I was grateful and learned my lesson.
• I didn’t like the way I looked. There was a photo of me shirtless on vacation. I was surprised to see how much my belly stuck out.
• The influence of my dad. His disappointment was a big factor in my desire to change. I wanted to prove that I could change and make him proud.

How did I go about changing my habits? I took simple steps:

• Paying for a gym membership/ scheduling 3 workouts per week.
• Picking up a second job and taking on a new car loan- added responsibility.
• Drinking less frequently- from almost-daily to 1-2 days per week.
• No driving after having any drinks at all. Call for a ride, sleep on a couch.

From Dark Days to Hope

From the outside, you may have thought I was just a college kid having fun. It’s normal to screw around and not know what you want to do with your life. But honestly, I was not happy. I had no interest in college, all I wanted to do was party and I did not care about my health.

The combination of totaling my car, gaining over 30 pounds of fat, and getting booted out of school was the wake-up call that I needed. Something had to change. It started with taking a look in the mirror. I still didn’t know my life purpose, but I was taking steps to find out. I had a new car, new school, and new body. There was hope.

Even if there was no clear path, I felt like I was making changes for the better. Often, that’s all you can do. Make changes to improve yourself. Look in the mirror and realize you can be better. Make small changes that will add up over time. If you find yourself at rock bottom, remember you can change. Start with yourself. If you don’t like what you see, then you know it’s time to shift your course. Sometimes we need a smack to the head to realize we need to alter our habits. I sure did!

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Mel Robbins Discusses the "Five Second Rule" at DMA's &THEN15

This rule changed me alot, are you willing to try this trick?

Six Ways to Clear Your Mind When You’re Feeling Down

“Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” – Buddha

There are moments when we don’t feel happy, adequate, or capable; when we feel low and weak, down and out.  Sometimes we let these moments get the best of us by letting all our worries and stress flood our minds with negative thoughts.  Often those thoughts aren’t grounded in present reality; we allow ourselves to imagine possible problems and negative situations that have not and may never come to pass.  Other times there just isn’t anything we can do in the moment to resolve the problem.

These are the moments when we need to stop the detrimental internal dialogue and focus elsewhere, to be distracted and redirected.  Once we’ve cleared our minds, we are better able to make good decisions and get to grips with stress and fear.  This has certainly been my experience.  I have found that when I entertain negative thinking I feel worse and my imagination runs away with me creating ever-worsening versions of future possibilities.  Lately, I’ve made an effort not to dwell and instead temporarily distract myself.  This provides time to calm down and later revisit issues with a clear head.  Here are a couple of activities you can do to distract your mind and redirect your energy.

Eat

Go back to the very foundation of caring for yourself and eat well.  Focus on what you will eat today, what you’ll eat tomorrow, and for the rest of the week.  Plan three wonderful, nutritious meals for every day of the week.  Think about cutting sugars and processed food.  Cook from scratch with ingredients that were once alive.  Stock up on vegetables of all color varieties.  Feed yourself and get back into a habit of caring for you from the inside.  Drink water, drink tea.  Meal preparation and cooking is meditation for the mind that can’t stop wandering back to the negative.

Clean

Wash your dishes.  Because as shitty as it is to have to wash dishes, it’s a task that takes time and occupies your mind, giving you a much needed break from your thoughts.  Clean your space.  No matter whether that’s an entire home or one room, clean and organize your personal living space.  Get rid of the stuff you no longer need or want.  Make room.  Make space for yourself to grow and change, make space for the new.  Re-energize your home.  Take a luxurious bath.  Soak and soothe your body, exfoliate, and moisturize.

Garden

Go out into the garden and breathe.  Listen to the sounds of the birds and check in on the plants you have growing. Pluck off the dead or yellowing leaves, check for pests sapping the life from your plants, and water them. Move plants that need more space for their roots, separate your bulbs so they proliferate.  Take care of nature, help it blossom, and nature will do the same for you.  No garden?  No problem, do this next one.

Walk

Get out and move your bones.  Stretch those limbs and expand your lungs.  Walk to clear your mind and see something different.  Go out, see what’s happening in the world, and catch snippets of conversations.  Go walk in different locations; hear the crunch of leaves underfoot in the forest, smell the salty sea air on the promenade, eat with your eyes at the local market.

Read

Delve into the stories of others and travel to places you may or may not have thought of visiting.  Escape into words and worlds beyond your own.  Get lost, pass time, and enjoy the ride.

Learn

Learn something new or hit the books again and dig deeper into something you already know to some level.  Immerse yourself in information and experience to help you move forward or in a new direction.  Learn something for the inspiration and reinvigoration that will surely follow.  It’ll help you learn more about yourself and to see proof of all you are capable of.  Be open and, you never know, new paths and avenues might open themselves up to you.

How do you cope with the negative internal dialogue that strikes us when we’re down?

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Mel Robbins The Skill of Confidence & How to Take Control of Your Mind!

I use this everyday, have you tried this yet?

PROVE THEM WRONG - Motivational Video

Will you prove your naysayers wrong?

How Could This Happen To Me?

How could this happen to me?

How could I develop an autoimmune disease at the age of 36?

This was not supposed to happen. Not to someone in their 30s, not to someone who had dedicated their life to health, wellness and fitness. Not to a microbiologist turned personal trainer and yoga teacher. Nope. That’s not how things worked. I had practically guaranteed good health and quality of life well into my 90s.

Although the first 3 decades of my life hadn’t necessarily been easy, I had faced, and triumphantly overcome, varying challenges including caring for a terminally ill mother, a mentally ill sibling, and owning my own business in the mix.

I was capable, resourceful, intelligent and had a proven track record I could deal with some of life’s ugliest moments.

But… I did have this one requirement underlying it all… One necessary ‘condition’ that allowed me to be the ruler of my world: my health.

My personal credo was:

I can deal with anything life throws at me

So long as I have my health…

One must have health if they want to be in control of their life, right?

The one thing I believed was absolutely necessary for me to face any and all challenges life threw my way – my health – was taken away. Never to fully return to its prior pristine state.

My new norm included extreme, mind-boggling fatigue, memory loss, severe migraines, fevers, swollen joints, extensive hair loss and throbbing pain throughout my body.

All these symptoms and more appeared in an unpredictable pattern that made it impossible to figure out a way to manage.

Interspersed were days where I felt relatively ‘better’ (as in, being 75%).

Gone were the days where I experienced a pain-free day.

My life spiraled into one continuous chaos.

I could not care for myself – basic self-care like showering, laundry, dishes, groceries, putting gas in my car, not to mention going to work… every single thing required inordinate amounts of energy of which I had none.

I’d try to do my dishes and tidy up but the exertion was too much and would land me in bed for days. Doing groceries AND carrying them home became a herculean effort. I’d force my body through my Mon-Fri job only to lay comatose for 48 hours before repeating the torture.

I fell into a deep, dark hole.

My future looked grim and my hopes began to dim.

I had no assets to fall back on, I wasn’t married and my family had distanced themselves, while the prospect of being able to work in any career was looking difficult.

If I couldn’t maintain a job and basic self-care, what was next? A caregiver? Social assistance? And further than that? What would the rest of my years look like?

I felt doomed and hopeless. I could see no possible positive outcome for my future.

I kept waiting for the universe to shift, for some external force to change my life.

My thoughts consisted of “if only” statements.

If only… I had enough money I could hire help around the house with domestic duties.

If only… I had a different job, one with a less toxic environment I’d manage better.

If only… I didn’t have to work at all, that would be the answer.

If only… I had a spouse, someone to lean on, my life would be easier.

I was angry. Bitter. Pissed.

I kept wondering where was all that good karma I had put out into the world all those years? All those countless acts of kindness and being a caregiver for family – didn’t they count for anything?

I was a good person. I had assumed that good karma meant what goes around comes around and now that I desperately needed help, it ought to appear.

And then…

One of my pivotal moments (there were several in a series over time) arrived in the form of a quote that I saw on social media:

A bird sitting in a tree

Is never afraid of the branch breaking

Because its trust is not on the branch

But on its own wings.

-Unknown

I realized I was focusing only on the branch… on the earth being taken out beneath my feet, on some external force changing my circumstances and hadn’t for a moment considered my own power and role in my life.

Because of the assumption that health equaled freedom and power I took the absence of full health to mean imprisonment and powerlessness.

I realized I thought I didn’t have wings because I didn’t have my health.

I thought my circumstances dictated my destiny.

But I was wrong.

The power lay within me, not outside of me.

My life was determined by me; how I reacted to those circumstances, my perspective, my mindset, and choices were all up to me.

Health, while being precious and a privilege, was not everything.

I stopped worrying about the ‘branch’ and began cultivating trust in myself.

Instead of looking ahead to the future and wondering ‘How will I manage? How can things get better?’ I chose to focus on my strength and resilience; on the fact that I was still on the planet and breathing in spite of it all.

I have wings. I have power.

Maybe not the way I used to or how I imagined it, or what I would prefer, but so long as I am breathing, I am a living force.

The same is true for you, dear friend.

The life force that you are is everything. THAT is what directs your life.

You are a conglomerate of cells; a conglomerate of energy; you direct that energy whichever way you wish… so spread your wings and trust in the power that you are.

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Never Give Up! [HD]

Do you feel like giving up sometimes?

Unbroken - Motivational Video

How do you want to end up?

FEAR ► Motivational Video

Do you suffer from Fear (False Evidence Appearing  Real)??

How to Set and Achieve any Goal you Have in Your Life - with John Assara...

Will setting the right goals really give you what you want?

Daily Habits of Successful People | Brian Tracy

Do you think just changing a habit can bring about success?

Zig Ziglar - Attitude Makes All The Difference

do you believe that attitude can make all the difference?

Do You Know the Secret. It's the Law of Attraction
It's the Source of Wealth and Everything Else You Desire - It's Also a Best-Selling Book and DVD

Rhonda Byrne, who wrote the book The Secret and produced the movie The Secret, says the secret is the Law of Attraction. If you think positively, you become a magnet that pulls everything you want toward you. The Law of Attraction tells you how to attract unlimited wealth, success, awesome relationships and anything else you desire. With the Secret, you can lead a happier, rewarding life.

Unlocking the Secret

The main idea of The Secret is the Law of Attraction. It suggests that people need only visualize whatever they want in order to get it. The Secret purpports to reveal a time-worn but suppressed truth, known by such luminaries as Einstein, Beethoven and Lincoln: that we literally are what we think. 

At the heart of the Law of Attraction is the idea that we create our own reality, simply by asking. Believe and know that riches are yours, and feel the feelings of having them now. The more you can feel it, the more power you will add to bring it to you. 

This is he Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted.

The Law of Attraction

You may not be aware of it, but a very powerful force is at work in your life. It’s called the Law of Attraction, the capability to attract more of what you want in your life, money, health, relationships, and less of what you don’t want. The Law is always working, rather like the Law of Gravity, and right now it is attracting people, jobs, situations and relationships in your life, both good and bad. The Law of Attraction is totally reliable. When you think of things that you want, and you focus on them with all your attention, the Law of Attraction will give you what you want, every time. 

The Secret is a recent presentation of the Law of Attraction. The author borrows ideas from philosophy and science to suggest that thoughts and feelings are real, with their own frequency of vibration. And your thoughts attract those things -- or people, or circumstances -- with which they are synchronized. 

It really is simple. If you want to know what you're holding in your mind, just look around you. What you have in your life now is the sum total of your thoughts and feelings. 

At the heart of the Secret is the certainty that our thoughts are real. They send out magnetic signals that are drawing the universe back to you. When you see yourself living in abundance and feel intensely the thing you desire, without a smidgen of doubt, you will attract it. It always works. It works every time with every person.

How Does the Secret Work?

There are three simple steps to activate the secret in your life:   1. Ask 2 .Believe   3. Receive. 

To ask is to place your order with the universe in a positive expression of what you want, be it wealth, health, relationships or success. Just put your request out there for the universe to hear. 

To believe, we want to listen to our thoughts. But, because thoughts are numerous and fleeting, we are told to pay attention to our feelings, instead. We should deeply “feel” that the universe is working on our behalf. We visualize the request made manifest. We keep it active in our minds. By giving our attention to our desire, we increase the vibrations of our request. The Secret holds that the universe will make your wishes come true only if you really, truly believe in them. The Secret is not just about positive thinking. It's about how you feel about the things you say. 

The final step of the Secret is to receive, which means allowing and accepting. What it also includes is an absence of doubt. You must believe that you have already received what you have asked for, and that the Universe is working to make your request manifest in your life. Gratitude is also part of the Secret. Focusing on gratitude can help a person take control of life.

Negative thoughts attract more Negativity to You

If you think, “I don’t have a car,” that is a negative thought and attracts more negativity to you, because it goes against the nature of abundance. Instead, you should say, “I want a car, I expect a car, I visualize myself shopping for a car, buying it, and riding around in it, I believe that I already have a car and the universe is in the process of delivering it to me.” These positive thoughts, repeated often, draw into your life the very car you are asking for, and it will manifest itself in your life. 

What you resist, persists. If your thought is negative and fearful, it attracts the very thing you fear. That's because you give it attention, energy and focus. Rather than pushing against things we don't want, we align ourselves with what we want." 

The Secret teaches that you should keep saying the way you want it to be, and if you keep saying it the way you want it to be, the universe will line up and give you exactly what you’ve said you wanted. You do not have to ask how it will be accomplished, because that is not your job. It is the universe that will make it happen, bringing what you want, because the Law of Attraction is always working.

Practical Applications of the Secret

"Everyone has to have their own experience to believe," says the author. “People should start with little things like deciding a cup of coffee will come to you or that you'll see a feather. There's no difference between attracting a feather and anything else you want. It's as easy to attract one dollar as it is $10,000." 

Invoking the Law of Attraction brings all kinds of rewards into your life, from finding prime parking spots to curing cancer and kidney disease, from improved eyesight to great wealth.

The Secret is a Success

"The Secret" is the concept of Rhonda Byrne, a successful Australian television producer who says she stumbled upon it while going through rough times in 2004. Then her daughter gave her a copy of “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles, first published in 1910. Rhonda mortgaged her home in Melbourne and took on an outside investor to finance her movie, “The Secret,” which wound up costing about $3 million. 

The very success of the Secret itself illustrates how the concept works. The DVD was released on the Internet in March, 2006. It did not play in theaters and had no marketing campaign, but, helped by word of mouth, it has sold 1.1 million copies. The book, which was published in November, 2006, is a best-selling title, even outselling preorders for the latest Harry Potter novel. There are now 3.75 million copies in print. Word of mouth has made the Secret famous, and appearances on TV with Larry King and Ellen DeGeneres, as well as the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey, have moved it into the spotlight.

The Secret Movie

The movie, book and audio CD of the book are vivid media with high production values. Rhonda enlisted a team of 52 teachers and self-help gurus, who specialize in personal development, to participate in The Secret. It is a massive, cross-promotional marketing enterprise. The Secret presents interviews with these speakers set off by short dramatized episodes with messages about how positive thinking will improve one’s health, wealth and love life. Rhonda narrates her own audio book of the Secret in her warm, breathy voice. When she speaks in her Australian accent, the word Secret sounds like the word Sacred.

The Naysayers

Not everyone endorses the Secret. The medical community worries that people will avoid medical treatment in favor of positive thinking, even for a cure to their cancer. However, Rhonda suggests that the Secret is best used in combination with conventional medicine. She mentions the placebo effect as evidence of the Secret at work in healing. 

Others call the philosophy that wishing makes things come true a dangerous childhood fantasy. Yet, we all know that many times our wishes are self-fulfilling. Religious leaders say the idea that we can tap into the energy force and create our own world preempts divine power.

Now You Know the Secret

The premise of the Secret is simple. Love, money, health — you can have them all, simply by thinking it, believing it and receiving it. Supporters of "The Secret" tell how shifting from negative to positive thoughts radically improved their lives. Rhonda Byrne said it best: "I wanted to share this gift with every person. It's up to them to choose to believe." 



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