Did I tell you that I’ve been reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne? I bought it for RM48 at the MPH warehouse distributors sale. Not bad for a book which costs about RM80.
There’s a funny story behind my getting my hands on that book too. I’d like to think that the secret — which explains in great detail the power of positive thinking and law of attraction — worked on me even before I started reading it.
The story began after I read a long article about the book in The Star. I’ve been meaning to get the book ever since, but I thought it’s too expensive for a small hard-cover book. So I promised myself that I’ll buy the first copy that I can get for cheap. It was something that I told myself and forgot all about after that. I only remember about it whenever I’m at a bookstore. I’ll look for it and hope that it will be on sale. But it never does (go on sale).
But lo and behold, over a year later, I was invited by my colleague to follow her to MPH book sale and got myself a copy for cheap!
And I’m sure I told you about my wish to visit HK one day and it’s coming true…? I guess that’s Law of Attraction too…
So, I’m close to finishing the book and I think it makes a lot of sense. Here are a few things that I learned from the book:
a. Your thoughts are powerful.
I grew up being told that “kata-kata itu satu doa”. It means that your wishes are prayers ie if you say something often enough and believe it to be true, it will turn into reality.
For example, if a father keeps on telling his naughty son that he will never amount to anything, and if the father and son actually believe it, then the son will grow up to be someone who doesn’t amount to anything. The same goes for people who say they hate a certain someone, they will somehow always end up bumping into that person because they are attracting the person they hate with their negative thinking.
It all has to do with your thoughts, actions and how passionate or how much you mean something when you were saying it. The book says that positive thoughts are twice (or more) powerful than negative thoughts. BUT if said with conviction, even negative thoughts can overpower positive thinking.
So, push away negative thoughts the minute you have them.
b. You can wish your worries, illness etc away.
The book gave an example of a man whose lungs were crushed in an accident and doctors thought would spend the rest of his life as a “vegetable”. But the man never stopped believing that he will get better and walk out of the hospital on his own two feet. Within a year or so, he did. His secret was positive thinking and believing with all of his heart that he will get better.
The author even suggests that social ills can go away if the media stops focusing on it. Well, she says that the positive thinking must start from the public. If the public shifts its focus on the negative to the positive, they will attract the positive. Apparently, as simple as that.
How do you do this? Do the exact opposite. If you are unhappy with your job, either look for another one or concentrate on what you enjoy about it, instead of lamenting about how much you hate your job. When you put all your attention on something you like, you will attract more of it and you will end up enjoying it more. Because what you resist passionately, you will attract like moth to flame.
Mother Theresa apparently never attended anti-war rallies. “If you have a peace rally, invite me,” she said. So if you’re anti-war, be pro-peace. You get the drift.
c. Believe that you are (insert your wish here) and you will be.
A woman who had cancer prayed everyday thanking God for curing her cancer away (she still had cancer then). She did this every single day without fail, as if God had actually cured her illness. In the end, her cancer was cured.
Your action is important in making your dreams come true. If you wish to be pregnant but you are not opening yourself to being a mom — not having enough sex, not taking care of your health, hating babies etc.. than you may not conceive because your mind rather than your body is not ready.
d. Be grateful for what you have.
The book says that in order to attract what you want, simply “ask, believe and receive”. It means that you must vocalise what you want (say “I want to be a millionaire”, and not “I don’t want to be poor”), believe absolutely that your desires will be yours and start visualising (receiving) the joy of (being a millionaire).
So, in your prayers, always express your gratitude for what you already have, even if it’s make believe (like the woman with cancer above). People who are thankful for what they have normally receive more that they ever wish for. I think this applies to the concept of zakat.
e. Wish people well by blessing and praising them.
Remember that a negative thought (said with conviction) is more powerful than 100 positive thoughts? Well, forget about cursing your enemies because, again, what or whom you resist will always come to you. So, let go of your hate and wish whoever it is well. And then focus on things more worthwhile and that bring you happiness and calm.
Skeptics may think that the Secret is a load of bull. But I think that this book gives hope to an otherwise jaded world that we live in. I mean, what’s wrong in believing that we have the power within ourselves to achieve our desires — be it world peace, a Coach bag or a prince charming? I think what the world needs now is “love, sweet love” hehehe and “faith” that something good will come out if we believe hard enough.
