For some reason people love to hate Rhonda Byrnes' book, "The Secret." My own opinion on the book is complicated. The short version is that I do think there are some truths in the book, universal truths if you will, but I think that they are told through the lens of the author and make little sense to a lot of readers. The author was in a tough spot of trying to back up the principals with examples, so of course the examples were isolated situations with the reader lacking facts. (Like the part about visualizing checks coming in the mail. That really only makes sense for people who don't have direct deposit, you know?)
The net is full of blogs of people ranting about how infantile the book is and how it doesn't work. I don't need to post any of those excerpts. I did find a poem that I liked from an author that passed away in 1933 that summarized some of what was enclosed in the principals without getting too specific:
http://lvcsb.com/blog/2008/11/03/the-secret-controversy/
“THOUGHTS ARE THINGS and wings: And that we send them forth to fill the world with good results, or ill. That which we call our secret thought speeds forth to earth’s remotest spot, Leaving its blessings or its woes. Like tracks behind it as it goes. We build our future, thought by thought, For good or ill, yet know it not. Yet so the universe was wrought. Thought is another name for fate; Choose then thy destiny and wait, For love brings love and hate brings hate.” Henry Van Dyke
I think a lot of people read the book and take it literally. Or, find it childish. One author that I really like and respect, James Kunstler, has suggested a la "The Secret" that wishing for things is a child's pastime and adults shouldn't be thinking anything besides productive activity is what creates wealth. http://www.kunstler.com/
That is the link to his site, although I forget in which posting he mentions his view. I don't disagree with JHK entirely, however, there are aspects of it where what is now wealth creating, a company like google, was once someone's idea, and only an idea. The person had to do the work of creating the company, but it did start out as one idea. In short, there is a lot of wiggle room on the topic of whether "The Secret" works. My investigation into it all has been mixed. I am looking forward to hearing the experiences of others.
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I feel that create your own reality techniques like "The Secret" or "The Circle" theoretically can work with out flaw given that the practitioner is a master of concentration. I have heard that it is important to simultaneously concentrate on your desired outcome and activate your heart, or heart chakra. "Activating the heart chakra" means is just to feel the emotion of love. Essentially what one wants to do is to take the love they feel, merge it with their thoughts (desired outcome) and hold that state of mental/emotional connection for as long as possible (or for as long as they intuitively feel is the right length of time). They never tell you this in "The Secret". The book/movie only gives you a hint at what is possible and does not explain the technique thoroughly. This either leaves the reader/viewer: empowered, skeptical or confused.
I should also mention that for most of us, devoting all our time to becoming masters of concentration and feeling love/compassion is not a possibility as we live busy lives. So I feel this is where it is important to actually take action. You have a dream? Well first use logic to see if your dream is attainable. What are the obstacles between you and you living your dream? How will you transcend those obstacles? Who will you need to know that will help you transcend these obstacles? What skills will you need to reach your goal? How long will it probably take? Its important to know your limitations too. A poet/artist probably would not be the best candidate for running a steal company. A economics major probably has a small chance at becoming a world renowned sculptor. Now that is not to say none of these things are impossible but in most cases improbable.
Once you get a clear picture of the path from where you are now to the end goal you are that much closer to that goal. All it will take now is dedication. If you don't stick to the path you will never see your dream manifest in physical reality. The more you think about your goal and feel love for it, the more you will want to execute the necessary tasks to attaining your goal. It's basic logic really.
This is not to say that common basic logic can not be bent to accomplish goals that would otherwise seem completely impossible. I mentioned before that most of us are not able to give up our normal busy lives to live a life of concentration and feeling love. However if someone were able to accomplish this, then abilities stranger than fiction can become a reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhi
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