Why doesn't "The Secret" work for me?

Larry King did another show with some of the folks from The Secret a couple of weeks ago, this one specifically on The Secret (3/8/07). The first two broadcasts were entitled "Beyond the Power of Positive Thinking", but all the shows explored the ideas presented in The Secret surrounding the Law of Attraction and answered questions about how to use it in one's life. (If you did not catch one or more of the shows, you can watch any or all of these episodes online for free at JamesRay.com, or you can purchase a DVD of the CNN broadcasts from Voxant for personal use.)

Although the shows were provocative, informative, and quite thorough, there is one question that seemed to come up in various forms, again and again, without ever being fully answered, and that is: Why isn't The Secret working for me?

The truth is that there are many, many reasons why it might not be working even if your are actively applying the principles. It could be conditioning, bad habits, the presence of unconscious beliefs that are working against you, competing intentions, the influence of naysayers around you, a negative environment, a lack of action, or a lack of right action, timing, the lure of the safe comfort zone, tuning out your intuition, disbelief, or not believing long enough, or simply not being clear enough about what it is you really want... But I believe that a big reason why it may not be working is the tendency we all have to inadvertently be focusing on NOT having it rather than truly focusing on having what we want!

This is a very subtle but essential point. Allow me to try to explain:

• When you think of money, what is the very first thought that pops into your head?

...Is it your credit card balance, the bills that are due, or the car repair you can't afford? Or is it the absolute utter joy you feel at the piles and piles of cash you have lined-up in your bedroom closet?

• When you think of your body, what is the very first image in the mirror of your mind?

...Is it that you need to lose 10 pounds, the cellulite and the love-handles, or the chronic back ache and tension headache you are feeling these days? Or is it how very HOT you KNOW you look today and how great it felt to smile sweetly at ALL the compliments you've received?

• When you think of love and relationships...

You get the point.

The experts on the show, including Lisa Nichols and James Ray talk about the necessity of applying action steps when you are struck with an intuition or insight, and that IS absolutely true! Action IS necessary, however, action steps taken in the wrong direction (in answer to the thoughts about the LACK of what you want) will most likely serve to bring you more of that lack - more of what you don't want!

Take a good look at what you want to manifest for yourself, and WHY... Now, when the ideas that come forward seem to illustrate images of not yet having what you want, begin to turn them around, one by one: What does the opposite of what you don't want look like? What is the opposite of "in debt" and what does it look like? What would 180 degrees from "overweight and in pain" feel like? What are some antonyms for "looking for love"? Begin a practice of being vigilant with regard to the images you are creating for your future!

Make sure you are truly picturing and imagining HAVING what you DO want - *NOT* NOT having what you DON'T.

What are you focusing on?

No, REALLY, what are you focusing on??!

Try this little exercise: Think of a couple of areas in your life in which you have goals and/or ideally you wish some improvements were made… Perhaps your job, the state of your home (I mean its organizational appearance as opposed to the area of the country you live in – but either, if a problem, will do), maybe how much fun & recreation you are getting these days, your health, your social life/personal relationships, money, money, money, finances, money…

Now, for each one of those areas that you’d like to improve a bit, what is the FIRST image that pops to mind when you think of it?

Be really honest here – it is a matter of life and death to your true desires! ...WHY does that aspect of life need improving?

If you are like most people, myself included, the chances are that the VERY FIRST image that comes to mind when you think of those areas (on the subjects that need some improvement) is what is wrong with them, or, what you DO NOT have.

• When I think of my house, the FIRST thought that comes to mind is that it is a mess…
• When I think of money, my mind instantly races to the bills that need to be paid…
• When I think of my body/health, I can just feel the little roll over the top of my jeans and my sore back…

…And I am not alone! I have many a friend, who, when asked about his or her love life, will almost instantaneously reply that there isn’t one before I have even finished the question!

THAT is what you are focusing on! (And, THAT is what you are creating more of!)

The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like, and that what we think about expands. If you have seen The Secret, you have heard the expression that "where attention goes, energy flows". Well, those pictures, images and feelings that flash across your mind when you think of a subject ARE where YOUR ATTENTION is going! …THAT is what you are focusing on, and, consequently, it is what you are getting more of in your life. Bummer.

The antidote is to start to form pictures in your mind of what you DO WANT in those life areas… Each time you catch yourself snapping to the depression inducing woes of what is wrong, say to yourself: “That is not my reality! My reality is ______” and form a vision of what it might look like if it already WAS they way you DO WANT it to be!

• Envision what your house would look like if it were neat and organized…
• Picture your “accounts payable” box as empty and a lovely sum on your bank statement…
• Imagine what it would feel like for your clothes to be loose, and to be totally healthy…
• Compose an image in your mind of being with that special someone and filled with joy…

It’s easier said than done, I know. But it has GOT to be better than spending the kind of time I have been spending picturing (focusing on) exactly what I don’t want and expecting the opposite of that to suddenly just appear!

...I'll let you know when my house is clean.

The key to $$$$...

The key to Money is knowing what you want TO DO with it!!!

Money energy needs channels to flow into and through your experience... In other words, instead of focusing on the money you want, think about what you intend to DO with it!

Picture and visualize what you will be doing, having, experiencing, and FEELING **AFTER** you have the money you would like to have.

Money is a by-product, not a goal...

What if money were just a by-product of doing what you love?

What if the ONLY way to get money was to BE DOING what you loved, and the more you loved it, the more money you got??!

What if that REALLY is how it works? What would YOU do? How would you "spend" your time?

I say that is EXACTLY how it really works!!!

Ask people what they want, and most of them will say "more money". ...They want it to pay bills, buy more stuff, take a trip, get a new car, to quit that stinkin' job, whatever.

But, in actual fact, money is not what they REALLY want - the money is just a means to an end. What they REALLY want is what they believe the money will do for them (or free them from...) What they REALLY want is the security of knowing that the bills are all paid and there is more where that came from, the ease or entertainment that the latest gadget can bring, the relaxation of time away from worry, better health, more joy, fun, warmth, comfort, beauty, freedom, or even just permission to live the life they have always wanted! (...and usually a combination of all of the above!)

The trick is that THAT is EXACTLY how money is manifested - by focusing on that which you want the money FOR!!!

Then, DO THAT thing!! Think about what the money would do for you (or allow you to do) and DO THAT!!! Take any action you can toward that thing as your goal rather than waiting for the money before you do it, do something, ANYTHING! Start doing anything you can to go in the direction of what the REAL goal is NOW!

What do I want a whole heap of money for? To pay-back any money I owe to anyone, to landscape the little tiny patch of soil I call my front yard, to hire a professional organizer to help me clean, to take some time off to write a book... How can I start doing these things, or at least take steps toward having the experience I want for my life right now? I bet you can think of many possible steps I could take! ..I can pay-back just one person, I can plant one plant a week, I can clean out one drawer, I can write for 15 minutes a day - and that is just a few things! If I were to do any of these regularly, I would eventually have what I wanted even without extra money. But my REAL message here is that as soon as you START taking action to make the experiences you seek a reality, you are simultaneously manifesting the money at the same time! When you are "spending" your time doing something you value, and taking action toward your goal, or doing something you love - you ARE attracting more money!

The truth is you are not poor - you have everything you need right now! You just need to start to take action based on the BELIEF that you do...

What if the ONLY way to get money was to BE DOING what you loved, and the more you loved it, the more money you got??!

What would you be doing?

As best you can - start doing THAT now.