It's no Secret...

Over the last few years, there's been a huge stir caused by the book and DVD The Secret, brought out by Rhonda Byrne. Essentially, what it revolves around is harnessing the power of attraction to achieve your aims and goals. The power of attraction is based on the premise that if you constantly think about and visualise a particular goal, you will accelerate your progress towards that goal.

Now, while I think that it's great that a lot of money has been made off of this book/DVD, and the concept has gained currency around the world, the idea behind it is really an ancient one, and I've been using it for many years - well before the book or DVD came to light. I myself read a version of it in a book when I was only a teenager, and used it all through high school, university and in my businesses. What has prompted me to blog about it here, was how powerfully it worked for me recently.

The basic phrase which I took out of this book (I can't remember exactly who it was by, but it could well have been Dr. Demartini) was this: What you focus on expands. It's short and punchy (thus seeming like a sound bite) but it's really so much more. Basically, what you spend your time and energy on gains more momentum and 'power', for lack of a better word, and becomes more and more real in your consciousness, until eventually it manifests itself physically. I'm not going to get too 'new age' on the whole thing, but wanted to share how it worked for me recently...

At the beginning of this year, I sat down and thought through what I wanted to achieve this year. I had specific goals in the personal, financial and business spheres of my life, and wanted to commit myself to them. To do this, all I needed to do was write them down. This simple act turns an mental idea into a physical reality - the goals you've set are now on that piece of paper in front of you, staring back at you. A goal or dream not written down is only a wish. Now, one of my financial goals was to up my monthly earnings to x amount of money. It was a figure substantially higher than my current level of earnings, and I imagined it would take me a good 6-9 months to reach it. Accepting this, I started working towards it straight away. That same day, I wrote down several different ways I could reach my goal. I could grow my businesses, take on consulting work, start some new businesses I have in the pipeline, or even take on a full-time job working for someone else. My goal was fixed, and I was open to any opportunity to help me attain it, no matter how different it was to what I was currently doing.

Here is where the power of attraction comes into it. If I'd been like most people, I would've simply sat and daydreamed about earning that much money. But I knew that if I focused on it, it would become a reality, so I did. I focused on it both mentally and physically. Mentally, I would sit quietly and picture myself already earning that amount, and what I would spend it on and invest it in. Physically, I started researching other businesses that give relatively fast returns; I got stuck into even more books about successful businessmen and companies; I started looking on jobs sites for the first time in years - anything that would bring me closer to my goal. I even posted my goal in the public domain, by putting in on my Finance Coach group on Facebook. By doing all of this, I was telling myself, and others, that I was serious about attaining this goal. Through all my reading and trawling, I came across a job on offer (in a publication I wouldn't normally read). I applied, was asked to come for an interview, and was offered the position 7 hours later! I've since accepted the position - it seems to be a good challenge, and should allow me to still run my other businesses - and my goal will be accomplished. With the salary from this new job, I will now be earning 500 bucks more than the x amount I had set as my goal.

Now, just think about that. I set a goal based on an arbitrary number, and after focusing on it intensely, I will now be earning almost EXACTLY that amount. Within a month from start to finish! Now, some out there will say I'm just lucky; but I know that because I focused on that goal, and committed myself to being proactive about it, it expanded and expanded until it became a reality. Now THAT is the power of attraction...