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"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne

Written by: Kevin Lee

Article Overview: Many people claim "The Secret" is a shortcut to entrepreneurial success and financial wealth. But is it really just another self-help book? Decide for yourself. Rating: 3/5

"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne

To many people, reading this book will be like reading your daily horoscope. You're either going to reject it as nonsense or embrace it as fact or simply enjoy it for what it is and smile:) But to be quite honest, when I first started reading "The Secret", I wasn't completely sure if the author was Rhonda Byrne or actually Morpheus from the 1999 movie, "The Matrix", haha! With bold theories like how "Your current thoughts are creating your future life. What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life" (25), and talk of being able to have any sum of money you want (98) or curing your own cancer with just self-belief (128), I kept expecting the next page to tell me that self-belief could also allow person to stop bullets in mid-air or fly in the sky;)

Sarcasm aside, I simply interpret "The Secret" as a self-help book which tries to convince the reader to be happy now (179), and to think happy thoughts all the time in order to attain any goal in life. Highlights include how Byrne emphasizes that "Success comes from within, not from without" (107), you're the only one who can control your happiness (122), and to "Do what you love" (184) and "If it ain't fun, don't do it!" (178) as I couldn't agree more! However, Byrne uses far too many expert testimonies to support her thesis, which I feel does more to discredit her, since they make her book look more like an infomercial and read like a college research paper. I also find it strange how the book presents the idea that "You cannot help the world by focusing on the negative things. As you focus on the negative events of the world, you not only add to them, but you bring more negative things into your own life at the same time" (144) and "It's not your job to change the world, or the people around you" (146), so does this mean we should simply continue to turn a blind eye to the fight against certain diseases or global warming in fear of attracting more of those bad things??

Anyways, if you're a chronic cynic or just looking for a get rich quick plan, this book probably isn't for you as your unintentional self-doubt will always prove to be your foil (89). But if you're an open minded individual who wants to indulge in a new way of thinking, then by all means take the "red pill" like Neo from "The Matrix" (i.e. read "The Secret"), and allow Byrne to show you how deep the rabbit hole goes (and maybe you too can manipulate your world with just your unwavering self-belief and thoughts). The book maybe a tough pill to swallow at first, but it definitely has its shining moments as well. It can't hurt to try something new and I've cashed my check from "The Bank of the Universe" (98), so I'm already rich (as Jeffrey Gitomer defines it:)

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My reading log - Hi OmnivoreInk, Before starting my business, I read the following books as research: -"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki -"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm -"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order): -"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross -"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom -"The Twits" by Roald Dahl -"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne -"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener -"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell -"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis -"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following: -"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson -"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell -"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett -"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch -"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron -"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey
Re: A Book For New or Experienced Entrepreneurs - Act Now - [quote="litekepr":abgdgf1m]This is one of the best books around on success and spirituality that you can add to your personal library.[/quote:abgdgf1m] Hi Shri, Is this book similar to Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret"?
Victoria's Secret - Too Sexy? - This will be upsetting for some men. I just heard a report about Victoria's Secret and it was interesting. Their sales were down drastically in the 4th quarter of 2007 and the report was about how they are thinking the company has gotten too far away from the heritage that made it the blockbuster company it is. They are thinking the ads etc have become too sexy and the plan (at the moment) is to make the ads more sophisticated. That would be like the Super Bowl commercial which was very tasteful, but very different from any Victoria's Secret I've seen lately. Who do you all think the current sexy ads are targeting? I think its the men that they hope will buy these items for their female significant others. I hate to give Omarosa any kudos - but most women aren't "sold" on an item by an ad of a near naked sexy woman. Shri
Re: Success - I study success intently, and would like to share: Here's two excellent and nearly identical success-formulas from a couple of the world's masters. FIRST FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Clear, Definite Purpose 3. Committed Decision 4. Take Action In Faith (Bonus Secret Sauce: 5. Repeat Consistently) I made a video about this, but am not allowed to link it yet. Google "Ryze Success Steps" for it. Oh, and this is Napoleon Hill's (Master Of Success Laws)'s Formula. SECOND FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Understand It Is Already Done (Faith) 3. Relax & Allow It To Unfold (Go about your life calmly) This one is courtesy of Abraham-Hicks (inspiration for the movie The Secret). Hope that helps!
The Secret - Hi Binary Guy - The Secret certainly has been getting a lot of attention and promotion by the likes of Oprah. What have your experiences been with the program?


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