The Secret of “The Secret”

I was conducting a workshop for sales professionals when The Secret crept up in a question from the audience. An agent for a major insurance company asked,

"Bill, I read The Secret and watched the documentary several times. I focus on the things I desire, spend time thinking about my goals, have a dream board up in my office, and still can't seem to get to where I want. What am I doing wrong?"

So I could better answer his question, I asked him to be more specific about what he wanted.

He replied, "I want my telephone ringing off the hook, inquiries pouring in from my website, and referrals from current clients. Every day, I focus on these things happening just like The Secret teaches, but none of these things ever happen. A year after putting The Secret into action, I am still where I started."

My first thought was, "Well, duh!"

If you are not familiar with The Secret, it's a well-planned marketing engine to sell an age-old theory to make a lot of money for the small group of humans involved — and it has made them beaucoup bucks. It's a book, film, and product line that rehashes the law of attraction. The law of attraction was popularized in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill back in 1937, so there is nothing new or groundbreaking about it.

To break it down, the law of attraction states that whatever you focus on, you tend to get more of. In other words, if you focus on bad things in your life, you tend to get more bad things. If you focus on the positives, you tend to get more positive things.

The authors of The Secret stopped after the first half of the equation. Unfortunately, this is a misleading marketing strategy designed to make the authors wealthy by keeping the consumers needing the second half — the essential half. In other words, it's designed to get you to buy subsequent books, films, and workshops.

When it comes to our thoughts and emotions, we indeed tend to get more of what we focus on. However, to manifest your thoughts in the real world, you must take action — a lot of action.

Let me paint you a picture.

You're sitting on the sofa watching television late at night, and you suddenly feel the urge to urinate. So you pause your television show, you sit up straight, and you focus on emptying your bladder and how good it feels to have that take place — that's where The Secret stops.

You're certainly thinking about taking a whiz, but you haven't done anything to improve the situation. You have to get your butt off the sofa and go to the bathroom.

It doesn't matter if you want to succeed at sales, build a successful relationship, meet the one, accomplish a dream that you've had for years, or be the best parent you can be. Stop thinking about it — it's time to take massive action!

Massive action is the second half of the equation — the half The Secret left out. And it's the most important part.

So if you have The Secret in book, video, or any other form, take some action and burn them now.

After the flames die down, take the things that you have been thinking about for so long and write them on your bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker so you can read them every morning while you're getting ready.

Next, grab your laptop (or a pen and paper) and break each of those things you've been thinking about into manageable actions. And every day, take at least one step that moves you closer to what you want.

The action may be an email or phone call. Maybe it's scheduling a meeting with a human who can help. Have a conversation with someone you haven't spoken to in years. Whatever it is, do it and continue to take consistent actions that bring you closer to what you desire.

The real secret… Always be mindful of whether you're getting closer to your goal or further away. If you are moving in a direction that is not taking you toward what you want, do something differently. I'm a firm believer in the power of the mind, but you should never get stuck in endless thought.

Make things happen!