"The Secret" seems to be either loved or hated by most people. But this review by Sarah Zeldman is extremely balanced. If I wrote up all my thoughts on "The Secret" DVD, I could not have written a better review than hers. (Reading Sarah's writings often feels like she is putting my thoughts into words perfectly. I have a soulmate living up there in Canada!)
The Flaws in "The Secret"
Sarah brings a balanced perspective and does an excellent job pointing out the flaws in the so-called "science" of the secret. For example, "The Secret" is too materialistically focused and it makes achieving success sound way too simple and magical. These are the flaws that turn people off. These flaws are also why I don't wholeheartedly recommend the book or video to everyone and I personally would not pay to see it or own it. But I do recommend at least exposing yourself to it if you can view it for free.
Like the people showcased in "The Secret", I do believe that you can manifest the life you want - once you get clear. Unfortunately, that is another way "The Secret" is not very helpful. It doesn't provide much guidance on how to get really clear about what you truly deeply need and want.
Like me, Sarah believes James Arthur Ray's version “Think, Feel, Act.” is a much better description of how you make your dreams and goals a reality than “Ask, Believe, Receive.” You must take action. If you take the first steps towards your dreams - even if you don't know exactly how you will make it the rest of the way - that is a profound act of faith in yourself. And Faith in yourself is absolutely essential. You have to believe in yourself and trust yourself enough to be willing to learn as you go and to believe that even if you fail you will figure out the right thing to do next.
The Best of "The Secret"
I really like that even while pointing the flaws in "The Secret", Sarah doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. She has extracted 8 great lessons found in "The Secret" about how we both "attract AND create" our own happiness and success.
Every single one of her 8 "best of" points is spot on. I would only add that our life's purpose & goals must include an element of service to others. No matter how trivial it may seem. If we are too self-centered and only want things for ourselves - we will struggle to achieve them.
For example, suppose you want a loving releationship. If you only focus on what you want from the other person...you will struggle. When you focus on becoming a more loving person and think about what you can do for others, you will then be able to "attract" more love into your life.
Here are 4 of Sarah's 8 great points that summarize beautifully the best of "The Secret".
"*Get clear about what I want to achieve with my life.
* Be ready to act on “inspired ideas” or “opportunities” that come me.
* Reframe bad situations in a positive light.
* Be grateful for what I have every day."
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Related Posts I've Written On Success:
- How I Got Married for the First Time - over 40
In 2005, I wrote about how I cleared clutter and made room for someone to be in my life. - Clutter Clearing Pays Off Big Time!
- The Happiness Project - Now that's Neat Living!
Wow! Thank you for that beautiful review of my review!
You are TOTALLY right about adding "our life's purpose & goals must include an element of service to others." The reason I did not add that was because I was summing up what the movie said, and that simply was NOT in the movie.
I even heard one of the experts (I don't remember who) say on one of the talk shows that though he loves the movie, it isn't perfect and left some important things out, and he specifically named (I'm paraphrasing from memory here) "the idea of aligning your personal mission with some kind of service to other people" Also, Joe Vitale said on Larry King Live, "But the movie is telling you one secret of the universe. It is not telling you all the secrets of the universe...Like the Law of Right Action." I have no idea what the Law of Right Action according to Joe Vitale is, but I hope it has something to do with morality and service!
People so badly want perfect teachers, with perfect answers in a perfect movie. They want a quick-fix. They want a new religion that will give them everything they want, without work and without a personal G-d. Admittedly, this movie plays on those desires, but I also think people have to be responsible for themselves and watch it with their brains turned on!
Every single person in this movie is imperfect. This movie is imperfect. The answers are imperfect, but there is still value here.
For example, (I thought of this today) After looking at the movie really, really closely I can tell you that I do NOT think that the Attraction is a Divine, Immutable Universal Law. I think that's marketing. You cannot prove that it works every single time b/c if it doesn't work for someone they say something like "Well, you must not have believed hard enough or done it right." In other words, it's impossible to prove as a universal law like gravity. It comes down to belief. Therefore it is, at best, a theory, not a law -- and when I look it at that way, I can more easily fit The Secret in with my personal and religious beliefs and use the steps it provides to improve my own life.
Some people need to love or hate this movie. They want black and white answers. I don't look at it that way. I see color and I see grey. TURN YOUR BRAIN ON PEOPLE!
Posted by: Sarah Zeldman | March 14, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Sarah, thanks for your brilliant response! You are so right, they didn't mention the element of service or anything related to "right action" really. I agree attraction is not a foolproof law...it's an influence, I guess. Sometimes like attracts like, Love seems to attract love, and hate attracts hate, but sometimes opposites attract as in the laws of magnetism. Leaders attract followers...etc. People seeking easy "black or white" answers find people willing to sell them easy answers.
Here's to seeing the world in vivid technicolor! : )
Posted by: Ariane Benefit | March 14, 2007 at 01:02 PM
If you liked my review of The Secret then you will really like this article:
Two Parts of The Secret No One Talks About— and Why The Secret Won't Work Without Them - By Bill Harris
It's a bit long, but it fills in the (rather wide) gap that the movie left between magic and science as well as the gap between action and results. To really make The Secret work for you, take the time to read this.
http://www.themastersofthesecret.com/letter/
Posted by: Sarah Zeldman | March 18, 2007 at 04:33 PM