Saturday, April 28, 2007

"Secret" Audiences Deserve a Prequel


After viewing The Secret, the consensus here in the balcony is that the producers must be planning to reveal the entire “secret” at a later date. While I’m sympathetic with the position that the masses probably can’t handle the full “secret” in one sitting, I’m not sure that the Law of Attraction is the most logical or effective opening scene. In fact, it’s closer to the denouement.

Trying to create or change the scenes in your life’s drama by using only one tool in the box is like playing nine holes of golf with only one club. Fewer things can be more harmful to the body, mind or spirit than learning the Law of Attraction without context, and practicing it in isolation and out of sequence.

As The Secret explained, wise souls have known this Law for many millennia. Since then, they and their messengers have faithfully spread the word. In the 20th century, Earl Nightingale became the first to record this wisdom on vinyl, crediting these not so New Age sages for his “We become what we think about” mantra.

Oprah, perhaps history’s most prolific messenger, knows and shares the Law of Attraction extremely well. Did she consciously practice it to transform her life from an unhappy, abused child with low self esteem into that of a highly respected, internationally known talk show host and billionaire? Frankly, I doubt it. I think she’ll admit that her lifestyle today was beyond the wildest imaginings of a woman who once told me that she couldn’t balance her checkbook.

Oprah and I worked at the same Chicago television station for years. When she arrived at our station, she didn’t envision that her enormous talent would redesign the TV talk show landscape forever. In fact, she was stunned when our station manager offered her the job as the AM Chicago host.

Oprah quickly stole the hearts of Chicago viewers, and advertisers stampeded for exposure to her huge audiences. Then the station manager proved that he was more than a great talent scout. He changed her air time, renamed the show and decreed that the new Oprah Winfrey Show would now challenge the venerable Phil Donahue, head-to-head.

Oprah told us that she was petrified. She feared that Donahue would obliterate her from the airwaves. Fear was her prevailing thought. But in no time flat, she reduced Donahue to Dona-who? Was Oprah working the Law of Attraction?

Few, if any, have focused our attention on developing a debilitating or deadly disease, being downsized, losing our homes and loved ones to an accident, wildfire, hurricane or tornado, or our pensions to unscrupulous corporate executives—but it happened, anyway. On the other hand, many have connected emotionally with vivid images of what their lifestyle would be like if they won a big lottery jackpot, married the mate of their dreams, landed a great job or received an admission letter to the college at the top of their list—yet it never materialized. How many have followed the directives in The Secret and received disappointing results?

I speak from experience. More than a decade ago, I followed these same steps, based on the teachings of the sages that inspired The Secret. I outlined that drama and its results in EARTH Is the MOTHER of All Drama Queens. I learned the hard way that a little bit of information can be a dangerous thing.

Is the Law of Attraction all we need to know? Is it even the first thing we need to know, if we want to take control of our lives? What’s the rest of the secret—the prerequisite lessons that support this Law? The ancients have passed on that information, too; and it’s just as accessible.

Let’s hope that the producers of The Secret unveil it in a desperately needed prequel—and soon. Otherwise, many who are now open to exercising the power of positive thought and invoking the Law of Attraction to control their outcomes will lose ground and lose faith when they don’t consistently create the results they desire, as The Secret has promised.

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