The Secret and the Law of Attraction - Hip, Hype or Hoax?

'The Secret' is not so secret anymore. In fact most people have now heard about its key message ... the Law of Attraction. This philosophy states that we create our reality, both good and bad, by what we focus on. In other words, we attract our life results by what we think.

We've seen The Secret talked about ad nauseum. On Oprah, The Letterman Show, in popular magazines. Now, we're starting to see some backlash.

The current affair shows are starting to interview people who've 'used' The Secret and failed in their lives. The radio stations are starting to lampoon The Secret in satire. Recently, there's even been an 'expose' on one of the teachers of The Secret as a conman. Ouch, it's getting ugly.

Why? Because there is some doubt in some people's minds on the validity of the teachings of The Secret. There are sceptics out there. The unbelievers, those who choose not to be ordained by the teachings. And there are those who've tried to make it work and failed. Those who are continuing to get the same miserable results in their lives and choosing to blame The Secret.

But is it a case of these people again finding something else other than themselves to blame for the lack of results in their lives? Could it be that they've not applied the teachings of The Secret in the correct way. Could it be that the teachings work, for those people who 'get it'.

So what's the secret to getting The Secret? Why is it so hard to apply the teachings?

The Secret says we need to Ask, Believe and Receive. Ask for what you want, hold the belief that you will attain it, and open yourself up to receive it. As easy as that!

Or maybe it's not so easy for some people. Yes, you may be pretty good at defining and asking for what you want, and putting it out there. But for some, this initial step is the first stumbling block. You may find it difficult to realise that there are other options available to you. Or to conceptualise that you may be able to do things in a different way in your world to get different results. Better results, bigger results. It takes some thought, dreaming and hope to visualise another possibility for your life.

The believing part is about holding the faith with every thread of your being. It's about visualising what you want 'as if' you've already got it. Seeing yourself as though you're already there, ahead of the manifestation. Now this can take some doing. This is where it gets harder for some. Imagination may not be your strong suit. Or you may simply get caught up in your day to day habitual world and forget your focus. Or you may start to doubt. You may get caught up in other people's expectations of you, or your own negative or habitual thoughts.

Even if you're a success in believing you'll soon be achieving, the next step in the process may be your downfall. This step is about opening yourself up to receiving NOW. Getting yourself ready to realise the dream you've been chasing. This step is about unblocking and allowing yourself to grab hold of your gifts from the universe. And this may not be so easy for you. Because you may be habitually living your life expecting the same results tomorrow that you got yesterday. You may be holding the faith that The Secret stuff you've been hoping for will come...but in the future. The future never comes because it's always ahead of you. Getting yourself in the right mindset to receive now rather than later is the final milestone.

There are many other pitfalls, hazards and stumbling blocks that may set you back in your 'Secret' journey. Follow the footsteps of someone who is travelling the path and benefit from their insights and experience. Click here to follow a 31 day expedition down the pathway to a Better Life applying The Secret - http://thesecretjournal.wordpress.com. The Secret Journal of the Secret Journey.

What Super Heroes Teach Us About Personl Growth

I have always enjoyed super heroes. Spiderman, Batman, The X-Men, and many others. My favorite of all time would have to be Superman though. Superman always amazed me because he is one of the few super heroes who has to put on a costume to be normal. He also has the ability to have anything he wants, including complete rule over the earth if he so chose, but instead decided to use his powers to help people. There is one major flaw in almost every single super hero though. That one flaw is complete selflessness. Let me explain.

In our society we believe that anyone who is selfish at all is a bad person. For some reason we have picked up the idea that anytime someone does something selfish that they are commiting a sin. Now I am not saying that people should be selfish all the time and never give, however, there needs to be a balance. We should give of ourselves in any way we can to help others live better lives. However, if we don't first take care of ourselves, and if we always have others in mind with every thought, word, and deed, we will never get what we need to live a happy fulfilling life. If you only have ten dollars left until next Friday, it would be silly to give half or all of it to someone else who needs it.

It is not a bad thing to be selfish as long as that selfish is not effecting other people in a negative way emotionally, menatlly, or physically. Each and every one of us has to take care of ourselves as no one else will do so. If you give away your last meal, you will starve to death. If you are always focused on making others happy, you will never express yourself in a way that makes you happy. If you are always doing for others, when will you have the time to do for you. You need to take time to make sure you are providing for yourself on a mental, emotional, and physical level. It is the only way you will ever get closer to your goals and dreams, and hopefully you are providing for others by getting closer to your goals and dreams.

No one does anything for nothing. There is no such thing as a completely altruistic act. The return may be smaller than what is given, but nothing is done for nothing. When you donate money to a non-profit organization you don't do it completely void of emotion. You do it because it makes you feel good for one reason or another. When you stay over time at your job when you don't have to you don't do it so others can benefit. You do it because you feel a sense of duty, or you like to move forward, or for a million other reasons. Nothing we ever do is without some form of self serving reason. We tithe at church because we believe it is the right thing to do and we want to support our ministry. So be willing to be a little more selfish. Superman saved thousands of lives, but at the end of the day he had little left for himself. Often times he pushed his own happiness away so he could help other people. None of us are super heroes, but we can accomplish super hero deeds, as long as we remember to take time for ourselves.

Live Life, Be Positive

The ability to understand that things and events around us, that impact on our lives, happen for a purpose, is one of the keys to accepting that there are forces operating around us, over which we have no control. We can hide away from the past heartaches, embarrassments and failures or we can take control and learn from them. They are and do become the tools for our future success, provided we do learn from them.

OptiMindzation Acceleration is a new process of using the latest research into how our mind works and builds on the principals of the "Law of Attraction" to develop our inner strengths. The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don't feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a project, in a specific situation or in a position at work.
There is always the next time, so make room in your life and use the Law of Attraction to build your self worth. Call in from the universe the things that are rightfully yours, by being specific in your requests.
Keep them positive and you will gain. Be negative and you will attract negativity into your life..

Remember self improvement leads to inner stability from this comes your inner self confidence and your own self esteem.