This is the power of positive thinking in meme form.
Confession time. I love The Secret. Not because it’s some huge revelation or some game changing new information, and certainly not the somewhat predatory marketing tactics, but because it got the idea of positive thinking mainstream.
For a few years, I would feel myself sliding backwards. I’d done a LOT of work on myself to accept who I am and what I wanted and in a lot of ways, moving back to the US felt like it undid a lot of it. During those periods when I felt kind of lost again, I’d open up Netflix and watch the movie. Sometimes a couple times a week.
And I would pick it apart. I’d argue everything that some privileged self-proclaimed guru said was “all you have to do” to live your best life. I’d laugh at it. I’d mock it to my dogs. I’d say out loud, to myself, that this was one of the most idiotic things ever and question my sanity for watching it.
And then I’d refocus on me.
While there is a lot to be desired with the marketing tactics, in my opinion anyway, the idea that the universe gives you what you put into it isn’t exactly a new one. The idea of karma has been around since before c. 1500 BCE (Thakkar, 2015). “Do unto others” is one of the most quoted statements to kids. The idea that like attracts like is not new or even novel. But The Secret made it available and acceptable to people who hadn’t thought of it before.
This quote is one I try to absorb into my life philosophy. It’s not always easy, but it’s a goal., especially when it comes to writing.
References
Attract [Image]. (2019, June 24). http://www.chichostess.com/60-quotes-or-sayings-about-relationship-will-reignite-your-love/54/
Thakkar, Chirayu. (2015, December 04). Karma. https://www.ancient.eu/Karma/#:~:text=The%20idea%20of%20Karma%20first,800%2D300%20BCE).
Originally posted as part of the Full Sail Mastery Journal.
