The Secret is a self-help book regarding the power of positive thinking by Rhonda Byrne. The book suggests that like attracts the like, which means if you emit positive energy, it will be very beneficial because you will attract positive things to you. Byrne proposed that positive thinking magnets positive outcomes. Simply believing in what you want to acquire or become will become you. The book portrays that the Secret is mainly about the law of attraction, but it also highlights gratitude and visualization. The primary technique of ask, believe and receive is explained further by stating some facts from some of the Secret’s practitioners. The book encourages people in times of trials or deepens their urge to succeed. Happiness, wealth, success in relationships and even health improvement are all justified as achievable by applying the so-called Secret.

Byrne explains the Law of Attraction. Phrased most colloquially as “like attracts like,” it posits that our thoughts directly create our life because ideas are embedded in the “energy” that makes up the universe. The rest of the book constitutes Byrne’s personal elaboration on the “secret.” She occasionally references quotes by scientists and naturalists, such as Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, to support her thesis. Byrne starts her argument with the hypothesis that everything in and around us is made up of energy, down to the level of the atom. Therefore, energy is the essential element of the building blocks of everything we see and experience.

Byrne provides examples of categories of thought to which the Secret applies. The first two are good and evil thoughts. Though the Law of Attraction doesn’t discriminate between good and bad reviews and doesn’t care whether we want something, it propagates the waves we give off, thereby attracting the objects of desire. Byrne claims that most people think mainly about the negations of their desires; for example, someone who wants to be rich feels about the plight of being poor or middle class. Instead, she argues that people should think about what they wish to do, setting off a positive feedback loop.

Byrne discusses the categories of conscious and subconscious thought, borrowing from Freud’s system of organization of the human mind. She warns that the Law of Attraction is not only in effect for conscious thought but also for the unconscious. For example, if we want to be rich, we might say we want lots of money but harbor subconscious reservations or doubts. The universe takes these energies into account as well, informing their outcome.

The book The Secret does not only stress the importance of positive thinking, but it also gives the readers the resolution to change themselves. Byrne argues that everything is regulated by our thoughts and that we control our own outcomes. Byrne wraps up her analysis of the applications of the Law of Attraction by giving examples of how to attract desired relationships with others. First, she asserts that we must live by ourselves. Most people are conditioned to put self-love at the end of the list of desires, mentally highlighting thoughts that give off negative energy. One hallmark of loving oneself is treating oneself how one wants to treat others. Second, Byrne asserts that we must realize our love for each other, even for strangers. People who complain attract increasingly negative energy, grouping them in with others who think negatively. Finally, Byrne tells her readers to ensure that their actions are consistent with their desires. If we act as if we already have what we want, we will gradually realize that ideal without needing to worry or despair.

This is a must-read. We encourage you to get the complete book and read more about it. This book will surely leave no stone unturned regarding any question you might have, even as we start the year on a high note. 

Happy reading!