A Secret Is Something You Tell Another Person!

Book of Brilliant Things?

There has been quite a lot of talk recently about a book and DVD called 'The Secret'. It quickly became a best-seller in the States and experts from the film have appeared on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and 'Larry King Live'. It's popularity continues to grow and transcend frontiers and 'The Secret' can now be found in a variety of languages. The book is based on 'The Law of Attraction', which basically says, if you truly ask for something from the Universe, the universe will grant your wish...., yes?

The idea is that the universe is like a magnet, like attracts like at the level of thought. You attract what you most think about, you become what you think about most. So, our thoughts become things. Everything we bring into our experience we bring about from our thought processes. When we are angry we attract angry people and unpleasant situations. Most people think about what they don’t want and that’s exactly what they get, more of the same, more of what they don't want!. 'The Secret' suggests that once we bring ourselves into alignment with what we want, the universe will realign itself for us. To do this we need to generate the feelings of having that what we want now. When we visualise, we materialise and the key is that if you have been there in the mind, you'll go there in the body.

But is it really that easy? Well, there is another element. It's not only what we think about but also what we thank about. Appreciation attracts more and to take full opportunity of the possibilities that come your way, you must orientate yourself to the best part of the people around you. Real freedom comes from having the ability to know your own potential/ability to feel good so you would ask no-one to be different.

This all sounds like very useful stuff and pretty much common sense when you think about it. Think of what you want, be grateful for what you got and be nice to the people around you. The film at first glance is very persuasive. It's certainly extremely well-made with lots of well spoken experts giving their theories, pretty visuals, snazzy special effects, powerful music and plenty of people who tell the story of how their wishes were granted by shifting their attention from poverty to wealth, illness to health, loneliness to joy.

As I said, the ideas are pretty much common sense. The only thing is that sometimes there isn't always all that much common sense flying around. Does common sense need to to be dressed in mystique, mystery and great marketing. Well, maybe it does and does it do any harm?

On the other hand, for the last ten years there has been plenty of wishing on the part of yours truly and fifty thousand others every weekend, and simultaneously at that, to see our football team, Atletico de Madrid, play some good football, score some great goals, win some trophies but all to very little avail. Maybe we weren't wishing hard enough or maybe the other team were simply higher up in the wish list league table!

You wonder too that if 'The Secret' really is that powerful, how did it miss out on what has been going on in parts of Africa, Yugoslavia, Iraq etc over recent years. 'The Law Of Attraction' meets a challenge there.

You would also hope not too many people simply stop at doing lots of affirming and not do much action, only to be left with disappointment.

Nevertheless, 'The Secret' does get people thinking differently and seeing that the world is their own hands rather than something outside of them and out of their control.

Here are a few interesting quotes from 'The Secret'.

• All power is from with and is therefore under our control.
  Robert Collier – 1885 – 1950
• You create your own universe as you go along.
  W. Churchill
• All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
  Budda
• Imagination is everything. It’s the preview of life’s coming attractions.
  A. Einstein
• What the mind of a man can conceive, it can achieve. All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
  W. Clement Stone

Here is a clip from the film. Check it out and decide for yourself.

It's that time of year again!

Hi everyone,

Yes indeed, it is that time of the year again when the kids go back to school!
For some of us that means going back into the classroom after a month or two of holidays. For others it means a mad rush in the mornings to get everyone up, fed, ready and out the door in time for the school bus. For some it means an leaving the house ten minutes earlier in order to avoid the extra traffic and get to the office on time.

That reminded me of a short story I came across recently which I hope you like.

See the video here or read the story below.

There is a story from many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her fifth grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie?

Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same? However, that was impossible as there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

It so happened that at the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records. She decided to put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson understood what the problem was and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed, how pretty the bracelet was. She put it on and dabbed some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favourite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference." Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

(Three Letters from Teddy – a fictional story by Elizabeth Ballard published in 1976 by Home Life Magazine)

So, you never can tell what type of impact you may make on another person's life by your actions or lack of action. This was certainly true for Mrs. Thompson, and sometimes just a smile on the street to a passing stranger can make a difference we could never imagine.

The story also reminds me of an important NLP adage - ‘There is no such thing as reluctant learners, only inflexible teachers’. This idea can be applied in many areas of life and business, but we will talk about that in more detail in another post very soon.

Make it a great week, it's your choice.

My best

Séamus