the secret: book review

what positive thinking can do for you

poor health, an empty bank account, arrogant bosses, gossip mongering officemates, low-paying job and a career that can’t get a ride to success top the list of incessant complaints thrown by people from all races, cultural and psychological background. you, being the hapless victim you think you are, complain endlessly, an addiction that comes as naturally as dependence on caffeine. the inquiries you make on life improvement prove futile. what gives? what if on one ordinary day, 24 of the world’s best teachers go up to you and tell you, “you can change all that and design your life to perfection. the secret has been with you for so long”. would you take the chance and ask to know it?

the secret, authored by rhonda byrne, remains one of my best-loved books after it became a bestseller in 2006. byrne, who created the film prior to the book, does not present a chesty self-help guide from a personal awakening but brings together publishers, authors, designers, ministers, and filmmakers to account for the power of the law of attraction. it is a life guidebook that shares what great thinkers like plato, socrates, victor hugo and sir isaac newton among others knew about the secret to a life of financial abundance, excellent health, meaningful relationships and the path to success.

the secret is a compelling revelation of how each one of us can make use of our energy to send the right message to the universe—where our thoughts are sent out to through a frequency. the law is far from complicated. positive thoughts bring about positive manifestations while negative thoughts bring about negative manifestations. if you wonder why something you don’t like keeps on manifesting, like for instance that inebriated neighbor who keeps showing up on your doorstep, the law will tell you that it is you who has been attracting that person to your home by sending out the wrong message to the universe. part of the secret is nixing the use of negation in your statements because the universe cannot process negation. the moment you invest on thoughts and emotions, the universe will simply give you what you’re asking for. instead of saying, “i don’t ever want to see that person again,” (which the universe will only hear as “i want to see that person) do something that does not require energy: simply stop thinking about your oppressor and rid yourself of negative thoughts.

the secret embosom the power of forgiveness; not by befriending a foe but letting go, and the intriguing power of laughter as a cure-all. patients have laughed their way out of cancer by doing away with the daily news of the unfriendly world and watching only what makes them laugh. one patient did nothing but laugh and invest on happy thoughts for three months and discovered all her cancer cells gone. the testimonials in the book are engaging and empowering that you would want to bring the secret anywhere you go and open a page whenever you need meaningful answers to your questions.

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thank you note

it's always sunny on the other side 

i shamelessly admit i'm still drowning in holiday whimsy, so please give me one more day of this fete going on inside my head and i promise i'll be back with both feet on the ground at 10:01 on the dot tomorrow morning. 

you just heard/read me talking to my other me. was it loud enough?

almost done with the leftovers and i'm now wolfing on the christmas pudding that came straight from australia (thank you, aunt sally!). i also have a pretty good feeling that a pink mojito is on its way to me. 

an old friend of mine who now lives somewhere in northern ireland got in touch with me last night with a bit of longing to come home. it's his first new year across the globe and he said he missed  the kind of holiday celebration that we have around here. the fireworks are crazy (so crazy that the mortality rate rises every new year's eve) and from where he and his wife are, the new year's celebration is one very quiet event. it's something that a person from my country will take a lot of getting used to.  pets, my college roommie and dear friend who moved to canada a few years ago also subtly complained this morning that they had a quiet new year's eve and told me, “nothing beats holidays at home.” 

to my family and friends who are far away from home, here's how we welcomed 2013... with a big, big bang and with big, big dreams for the year ahead. we dearly wished you were all home.

i did have complaints about the year that passed, but i have so much more to be thankful for. below is the thank you note that i sent out to the universe.

 dear mystical universe that i adore, i thank you...

for the gift of you watching over me and my family,

for good health (dandruff was the worst case scenario around here),

for the dream jobs that we no longer just dream about,

for friends who love us beyond facebook,

for all the cheap books that take us to all the places in the world,

for all the artistic people @ pinterest who always leave me hyperventilating,

for the gift of art that consumes everyone in my family in the sweetest way possible,

for the gift of knowledge through free online university,

for the food everyday that make our waistlines abominable to the sight of others,

for the food that make blissful our everyday,

for the silly fights that help us realize that silliness keeps our family together,

for the gift of humility passed on to us by my husband,

for love – even if we don't often understand why we're drowning in it,

for doc martin and dexter,

and even for the patience that i don't have yet

it may be gloomy around here at times but i know it's always sunny on the other side. here's proof.

fireworks view, cypress towers, c5, christmas pudding, australia, pink mojito, ireland, canada, manila, ultimate blog challenge, universe, free online university, rainbow