What’s Really Behind The Movie, The Secret?

Have you ever seen the movie The Secret?  Well, I had the most absolute pleasure of attending a workshop by the two original people behind The Secret, who never made it into the movie. In fact it was a bit controversial how Rhonda Byrne let them fall onto the cutting room floor.  I found this out by reading a fascinating article in the New York times about them.  I had no idea about how connected they were with the whole law of attraction concept and all the incredible work not to mention all the books they’ve written.  In fact my first taste of the Law of Attraction came from reading Napoleon Hills, Think and Grow Rich, which is a classic that was written in 1936.  I have to admit this whole concept was very new to me over 2 years ago.  I never grew up in an atmosphere where I was taught that anything was possible and to think and be positive.  So I won’t go into my life history, suffice to say these books helped me incredibly and have opened my eyes to a new way of being.

So I thought it would be worth it to shed some light, especially because of of this dim outlook the world seems to have lately.  Before I go any further, I do need you to open your mind on what I’m about to tell you about Esther Hicks.  You see she didn’t write the books, or the teachings behind the Secret.  Esther channels an entity of energy which calls itself Abraham.  And Abraham is the one who’s written all the books and all the teachings of the law of attraction. For some this might be hard to swallow.  This concept of channeling is a bit woo woo and requires you to stretch past your logical mind.  Hence Rhonda didn’t want to take the gamble and their piece wound up on the cutting room floor.

I love new and different things and love to be open about new things. So when I saw they were coming to New York, I went by myself to see their workshop.  It was a simple one day workshop where Esther speaks as Abraham.  The audience members ask tons of questions and Abraham speaks and answers them all. I have to say it was the most fascinating workshop I’ve ever gone to. I learned so much about myself and about others there, it was incredibly worth it.  The gist for me is that I need to pay attention to whatever I’m thinking at all times.  I need to focus on my emotions and feeling good.  When the world is trying to bring me down with doom, gloom and falling stock markets, I focus my attention to things that make me smile like my business and my wonderful clients who I’m enjoying helping make their businesses incredibly successful.

The teachings here to take away from this blog are very simple- to have a more positive outlook on life,- life is an exciting adventure, don’t get caught up in the complaining  mode.  Slow down, be nice, be loving and kind to all of those you meet.  And realize this ONE thing- you can’t control what others think of you, what you can control is NOT to CARE what they think!

So if you want to discover more- check out their latest NY Times Best-Selling book- Money & the Law Of Attraction. It’s a wonderful read and I promise, you won’t be disappointed, in fact, I think you will walk away somewhat enlightened. Let’s all work to shift our own minds and the sheer force of that outlook will most certainly have an impact on the world.

Meeting Paul Newman and other Celebrity Tales…

Yes, it’s true, I had the total pleasure of meeting Paul Newman back in the fall of 2004.  I had just been laid off for the second time and was basically a “professional audience member” for the now defunct Jane Pauley Show.  Jane and I hit it off ever since I met her at her first taping and invited me to keep coming back.  Every time I was in the audience she always had a great show.  So I kept coming back. I was Jane’s “Mrs. Miller, “  who was a “professional audience member” for The Merv Griffin Show.  When Paul Newman was on, I got my front row seat.  After the taping, I was able to shake his hand briefly and say hello.  He was a quiet and very gracious man with not a lot of words, just kindness in his amazing steel blue eyes.  The show on Jane was focused on his Hole in the Wall Kids Camps. In fact, most of the kids were in the audience from the camp.  For someone so ensconced in celebrity, he never let it go to his head and always gave back with whatever he could.  My only regret was that I wasn’t able to get a photo with him, but I will always remember that smile and his amazing eyes.  I was fortunate to have met him and even though it’s been a few weeks since he died, I know there’s a huge hole now that he’s gone.

That fall I also met several other stars and had some interesting encounters- I met Richard Branson who was promoting his then book- Losing my Virginity. He was incredibly sweet and so gracious.  When I shook hands with him, he saw I had his book and offered to sign it for me.  I then proceeded to tell him how much he had inspired me with all he had accomplished and how he was giving back.  He was so enamored with my comments he leaned over and gave me a big kiss on my cheek and said that was the sweetest compliment he’d gotten all day.  Again, I wasn’t able to get a photo with him either.  You see the rule on the set was no photos- so another opportunity I’d have to rely on my memory to savor that wonderful experience with him.

I also met Bette Midler (Loved her- she was so sweet, gracious and loves her charities), Carolyn Kepcher (who signed her book Carolyn 101 for me), Bill Murray, Martha Stewart and more… Let’s just say it was the most fascinating year for me.  After my whirlwind experience being a “professional audience member,” the show was unfortunately canceled after the first season and I ironically then found another corporate job- funny how it all happened.

Yet, the interesting moral of this story is now looking back at how far I’ve come since then. I had to be laid off one more time before starting my own successful marketing, coaching and consulting business.  And the one thing that I regret about that summer and fall of 2004 was that I wasn’t able to catch any of it on camera.  (Ok, yes there are several shots of me on those tapes laughing, and crying as an audience member.) But I wasn’t able to get any photos with any of the stars I met from the show, with the wonderful exception of Jane Pauley.

Now of course I bring my camera wherever I go and get my photo taken with a lot of people.  (I also have other celebrity tales which I’ve mentioned before- like meeting Gene Simmons and Dan Kennedy and some I haven’t wrote about- meeting Phil Donahue, Melissa Etheridge and having an inspiring one on one meditation with Marianne Williamson) The real lesson is- don’t under estimate the importance of attaching yourself to a celebrity.  I’m not just talking about movies or TV stars, there are celebrities everywhere in every industry.  By attaching yourself to an important and notable celebrity in your industry, it will really help establish you as more of an expert in your field.  It will give you more stature, presence and people will look up to you, be interested and even possibly intrigued by you.

Don’t ever leave home without your camera when traveling about. Here’s my favorite traveling around camera- Canon’s G9- it’s a little pricey, but THE BEST point and shoot there is!  So grab your camera and bring it along where ever you go-and don’t hesitate to ask to have your picture taken- just don’t forget to smile!

How 2 Days of personal strategic planning will set the stage for 2009

When was the last time you spent two whole days on your personal strategic plan for your life and your business?  Well I can tell you, I just came from doing that, in none other than Martha’s Vineyard.  Wow, what a workshop- I attended a Group Vision Day on MV and it was truly amazing.

This time the drive going to Martha’s Vineyard, seemed to go quicker than the last.  I made it to Wood’s Hole in 4 hours, so early, I had 2 hours to kill before the ferry.  So I waited in the stand by line and got on the earlier ferry- the freighter ferry- now that was cool- not a very big boat, small in fact, and flat, you can see the ocean almost 360 degrees.  It was really cool being so close to the water and the waves coming up and splashing over the sides- got a little damp.  It was truly refreshing though and of course I got some pictures to savor the moment.

Now I did a bunch of work before I got there, which of course made everything I did in the workshop so much more worthwhile.  I spent two days with 17 other people- all perfecting our personal goals, career goals and life plans.  I left with a wonderful road map of where I’ve been, where I am now and where I want to be.  It was incredibly inspirational to me.  One of the many best things about it was this Group Vision Day was run by my two most favorite people in the world- Rob Berkley and Debbie Phillips.  Not only did they bring some stellar people together to work hard, we also played hard, had some wonderful food, laughed a lot and totally enjoyed each others company.

Rob and Debbie also do individual Vision Day’s. I’d highly recommend this if you want to get your life, and/or your business on track and in order.  I’ve done 3 Vision Days and this one was my 4th. My incredibly successful business would not have been possible without me taking this really important time to put my plan together.

One of the exercises I loved doing and still do today is write down the 10 things I’m most grateful for every night before I go to sleep.   It’s a wonderful feeling writing them down and just makes drifting off to sleep so much more fun with a huge smile upon my face!  Take out a pen and some paper and start now, don’t delay, this is a wonderful exercise that will surely help you live a happier more fulfilled life.