"This is The Secret to everything - the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted. "If you believe that I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.
Oprah has had some of the people associated with this book and DVD, on her show, and endorses it.
I have to admit I have not read the book and I don't intend to. My general rule of thumb (not always, but usually) is to read books that get good customer ratings at Amazon.com.
The Secret
gets about 3 1/2 stars, on average, from over 500 Amazon readers - not very good. It's a big enough sample size to let you know what the average reader thought of the book.Here's what Shary, one Amazon reviewer, had to say -
"Unless you're nine years old and have been living in a tree, this book isn't worth the money. It's nothing more than a slick rehash of what your mother has been telling you for years--that a positive attitude will serve you better than a negative attitude. I intensely disliked the fact that the book stresses materialism; i.e., lose weight and you'll be happy, win the lottery and you'll be happy, or acquire a five million dollar mansion and you'll be happy.
But what happens if you don't get what you asked for? Well, the author has left herself a neat little exit hole by telling you that if your wish doesn't come true, it's because you didn't really, REALLY believe it would."
I'm listening to Ron Upshaw and Don O'Neill's show on KIRO 710 in Seattle - and people are calling in about "The Secret". One guy just called in and said that he wished he would have visualized not getting shot in Iraq (sounded real). That's the problem with this kind of balderdash - you can visualize all you want to but sometimes stuff happens - bad things happen to good people. I agree with what Shary from the Amazon reviewers has to say as well - getting "stuff" isn't the road to happiness. The road to happiness is the road - enjoying the trip - living your one unique life.
If you want to read about the power of positive thinking you can read any number of daily devotionals from Christian-based sources, any of Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhist-based writings or the old traditional - Norman Vincent Peal's classic The Power of Positive Thinking
.
