I finally did it. I picked up The Secret
And you know what the big secret is? That you can make lots of money by telling people in 184 repetitive and redundant pages that “like attracts like� and to “think good thoughts.�
More about my not so good thoughts on the quality of the book below, but I have to hand it to the author, it’s a brilliant way to make money: telling people that all you have to do to get money (note, I didn’t use the term “make money�), lose weight, be happy, or fall in love is to buy this video or book. It’s a winning strategy in our “Money for Nothing� society. Sting and Dire Straits were spot on back in 1985, because today we live in a culture where everyone wants success without putting in the work.
Now, I’m not saying that I disagree with the book’s basic principle – that banishing negative thoughts will improve your life. Or even that some people can only get this message through reiteration of the same idea, page after page after page after page. But I can say that this is a book that does not add many “deep thoughts� to our society. Instead you get doozies like:
“You have two sets of feelings: good feelings and bad feelings. And you know the difference between the two because one makes you feel good, and the other makes you feel bad.�
Wow. Now that’s insight.
“Begin right now to shout to the universe, ‘Life is so easy! Life is so good! All good things come to me!’�
I don’t know about you, but if I ran up and down my street shouting this, my neighbors would call the cops either out of concern … or spite … not sure which one. Then the authors recommend you place your order with the Universe (meaning whatever you want), just like you would “order from a catalog.�
Well, I hope that when I do this, that the person taking my order spent some time in customer service training at LL Bean. But, on a more serious note, is it just me, or is the analogy about shopping for material goods just so wrong in a book about the secret to a good life?
Hmmmm. I’ll have to think about that while I put in my order with the Universe.Â
Dear Universe:Â
Please send me angel seed money for my company, a new laptop which still runs on Windows XP, and an iPhone (preferably one that’s not a lemon). And, while we’re at it, can you have it all delivered by a really hot UPS guy?
In the meantime, I’ll be here doing nothing but thinking good materialistic thoughts just like The Secret
Sincerely,
Diane
The Bottom Line: Optimism is always a good philosophy, especially for entrepreneurs; but in this case it made for a poor excuse of a book/video. However, it’s a brilliant example of what sells in our “Money for Nothing� society.
This entry was posted on Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.11 Responses to “That’s The Secret?!”
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August 12th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Its amazing how many ways you can redesign the Emporer’s New Clothes.
It seems that everytime I hear someone quote The Secret they profess something that we’ve all heard from some withering flower child or self help book for kids. How do you even classify a book like that? If you call it philosophy you’ll start an earthquake, a everyone from Socrates to Sartre roll over in their graves. Thanks for your honesty
August 13th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Thank you for being one more voice to point to the shameless hype called “The Secret.” Beyond this material just being ridiculous, as a psychotherapist, I see the real dangers of this kind of product —- reinforcing negative, self-condemning belief systems of some very vulnerable people. I believe speaking out — loudly — about the ridiculous “secret” is in the best interest of everyone. I believe this enough to have created a new web site just for this purpose. Please help me spread “The Antidote” around. (You have to pay for The Secret, but The Antidote is free.)
http://www.thesecretantidote.com
Thom Rutledge
August 13th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Good to hear I’m not alone in thinking this whole “Secret” thing was a bit “out there.” But, look at it this way, it did work for the authors. They got people to give them lots and lots of money, and I hope that as a result they’ve all found true love, lost weight and are supremely happy with themselves.
But, I don’t mean that resentfully because I almost think they deserve it. After all, they brilliantly exploited an American society that lives in debt in order to buy material goods, pops pills as a cure-all, and worships people like “the hotel heiress who shall remain nameless as I’ve promised never to write about her again.”
Now, that’s one heck of a business plan!
August 14th, 2007 at 9:32 am
I am just wondering what your thoughts are on ??
The book behind the secret ??
Wallace D Wattles The science Of Getting Rich
I have learned a lot and not put in a penny
Just curious
Thanks
August 14th, 2007 at 10:00 am
The secret – which isn’t so much a secret for some – is how naive people can be. This morning I watched an online video of a third tier (not a commonly known) “guru” as he made a speech to a large group. In 90 minutes he said nothing, but people were applauding as though he had delivered a pearl of great wisdom. He sells products on his website for hundreds of dollars (like so many other do) and he had absolutely NOTHING to say that was worth hearing! I guess the real secret is that people have money to spend on trying to find a secret to making more money. And there are plenty of people like Wattles, Byrne and others who will readily take it. They may be the only ones who have found a secret – but I suspect the streets are full of con artists who have secrets as well.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:22 am
You make a good point. I never actually read the book. I always thought it was more of a self help type of book.
It just seems like someone pointing out tobvious, if you think good things will happen, they will. It sounds like a book on how to be an optimist more than a get rich quick or career advice book.
I Love your blog, I found it on the DWC website.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:36 am
I have watched the video version of the Secret and listened to the audio version of the book (which I found to be remarkably rife with negativity for being an advocate of unwavering positivity)and have encountered a number of neon red flags.
First, I’m all for the idea of taking responsibility for your own experience of life and that maintaining a positive outlook will improve your individual experience of life. However, the Secret seems to be advocating nothing more than wishful thinking while providing a convenient “out” for the author and the “teachers”, specifically this:
If the desires that you’ve envisioned don’t manifest, it isn’t because you’ve taken their poor advice to spend all your time in La La Land. Your problem is that you don’t believe completely enough, you haven’t imagined it clearly enough to make the magic happen. It’s your own damn fault, so close your eyes and dream harder.
Secondly, nowhere in the Secret is a call to action. In fact, it says quite specificaly that there is no need to act, just dream and wait for all good things to come to you. I can get behind the ideas of deciding what you want, imagining it and focusing on it, but the real secret is completely missing from their formula-you’ve got to act. You can imagine a fine feast all you want, but for it to manifest, somebody’s got to cook.
Finally, has anyone else noticed the similarity between The Secret and Santa Clause? The presents don’t arrive in places where one’s fondest wish is to have enough food to eat and clean water to drink. The so-called Universal law appears only to apply where bellies are always full and the leisure exists to lust after relatively useless things like expensive sports cars.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Fireflower — I totally thought about the Santa Claus thing when I was writing my “mock” letter to the Universe in my review. Great job of pointing that out. But, I’m a fan of believing in Santa Claus — for the fun of it — not for the material goods. I don’t see the fun in “the secret.”
Diane
September 8th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Deb asks about Wallace Wattles’s book, The Science of Getting Rich. First, it is just fun to say this author’s name. Try saying it 3 times fast: Wallace Wattles, Wallace Wattles, Wallace Wattles. Can’t do it, can you? And tell me that trying it doesn’t make you break out into laughter. Well, then, that’s something to be said for that book.
I do remember coming across this book many years ago, as I was working to expand my business as a public speaker. I really liked the book, but I don’t remember it claiming to be the ultimate truth like The Secret does. (I could be mis-remembering that.) I do remember one thing that Mr. Wattles (Mr. Wattles, Mr. Wattles, Mr. Wattles) repeated throughout his book. It really spoke to the power of process and intention and attitude. It was this: “Successful people are not people who do certain things, they are people who do things in a certain way.” I still love that.
Now, here is THE BOOK to read on the subject of The Secret. It is by Karen Kelly and is called The Secret of the Secret. Very smart, well researched, well written. You can link to it on amazon via my http://www.thesecretantidote.com web site.
TR
September 20th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
The Secret in so many ways struck me as a children’s book. And, then, I realized that American adults have become more-and-more child-like even as they pursue more-and-more material goods, engendering more-and-more bad will as they clog roads with more-and-more gas-guzzling uglies. We’ve become a lot of selfish little piggies and the only way to get yours is to know the Secret. Oh goodness, New Zealand isn’t far enough away from this culture at this point
April 4th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Thanks. I’ve been wondering about that book myself, thinking about getting it just because it seems so popular. Because what works works. But it sounds as much, if not more than, a scam as all of the other “self-help”books out there. Amazing that it became so polular.
Although if you are now talking on you iphone to a hot UPS guy who brought it to you out of the blue, please do update!