As paid up sceptics, I have heard all the thoughts on and debated the various pro's/con's and proponents/detractors of the DVD "The Secret" and followers of LoA.
My personal view, and I'll state this for clarity again, is that its positive thinking with goals - and if someone said that, then I am happy to believe that. Positive thinking is a good thing - it makes you happy, its makes people around you happy, it attracts people to you (I call that flirting), and if you are goal orientated then you will meet the people you need to meet and get to where you want to get to. Pretty simple!
But personally as a professional sales person, that is not easy to sell or get people to write large cheques out for - many a time during my membership here I have seen good coaches and therapists offer interesting and different services, but not many for what one might term big bucks. OK, the services being offered I may not have believed in, but the belief they had in what they had professionally learnt and qualified in (often) over many years made a number of people including myself think and respect them - you see, positive thinking does work!
But from a sales persons view point, most therapists/coaches try to sell what they do in a very dull/boring and unengaging manner. So its with those in mind that I believe the creators of "The Secret" formed it.
For anyone who has read Espen Bardsens book "The Naked Sales Person," or anyone who has read one of those self help books about spicing up your love life, the answer is - seduction. A sale is simply a signature on a contract, or even better a banked cheque - great sex is not about what goes on in between the sheets (that's mostly reaction and learnt technique), but what went on from breakfast to closing the bedroom door. Its the mind you have to captivate to complete the capture.
So, personally "The Secret" is just a wonderful piece of semi-fiction-seduction, wrapped around some dubious history and poor science, selling the art of positive thinking. Its so well written that it does capture peoples hearts and minds, and like love sick teenagers or cultists (depending on your view point), they come and preach and try to convert their audience to see the love - Ah!
Problem is, as any good lothario or sales person will tell you - or almost all women - is that the same chat up line doesn't always get you a signature/ruffled duvet! Some just won't fall for it, much as though they may listen and you may therefore believe they are falling for you/your product.
The answer for me came on reading this website - http://thesgrprogram.com (
deactived link - copy and paste). I didn't find it that surprising, more very disappointing, that the SECRET behind "The Secret" is an MLM Pyramid system - they set up a duplicate website for you, you do a few blogs/links/spam eMails, and each person who signs up they pay you and your second level introductions a total of $750 USDollars commission out of every mug who signs up with a payment of $1,995. What's more disappointing is that they believe their target audience is so dumb, that they put the wonders of the secret AND the pyramid MLM in the same website page - clearly the attention span of the average target client is so short, they have fallen hook line and sinker by the time they pay their $1,995.
Personally, its sick, and an insult to all, let alone those who sign up. Its also a complete insult for those who believed in LoA, and thought/believe it a force for good - well, in part it still could be, but its also about your dollars and ripping you and other off: welcome back the scum of pyramid marketing. And its a big black tarred brush for positive thinking.
Summary of blog - never try to sell to a sales person - we just ask too many questions!
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