Oprah Winfrey has done a four part series based on the best selling book and movie The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes. It has renewed interest in the concept of the Law of Attraction.

I will start out by saying I don't yet have an end to this post. I suppose the day I die will be the official end of this post, and everything else for that matter. I am using this site, this blog and you fine people to apply the Laws of Attraction in order to improve my life. I will document my goals and honestly keep you abreast of the changes I expect to materialize as a result of focused, deliberate positive thinking.

I can remember goign into my mothers bathroom as a child and seeing a dreamboard. A dreamboard is a collection of words or images of things you want. My parents dreamboard featured boats, houses, fur coats and other big ticket items including a red Mercedes SL560. I can tell you that other than the red Benz, I don't remember exactly what items were pictured but I do believe that every dream they had on that board was realized at some point. I can still remember the excitement in my mothers eyes when they bought the red 560 and brought it home. I don't think the car itself could ever bring the joy to my mother that achieving her goal did. Over the years my mother often refers to that dreamboard when she feels I need a boost. My parents went from a small house in the now slums of Chester, Pa to a single family home 12 blocks up and then to a large three story house on 3 acres in one of the most upscale communities in southeastern Pa all in a matter of 5 years. Because I was so young I didn't know any different but now when I look back it was an amazing feat and one I am focusing on duplicating.

Much like any other teenage boy I was obsessed with cars. I would spend hours and hours combing through magazines memorizing stats, looking at 0-60 times and cutting out pictures. My walls were collages of rock groups and muscle cars. In 1985 I ran across an ad for the Toyota 4-runner and was hooked. I wasn't really a truck guy but the 4-runner had a roll bar which meant I could safely roll the car on a daily basis and keep on driving! It also had a removable cap and no back window so it was like a convertable, that you could safely roll the car on a daily basis....I loved it! I wanted it. I was 15 so even if I could afford it, I couldn't even drive it so instead I cut out pictures of it and pasted them all over my walls.

In 1990 I was twenty and much different than the 15 year old who sat in his room cutting out pictures of cars and girls and metal bands. I had found an IROC z28 through a friend and bought it to flip for a profit. I walked into a dealership outside of Atlantic City and said I wanted to trade it in on something. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, I just knew I didn't want a Z28. The salesman pulled out one of the big books with the secret information in it, put in arbitrary numbers into the addign machine for what felt like 20 minutes, looked up at me and said " Do you like 4-runners?" I couldn't believe it. He walks me outside and around the corner and there she sat, just like my bedroom wall five years earlier. A bright red Toyota 4-runner with removeable cap and a roll bar. You can call it coincdence but I know better now. I had planted a seed in the universe and the universe provided.

I wish I would have made the connection back when I drove the 4-runner off the lot. My mother dreamed of a Benz and made a visual affirmation by pasting a picture of one in her bathrrom where she would see it everyday. I did the same thing with this truck and both of our dreams were realized. Not grasping the connection then, I plodded forward over the next several years and somehow ended up in Dallas enrolled in Chiropractic College. I had never taken a full load of classes in college before entering Parker Chiropractic College, choosing instead to drink. party, and attend school part time more due to not knowing what I wanted to do rather than doing what I wanted to do. So here I am in Dallas, on my way to becoming a doctor and I am hit with 30 credits a semester. Needless to say I wasn't doing well. I was a yankee now living in a southern city with southern women and a lax attendence policy at the school and that wasn't the catalyst I needed. By the 2nd semester I was back working in adult nightclubs and living the adult nightclub life and things were going downhill fast. I was failing classes, getting into fistfights, drinking nightly, gambling and living the hedonistic lifestyle that had so far in my mind, had made me who I was. Although I grew up in a very supportive and loving enviroment, I had created a dysfunctional life for myself and because I somehow managed to still be alive I figured that I was special. I sincerely thought that my personality thrived in chaos and that without it life would be boring. I suppose I was much like a functional alcoholic in that if you can wake up the next day and go on, no harm was done. All that changed in a matter of weeks when after a series of barfights, sexual escapades and a totalled car made me realize that things weren't the way that I had wanted them. I was feeling very low, dangerously low and I didn't know where to turn.

I came home one night around 3 am.after working in one of the top 10 gentlemens clubs in the country called The Mens Club. I was making great money, hanging out with beautiful women but this wasn't why I came to Dallas. I was running up school loans, falling behind in classes and away from my friends and my body was feeling abused from the drinking, fighting and accidents. I just remember coming in and just sitting down in front of the tv without even taking my suit off. I flicked through the channels when I came across a firey black preacher dressed like one of the pimps I would see at the club. He was spouting off about how the bible tells us to be prosperous. He said you have to believe you deserve everything you want, and it will be provided to you. I am not a religious person but this guy was making sense. He spoke about reaping what you sow. He told the story of how farmers planted seeds in the crevices of the rocks, and on the beach, in a barren field and in a freshly mowed plot. He said the birds came and ate the seeds from the rocks, the waves washed up and carried away the seeds from the beach, and the seeds in the barren field dried up and cracked. The grassy plot didn't grow anything that year, but by the next season the farmer realized his most bountiful crop ever. This seemed a simple concept, plant your seeds where they are more likely to grow and you will have better results. He then went on to say that when a farmer plants an apple seed, he gets an apple tree. Shocking I know. Even more shocking was that as simple as these concepts were, I wasn't aware of their universal truth. Here I was in Chiropractic College which was fertile ground for my future and I was planting chaos seeds. While I should have been focusing my energy on school I was up in the crevices of the rocks, playing on the beach and wasting away in the barren field. This was a life changing revelation.

The preacher was Creflow Dollar and he has been the subject of investigations and accusations because of his gospel of prosperity. I am not interested in any of that now. What I saw that night was fundamental truth. You do reep what you sow. The vehicle with which the message came to me is not important anymore. I still find Dr Dollar to be insightful and motivational. All theories related to the law of attraction utilize a divine power whether it be the universe, God, Abraham or any other energy source. Please check him out and if what he says isn't to you liking you lost nothing. He planted a seed in my spirit, as barren as it was, that is now sprouting hopefully my most bountiful crop ever.

From that night I concentrated on planting good seeds in good soil. I stopped drinking so much which led to less fights, less women ( maybe a little drawback!) and no more car accidents. Over the next year and a half I stopped missing so much school woke up earlier, eventually quit working in the nightclubs and finished school. One of the greatest tools I used was just a marker and a big roll of white paper. I would line my walls withg the paper and write whatever I wanted on them. If I had to pass a test I would write messages to myself such as " you will rock this exam", if I needed patients for clinic I would write how many I wanted on the paper. When I was still working I would put down how much money I wanted to make that night. I can't say that everything I wrote came true but I did finish school and did return to Philadelphia as a Doctor.

So you would think that by then I would have saw a pattern.. The 4-runner became part of my destiny, the path through school was much easier to follow when I actually could see it. My mothers mecedes, their houses, my tips at work...all were material manifestations of mental fortitude. Even after moving back and joining the family practice I was once again falling into the chaos. I had no vision, no goal, no dream. I was treading water and once again felt this was what life was about. Once again some force came over me telling me to change direction and before I knew it I was standing in front of the self help section at Borders books. I picked up a book called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The book was orginally published in 1937 and is still a best seller. I figured if what the book said back then is still compelling people to buy it, there must be something to it. I bought the book and was set back on my road to the Law of Attraction. Think and Grow rich was the first book I read of this nature and it introduced me to the idea that thinking about money was not only acceptable but was required. Money is the byproduct of success, it rarely can be marginalized. We live in a society where it seems that the only reason the world goes around is to make some rich and others poor. I didn't dream about material things, my father said I had a poormans mentality because I was concerned with just trying to get by. This book let me know that I shouldn't feel ashamed of dreaming of material wealth and it promoted those thoughts as staples of success. I have recently joined a Think and Grow Rich meetup group to discuss the book. I highly suggest reading this book if you haven't already.

I start to find that the more energy I focus on a goal, the more the goal is realized. I remember while driving back from Dallas with my trusty copilot Caeser the Boston Terrier. I was telling Ceaser how I was going to buy him a house with a yard and a fence. For the first two years I was back I lived in a little apartment on the 2nd floor with no yard. I kept reminding him and myself of my promise and one day I was driving down a street I rarely travel on when I saw a for sale sign. The yard was unkep and overgrown but large for the area. I called the number to find out it was a bank forclosure. I convinced my father to help me get the house and after some serious weedwacking Caeser has a yard and a fence. Part of my writing this post was to remind myself of the power of positive thought. I suffer from what many people who practice Law of Attraction also find difficult and that is keeping positive thoughts at the forefront of our minds. Even after buying the house and reading Think and Grow Rich I was still lapsing into negative thinking and behavior. A year ago when things were seemingly bleak, I left the families practice just out of frustration. I figured a change would be better than my current situation. THis was a fatal mistake because I had no direction other than a different one. I don't get in the car and take arbitrary trips, I don't bring a fork to any hole in my head, so why would I think I can just take a shot in the dark with my future. I wanted my own office, I figured that would change my life and it did. for the worse.

I had left the practice to open my own. I didn't know where, or how, or when. I had no way of financing a new project. My only source of income was selling things on Ebay and I even screwed that up. I started to develop a gambling problem because I thought that was the only way things could change. Everything was hopeless and I was become depressed. I was out looking at offices but kept finding reasons why they wouldn't work. This cycle went on for over 8 months. I must have looked at 15 different locations and wasn't satisfied with any. During this time I was gambling money away that I had borrowed to stay afloat, even money lent on the expectation that it was being used for a new office. My lack of progress combined with my betrayal of many close friends pushed me close to the edge. I wasn't sleeping, I would hid ein my house and not answer the phone. My mortgage, utilities, car loan were all overdue. I was almost just waiting out death. When my mother was in the hospital revcovering from hip surgery I was reluctant to visit because I was too selfish to have be burdened with sympathy for anyone else. When I walked into the room she handed me a book and said read it. I was alarmed by her tone and expressionless face.The book was The Secret. She told me that while laying there she read the whole book and felt that I needed to change my thinking. She talked about the dreamboard from the bathroom. She held my hand and told me that I can do whatever I want in life, and that I have a gift that should not be wasted. I needed to go open an office and treat patients with the love that she knows. I left that room and read the book over the next two days. In a matter of weeks I had found an office and a new hope in myself.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a fantastic compilation of theories, stories, lessons and inspirational anecdotes by many of the leading motivational speakers and authors of today. As with any Law of Attraction or motivational book, The Secret emphasizes thinking good thoughts, developing goals and making affirmations. The popularity of The Secret can be attributed to it's clarity and diversity. It isn't one person giving one view point rather a collection of different personalities with different tactics and views all leading to the same conclusion which is we are what we think and what we think is all we are. The movie version does a fantastic job of integrating visual stimulation and I found the hosts to be very enjoyable. The movie format is very simple and even the ADD inflicted can stay focused. I read the book, watched the movie and frequently hit up youtube for refreshers. See the video below for a glimpse of The Secret and check out the official website of The Secret

Once you start seeing the results of thinking positive, you will find yourself more conscious of your thoughts. This is not an all or nothing proposition. I am no expert on the Laws of Attraction and I struggle daily with keeping my thoughts upbeat and affirmative. After watching The Secret DVD I have noticed that I no longer get depressed and anxiety. I find ways to keep my thoughts positive and try to keep myself around like minded people. I have joined several groups in the area who follow The Secret or other teachings like Abraham Hicks. Meetups.com is a great place to find groups to share ideas and get inspired. Check Your local craigslist also for similar groups.

Once you have read or watched The Secret, check out Ester Hicks or Abraham Hicks. I addressed Abraham a bit in another post but needed to again here. Below is the link to Abraham Hicks Videos on youtube plus a video you can watch here. Abraham is DEEP! Ester Hicks provides the answers to why the laws of attraction work and who we are. I strongly suggest you watch the secret BEFORE you start getting into Abraham or Ester Hicks.

See my Post on the single greatest concept of the Law of Attraction

1-23-08 went to my 2nd Law of Attraction meeting last night. This one seemed to get a little off track but the host and some others did a good job keeping things focused. I wasn't in a very good mindet because I am coming down to the wire on bills due for my new Chiropractic office. I was in a similar spot last month and a miracle occured when one of my few patients came in and bough a treament plan for her whole family! This allowed me to pay the rent and buy some much needed items. I have been holding hope and practicing positive thoughts leading up to this week that either a similar thing would happen or that I would get a bunch of new patients but as of this writing, neither has happened. Last night I started to drift away from my usual deliberate positive thinking and several members of the group were quick to put me in check. I left feeling good and knew all would be well. Today I made up two new flyers and dropped them off at several stores and businesses. I offered 10 Chiropractic visits or massages for $250. Quite a deal! It would have been easy to just fall into a depression and stare hopelessly out of my office window, but I refused the temptation and pulled my bootstraps up. I will make $725 and more by next Thursday. The universe will provide my needs.

Stay tuned!

I woke up yesterday to this Email:

Hey Dave,How's it going? Two things, I obviously need to make an appt which I'll call your office for myself. I did check I have 12 visits on my insurance with my $15 copay.

The second thing... We are starting a healthy living program at our work for the employees. One would include chiropractic care, and a membership to a gym or YMCA, reimbursement. We wanted to offer it to you first obviously as the chiropractor, a proposal.

I called them and we ironed out a plan.

Today they came in with a check and treatment. I recieved a check that will cover 1/3 of my rent this month and that is for just 10 visits by any of the employees. There are 28 people working at that office, 3 are former patients. The two who came in today pledged weekly visits for one and biweekly for the other. That is 8 visits right there. 2 more and I've met the prepaid allowance. Any visits over that will be billed to the employer who will deduct the money from their payroll. 20 visits a month from these participants will provide me with 1/2 of my overhead and I already have 8 committed. This was a life saving email for me.

We were thinking something like, if 10 people from our office come to you each month, it would cost X amount of dollars, or something in that regards.Let me know if you are interested by February 1st. You can call me or Shannon at the below number and we can obviously iron out everything. I just need an I'm interested by then.

There is a course given by a few of the contributors of The Secret. I am making it a goal to learn more and expand my workings within this concept. I also want to go on a cruise that is given by Ester Hicks ...that is my goal...It will happen!

The Secret Course