The Secret

Part two – An extraordinary book

Since then, a whole new world was revealed to me: The world of Psychology – how the human brain works and how the body reacts.

So, I started reading. I must have read a thousand books at that time. After all, I always wanted to study psychology, but . . . it wasn’t meant to be.

I learned a million things through books that not only made me understand how I function, but also made me a better person.

As for the panic attacks, my friend was right.

“Find the cause and they’ll stop,” she had told me.

I have found the cause!

I just can’t feel forced . . . nowhere, by no one, no matter what. I always need to know I have a choice.

So, I never went out with a boring guy again. If I was somewhere I didn’t like or I wasn’t having good time, I left. Nobody was going to force me to stay.

As for the obligatory things, like standing in line, let’s say I found a way to spend waiting time constructively, like reading a book or doing a crossword.

But, even when I had to do things that I just had to do, I would leave home reassuring myself: You will go, you will have a great time and nothing will happen to you . . . but even if you don’t have a great time, be patient. It’s only two hours. They will pass and nothing will happen to you. Besides, nobody forces you to stay. You can leave anytime you want…

And it worked. It really worked! The panic attacks stopped.

As the years passed, I became older – but not necessarily wiser! I stopped reading those kinds of books. I learned, more or less, what makes me tick, and how powerful the human brain is.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t have time for those luxuries – such as panic attacks – anymore. I graduated from university and started to work hard. Perhaps I had become wiser since all those books now seemed boring.

Then, I discovered The Secret, a book by Rhonda Byrne. It has sold over three million copies worldwide, so, naturally, I wanted to see what it was all about.

I was thrilled! Have you ever heard about the law of attraction? Not the one that says “opposites attract”, but the exact opposite. Similars attract.

If you begin your day optimistically, you attract all the good energy of the universe on yourself, and your day will turn out to be great. On the other hand, if you begin with: “Oh, God, I saw a black cat, my day will suck,” then, yes, your day will be condemned from the start.

It is like Aladdin’s lamp. He made a wish and the Genie made it happen.

Now imagine that the Genie is the Universe. You think: “I am healthy, I am happy, I am grateful for all the good things I have been given and I am sure life will give me more in the future;”

The Genie answers: “Your desire is my command.”

Otherwise, if you think: “I am miserable, how am I going to make it through the day? Not enough money . . . I don’t like my job . . . my companion is not who I want,” the Genie answers again: “Your desire is my command” and your life gets worse.

That book states the truth. Make your life into whatever you want it to be. Just think and believe that it works. Dream! The brain turns out to be more powerful, as I have already discovered. I suddenly understood why I never got fatter . . . or why I always found a place to park my car.

I remember my mother complaining that she could take one bite and immediately put on one kilo. On the contrary, every time someone asks me: “How do you manage to be so thin? Don’t you eat? Are you on a diet?” I answer the truth. I have never been on a diet. I eat as much as I want and I don’t get fat! And the Genie besides me answers: “Your desire is my command.”

So, Mom, it’s not the food that fattens you. It’s the thought! You say that you get fat even with one morsel and the Genie next to you answers: “Your desire is my command.” 

The same thing happens with the parking. I take my car every day to work. My colleagues never do. They say that every time they take it, they can’t find a spot to park; they are forced to drive around until they will find one or, at the end, pay four euros for parking in a lot.

When I leave my house, I never think I won’t find a parking spot and everybody asks me: “But how do you manage to find a parking spot every day?”

“I don’t know,” I used to answer.  But, now I know! It’s because I am positive I shall find one. And my Genie says: “Your desire is my command”.

How many people have overcome illnesses through the power of suggestion? How about the times you think about a person and the next moment that same person calls.

Think of the times we wished for something and it came true. Whether it came true right away or years later, it doesn’t matter. It matters that it came true.

Think of your fears and tend to them. They say when you fear something; it is like it has already happened.

And your wishes . . . do you really want what you wish?  Be careful what you wish for because there is always a Genie next to you that whispers “Your desire is my command”.