A few years ago I watched The Secret and thought it was a load of rubbish. It seemed to suggest that all one needed to do was to sit around thinking and wanting something (usually stuff) and it would land in your lap. I’m no doubt being harsh and judgmental about the premise of the program but it went against the values that I was brought up with – you need to work hard to get ahead. You need to earn success.
I’ve lead a pretty charmed life. Every twist and turn has allowed me to gain from previous experiences and use them in the next. And I’m so grateful for that. But somewhere along the roads traveled, I’ve picked up struggle. I’m defining struggle as hard work plus frustration plus lack of confidence plus lack of faith in a successful outcome. Not a good place to be. And it’s taken some time to realize that struggle is not mandatory. It is something that I chose. And I hadn’t realized how much of that particular cement I’d been carrying around.
Over the past few weeks I’ve developed more confidence in myself and more faith in the future, not to mention some optimism and curiosity. I still believe in the value of hard work. I just choose not to struggle.
BTW – I still think that the movie version of The Secret is a load of rubbish. It focuses on only the first of the four habits – a burning desire – and ignores the others: an action plan, positive thoughts, and an alliance.