This is it, folks. Here's where I get off!

Much as I appreciate former my son-in-law's efforts to initiate me into his high-flying world of supercharged entrepreneurship and his dream of unbounded success, I realize - having attended Bob Proctor's launch of the SGR program in Malaysia - it's not my scene. I look around at the people who are drawn to these events and seminars - and, although I can sense the good intentions in all of them, I can't help seeing them as a flock of seagulls, constantly thinking about fish... fish... and more fish.

So I've been seriously contemplating deleting this blog. But perhaps there are a few items in here some of you may find useful, so I've decided to keep it online. However, this is my final blogpost. I won't be updating Secret Science from now on.

Let's just say I've checked out Bob Proctor's Science of Getting Rich program and it's not something I can feel passionate about. No doubt it's an impressively packaged portable seminar, and some people have put an incredible amount of effort into getting it in the market.

The study materials are extremely well designed and of high quality - and it certainly does a good job promoting the Law of Attraction as a way of life. However, for the techniques taught to really work, one has religiously apply the principles.

That's the rub. I'm not a religious person and am, in fact, averse to religions.

I've spent the greater part of my life deprogramming myself from all belief systems. Why would I now choose to install another belief system - no matter what it calls itself - even if it promises me everything a human being could possibly desire in life?

I enjoy producing things: music, books, DVDs, great meals, whatever. But when it comes time to marketing myself and my products, I find it tedious in the extreme. Some people are just natural-born hustlers. Take Marcus (my son-in-law) for instance: within three weeks of signing up for the SGR program he sold enough units - just by sending out a bunch of emails - to recoup whatever he paid plus at least an additional $10,000 in pure profits.

My former son-in-law the self-made multi-millionaire is surrounded by high-flyers like himself who wouldn't hesitate to fork out $2,000 - just to bring a smile to his face! And that's because the majority of his friends are inclined to spend a lot more than $2,000 on a weekend of fun - whether flying to Costa Rica for a tan or Phuket for a massage.

I believe in live and let live. It's purely an aesthetic choice that I'm attracted to what's natural rather than what's artificial. For example, I value getting a warm greeting from a stranger because he or she likes my aura; I'd sense it immediately if they smiled at me only because they can see I'm a big spender.

I've never traveled first-class in my entire life. First of all, I've never worked for a big corporation long enough for them to send me on a business trip; and I've always believed in living frugally. Even with a billion bucks in my bank account, I'd hesitate paying $10 for a cup of coffee in a branded location when I know I can get an even better cup of coffee 200 yards down the street for $1.

My daughter just returned from a vacation at an exclusive beach resort in the Philippines where she paid $15 for a glass of orange juice. Deep down in my heart, I know that this sort of lifestyle is out of whack with the natural universe. It leaves too large an ecological footprint and perpetuates a socioeconomic hierarchy wherein rank is acquired through financial status. I've seen how extremely rich people spoil their kids who can't help growing up as brats. Some remain brats their entire life - just look at Dubya.

Some of my friends tell me they have a plan: they'll work themselves to the bone for 10 years and make a huge pile. Then they can be free to master their own destinies and help everybody around them, set up charitable foundations, and so on. Hate to say this, folks, but that's a total fantasy ungrounded in reality.

The energy system is a closed loop. The more you pile on your plate the less remains on the table for those who haven't arrived for dinner. You believe in infinite abundance, you tell yourself; more food will soon be delivered from the kitchen, so there's plenty where that came from. Well, this may be true - but only up to a point.

The overfed are often undernourished in other areas of their being. Those who are out there grabbing as much money as they can while they can usually don't have enough time to sit down and engage in intelligent conversation. And when they're on vacation they just want to put their feet up, order a champagne bucket, and admire the view - they don't want to discuss heavy topics (like how come the IAEC has never been allowed to inspect Israel's nuclear arsenal or who orchestrated the 9/11 false flag operation and subsequent cover-up).

Lack is the shadow side of greed. So Bono and Sting with all their money can afford to play philanthropists and world-saviors, establishing foundations to preserve the rainforests or feed the war orphans. Bill Gates can pump millions into subsidizing the pharmaceutical companies so Africans can afford AIDS medication. There are days when I think this sort of lifestyle would really suit me. Hell, I'd love to be David Bowie for two or three months!

However, just about every problem you see around you is the result of human egotism, greed, and insensitivity. Empires are built by individuals consumed with megalomaniac visions and endowed with monomaniacal determination bordering on religious fervor. Such individuals may be admirable in their own way - but few are known for their wisdom. Becoming enlightened and living consciously doesn't require that you be a member of the Billionaires Club. Indeed, it gets harder and harder to feel empathy when you're too well padded and insulated from raw reality.

This is why I'm not over-the-moon about the phenomenal success of Rhonda Byrne's movie, The Secret, and the growing popularity of her book. The message, simply put, is just too glossy.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. I just wanted to conclude this blog with a final message - but to go any deeper into the subject would require a 50,000-word essay. Even if I did write that essay, the ones who really ought to read it probably never will, simply because my name isn't Deepak Chopra. But, as they say at McDonald's, "Have a nice eternity!"

Money As Debt ~ a short film by Paul Grignon

Paul Grignon's 47-minute animated presentation of Money As Debt tells in very simple and effective graphic terms what money is and how it all is being created. It is an entertaining way to get a very important message out. Highly recommended as a painless but hard-hitting educational tool. Every thinking person concerned with the present unsustainable monetary system on planet Earth is encouraged to circulate this viral video. Do it soon and wake everybody up - before the Final Financial Meltdown (coming real soon to a market near you!)

Why this blog has been so quiet...

I created the Secret Science blog when my son-in-law generously bought me into the SGR program. He believes in that old adage: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish, and he'll never go hungry!" Well, it so happens I only recently began to realize I had a deeply embedded prejudice against "rich folks."

Most of my life I've looked up to people in the arts - writers, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, acrobats - not people in business. In fact, I felt a barely concealed revulsion for those who knew only how to make money and nothing else. Bankers were to me the scum of the earth, parasiting off the energy of other lifeforms with their usurious, penurious habits.

So I figured it was time to deprogram myself of voluntary poverty - and if anyone could help me get on the fast track of financial success, it had to be Bob Proctor and his enterprising friends.

However, after several blogposts I realized I wasn't completely sure what I was getting involved in. Was it really just another MLM type get-rich-quick scam? My son-in-law said I was in on the early wave and stood a good chance of harvesting the first rush of excitement over this new program, riding on the wave of The Secret's phenomenal popularity. Now, this guy is a natural-born entrepreneur who started his business from scratch during the worst recession in 1997. In ten years he's built a veritable empire with branches all over and a multi-million dollar turnover. I was gobsmacked when he nonchalantly announced, less than three weeks after we both signed up for SGR, that he had made $10,000 from sales, which more than covered his capital investment for both of us! Well, therein lies the big difference between us: his friends are all into LIFESTYLE and spending $2,000 on a whim is no big deal - why, they easily spend that amount every weekend. My friends, however, would have to borrow money to pay for such a program - if they were convinced it works. The only way I could possibly convince them was to get absurdly rich myself within the next six months.

After the third month I had to acknowledge that neither my head nor my heart was fully enthused about selling the SGR program - or any other product, for that matter.
My passion lies in making music, making people think and feel, making love, making movies... not selling! That's right... my interest in the "law of attraction" and Rhonda Byrnes began to flag. It all began to smell a bit funny to me - like some hustler had just spray-painted over a rusty car in the hope of selling it at a higher price than it was worth.

Finally, I had to admit... the people I had met at Bob Proctor's pep talk weren't exactly the sort I'd enjoy hanging out with - they were all so DRIVEN!!! So utterly obsessed with MONEY!!! And I must confess I find it well nigh impossible to IGNORE the shit flying around. I can tune it out of my reality for a few hours a day... but I hear stuff going on around me and I can't help pulling my head out of the sand occasionally to see what's going down... I mean, when there's a robber in your house, it ain't easy to beam love at the whole world and say, "Everything's perfect!"

Oh well... I'm halfway through Wallace D. Wattle's little green book and I've heard about two hours of the mp3 lectures... don't have any quarrel with the material, but
it ain't really the sort of fare I'm accustomed to. It's like trying to acquire a taste for corporate brochures as staple reading!

I'll report back when I've finished Wallace's book.

Tied Down By A Chain of REACTIONS? ~ by Andi Mac

Cause and effect appears to be the way life unfolds. It has become the explanation for how things happen - or don't happen. Cause and effect is the delicate fabric of reason that leads to illusion about how things really happen.

Cause and effect is commonly defined as a chain of reactions. and it's easy to get tied up in misconceptions about how things manifest. This accepted idea says there is a cause and a result which is an effect.

Socrates stated the "Socratic Law of Causality" – today we call it the "Law of Cause and Effect". We accept it as a part of our way of looking at the world and have now for quite awhile..

Between these 2 forces called cause and effect, meaning is extracted, believed and attached to and often the outcome is....

* "They (cause) are making me angry (effect)."

* "He/she (cause) broke my heart (effect)."

* "My boss or my job (cause) makes my life difficult (effect)."

* "If I had a better [fill-in the blank] (cause) things would be easier (effect)."

* "They are the source (cause) of all my troubles and worries (effect)."

What does it do when the idea of cause/effect is taken as true without questioning?

We've heard it all our lives that some things are causes and other things are effects.

Cause become effects and the chain of reactions begins. With this ideal as a root, it says on the inside, "I am effected by....

* what someone does or says

* what the government does

* what the economy does

* what the weather does

* what my neighbor does

* what my children, husband, wife or partners do

* what my boss does and on and on...

These "two forces" called cause & effect have been used for a very long time to explain how things happen to and/or for us.

You've probably heard phrases popularized in the last few decades like, "take back your power!" Or "no one can do anything to you that you don't allow." This sounds so attractive. It sounds powerful to be able to take back something... power to be exact. And it is a way to self-improve until something comes along and takes that 'self-improvement' by surprise. Who's in charge of you then? Someone else? Something else? Yes.

"She made me feel sad."

"He broke my heart."

"They make laws that are making my life miserable."

Push-pull. In-out. Up-down. Forward-backward. In-and-out. Believing "i" (uninvestigated mind) does have control. Then coming face-to-face with how the reality of how much "I" really don't have control. PAINful to feel so out of control. Stressful. Frustrating. It's a struggle to keep up with it all.

"I have control over things in my life." - A good universal idea that's worth it's weight in gold to question.

What is, is missed...

Something is actually going on between the cause idea and the effect idea. What's in between gets missed. Really missed. Completely missed. If you don't see it for yourself, you wouldn't believe it's even there.

What's in-between is "what is." Reality. Cause and effect, on its own, is a misconception - a misunderstanding. A HUGE mis-understanding. When what's going on in between gets missed - which it often does - illusion steps in, stories take over to provide an explanation which, remember, conditioned mind desperately loves and your life is in for a ride.


Reality Check: What external to you has the ability to control you in any way? Affect you? Make you angry? Make you sad? Make you happy? Make you feel loved? Make your life difficult? One believes there is a cause that can affect one's life. Is that possible? Question it. Question it. Question it. This is true meditation. This is a real desire to know truth - to question everything. Doubt leads to understanding - belief to blindness.

Actually, this misconception of cause/effect IS real and true for the mechanical human being whose buttons can be pushed like a toaster oven. It DOES feel as if there is a cause outside one's self that DOES affect what's going on. That's how it feels but what it feels like and what is real are two entirely different things. This must be checked out for self to discover if its true or not.

Do you want to be mechanical? Is there anyone who would prefer not to be mechanical? What is the difference between a mechanical human being and a real living being? One who is really in charge of their inner state-of-being? We'll go into this in detail in the upcoming Human Source Code School.

Enough truth to mesmerize.

The two forces called Cause and Effect are not the whole story. The Cause and Effect idea doesn't work. It is a way to look for what to blame when things don't go right or something to strive harder to repeat again, when things do. We see someone else's success and believe that if we can repeat what they did, we'll get what they got. It's an illusion. Doesn't work.

Cause and effect is an exoteric teaching. It is half-the-story.

The now very popular 'law of attraction' idea, is established on this half-story. This makes it very difficult to put it to work in one's life with reasonable success. A carrot is always dangling out there on the line and never close enough to grasp. It looks good on paper. It says my thoughts are the cause of what is attracted into my life (the effect). If I then change my thoughts, I will create a different effect. The scenario begins with misunderstanding and branches out from there.

The second misconception that ensues is a strong and powerful belief that what is, is not 'good', not 'acceptable', not 'appropriate' and must be changed. That is followed nearly immediately by another strong and very powerful belief, "I know how it should be different!"

"The world should be different than it is".

"I should be different than I am."

"My finances should be different than they are."

"My love-life should be different than it is."

When one believes things should be different, it stresses the body and the mind. Creates inner and outer conflict. No exception. How does it feel when you look at the world and see terror, pain, suffering, poverty, hunger and feel it should be different when it's not? Is it painful?

Yes? And then the story begins again. Hear it? "Yes but.... there is poverty and hunger and this SHOULD be different!" THAT is the struggle. That is the conflict. THAT is the argument with reality and that is what ages and exhausts a human being... literally.

So, what is the answer?

Are there answers that work in all situations? Are there answers that no matter what the circumstance provide a way that doesn't lead to more illusion?

When the whole story is not clear, humans end up in struggle, striving to reach an ideal which begins and ends with an illusion.

A law works without exception in every case. Cause and effect doesn't. It doesn't because this is not how things manifest in the universe.

The Whole Story...

The whole story is that there are 4 forces, not two. The four forces that do work without exception every time. This is the complete teaching from which the Cause and Effect story was extracted.

"The Four Forces - Universal Balance"

It's been said many times on the Mayan Calendar Code website and in our newsletters that the extreme value of the Mayan calendar, is it shows us where we are in the overall plan of Creation. When you understand the 4 Forces of Universal Balance, the Mayan calendar comes into a whole new light. How the 9 underworlds, 13 heavens, 9 movements of the planetary round of light is limited when seen through the 2-dimensional lens of cause/effect and leaves giant holes that have no explanation that doesn't have to be made up... in other words a story. This same thing happens with life in general.

When you're guessing about what's really going on, it's more difficult to flow in harmony even within yourself, much less in the overal plan of Creation.

The Human Source Code School, is for people interested in going deeper into the technology of the mind -- freeing the mind of unseen conditioning that creates all struggle. Can we truly end suffering and go beyond imagination? Can you be a NEW human?

To learn more about the upcoming HSC School click here!

Peacefully,
Andi Mac

P.S. Send us your healing requests to thecode@pobox.com and they will be shared with the group. All that is needed: Name/Age/Location

Where Is The Love? ~ Black Eyed Peas

What's wrong with the world, mama?
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas 'yeah' we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Badness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Nigga, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' in the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

And People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)

Now Sing With Me All (One World, One World)
We Only Got (One World, One World)
That's All We Got

(One World, One World)
(One World, One World)

And Somethin's Wrong With It
And Somethin's Wrong With It
Somethings Wrong With The Good World World
Yeah

We Only Got (One World, One World)
That's All We Got (One World, One World)

[From their 2003 album, Elephunk. Published by Cherry Lane Music]

WHAT IS OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE?

What IS Optimum Performance?
by John Assaraf

This question raises different responses from different people.
It causes people to ponder issues like:

- Have you ever thought about how much better you could be doing in your business?
- How about your career?
- What about your relationship with someone you love?
- How about the state of your health right now?

One or more of these areas most often needs a little more attention in day-to-day life. But there seems to be so much to do, so much to accomplish if 'more' is the focus.

Here’s a secret: the quest for more is a trap. It never stops. But the positive side is this: Optimum Performance is about playing life at the highest possible level, reaching our fullest potential.

Now the question is: if people are so full of potential, though, why are most not living up to their potential in every area of life? For some very good reasons that make perfect sense, take a look at desire, passion and fun.

DESIRE, PASSION & FUN

Do you remember when you were a kid and all you wanted to do was play? What was one thing you loved to do that you could do for hours and never want to stop? Then ask yourself why.

For most, it was probably because it was fun and exciting, and you felt good doing it. It made you happy and you never wanted to stop doing it until you dropped.

Of course, who couldn’t get hurt running, playing and challenging life once in awhile? But the reward of having fun, feeling free and the sense of accomplishment was worth the price. Youth are born natural risk takers.

But later on what happens? And why is it relevant to optimum performance?

Well, part of the reason you enjoyed what you did was the 'positive feedback' you received from others. The other more important part is because it was what you wanted to do. It didn't really matter how 'good'
you were. The 'how good' was secondary to just having fun.

It was the times you chose to do what you wanted that was the most fun and exhilarating. It wasn't when someone else said you needed to do or should do something.

Optimum performance can only truly be achieved when 'all of you' is in the game. And life is just a game. You loved playing as a kid and it's time to start playing again.

Just going through the motions in your relationship is so mediocre and not fun. Working in a job or career that you tolerate is not fun. Not earning the income you want is not fun. Not having the energy or health you want is not fun.

What's NOT FUN in your life right now?

So the real question you are now faced with is this...do you want to have fun again? Do you want to play?

How great would the results be in each area of your life if it were fun again?

Well it can be...and will be!

Do not confuse having fun with not putting in effort. You will achieve results in every area of your life in direct proportion to the effectiveness of the effort you put in, not the effort. Do not confuse activity with results.

In the coming months my focus will be to help you think about why you are getting the results you are in your life right now and how to significantly enjoy yourself more, so that the results are the by-product of having fun and doing what you love and want to do.

The game of life is about choosing what you really want. The real trick in having more is in becoming more and having fun. It is natural to grow and become more, when we do what we love and what we want.

Optimum performance is about doing the 'right things' really well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

JOHN ASSARAF is the author of The Street Kid's Guide to Having it All, (a New York Times bestseller), and one of the experts featured in the film and book The Secret, which he helped launch into a worldwide phenomenon through appearances on Oprah, Larry King Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Anderson Cooper 360° and other major media outlets. John has also founded and/or led successful companies in real estate, Internet software, personal development and business coaching.

John is one of the Marshall Goldsmith (pictured right) School of Management's Distinguished Thought Leaders. He has a unique passion for quantum physics and neuroscience, and teaches people how to apply findings from these disciplines to achieve success in business and in life. His latest company is OneCoach, which helps entrepreneurs and small-business professionals grow their revenues so they can achieve financial freedom and live extraordinary lives.

[John Assaraf will be joining the outstanding group of nine presenters from The Secret coming together at UCLA for The Law of Attraction Prophets Conference July 20-22. John will also be getting together with Joe Dispenza of What The BLEEP Do We Know!? in Miami June 15-16, 2007.]

THE HEART OF THE SECRET: Happiness & The Law of Attraction

"What we all want most deeply is to be what I have come to call 'happy for no reason' - a lasting neurophysiological state of peace and well-being that is not dependent on circumstances. When we are happy for no reason our desires manifest more quickly and effortlessly than ever." - Marci Shimoff


THE HEART OF THE SECRET: HAPPINESS AND THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
by Marci Shimoff

Imagine your fairy godmother is standing before you, ready to wave her wand and make your wishes come true. Suddenly, the world appears a different place, full of possibilities and magic!

Well, it turns out that this imaginary scenario is actually how the process of manifestation works—and is based, not in magic, but in science. The film The Secret vividly explains this powerful universal principle called the Law of Attraction, which simply stated is: like attracts like. Whatever we think, feel and put our energy into, whether positive or negative, we magnetize to us. The universe, like a good fairy godmother, simply responds.

Sounds easy enough. So, why don’t we all have everything we want?

The answer lies in my favorite formula for applying the Law of Attraction that was given to me by my good friend and advisor Bill Levacy. It has three simple, easy-to-remember steps:

1. INTENTION – Be clear about what you want

2. ATTENTION – Experience the thoughts and feelings of already having what you want, AND take the action steps to manifest your intention.

3. NO TENSION – Let go. Relax. Shift from being tightly focused on your specific desired outcome to being wide open to all possibilities. Trust that your highest good will come to you, and feel the happiness of that.

A lot has been written and spoken about the first two steps. Many of us have mastered them, but have stopped there. We end up holding on to our desire like a terrier chewing on a bone. We have to take action towards our goals, but when we push and struggle and hold on too tight, we get in our own way.

The problem is we haven’t taken the last step. We haven’t let go. Surrendered. Said, “Okay, this or something better.” The third step, “no tension,” frees our minds, opens our hearts, and, most importantly, lets us be happy in this moment. If we skip this step, it’s like having a closed fist; how can we receive anything when our hand isn’t open? In our “gotta-get” culture, this is the step most people miss or dismiss.

When we let go and trust that all is ultimately working out for the best, we feel happier. And happiness attracts more happiness.

When I first heard Bill’s formula, I had an “a-ha moment.” I realized that every time I had succeeded in manifesting my desires, it had happened only after I’d done step #3, let go, relaxed and felt happy. In fact, one of my greatest successes is a perfect example of this.

In 1994, I had been working for ten years as a corporate trainer and a professional speaker focusing on self-esteem for women. My career intention was clear (step #1): to inspire and empower millions of people around the world to live their lives to their highest and best potential.

My attention was focused on thinking, feeling and visualizing BIG success (step #2). I was the queen of persistence and had taken all the “right actions” to further my career. Although I had achieved a good degree of success by then, I knew I wanted to take my work to a higher level, and it just wasn’t happening. I had done everything I knew to do and was burned out.

Needing to take a break, I decided to go on a seven-day silent meditation retreat. After a few days of silence - no easy feat for a Chatty Cathy like me - the most amazing thing happened. I began to tap into something deeper in myself, and started to feel peaceful, relaxed and fulfilled. I moved into that state of no tension, where my grip on achieving my goal melted away, leaving me with a feeling of deep contentment.

Then, on the fourth day of silence, while I was sitting quietly in meditation, a light bulb went off in my head, and I clearly saw the words Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul in my mind. This was back in 1994 when only the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book had been published, so the idea of spin-off books for different niche markets was a breakthrough. As soon as the idea came, I knew it was a winner. I was so excited that it was all I could do to sit silently for three more days without shouting the idea to anyone in earshot!

The minute the retreat ended, I ran to the closest payphone and called Jack Canfield, who had been my mentor for the past six years and was the co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul. I told him my idea and he loved it. Before long I had a book contract to create what would be one of the first in the now legendary series of over 150 titles. Within a few years, I had co-authored six New York Times bestsellers in the Chicken Soup series, with over 13 million books sold. I had finally, and thrillingly, fulfilled my original intention of touching millions of people’s lives.

I am absolutely certain that it was by using all three steps of this powerful formula - intention, attention, and no tension - that I was able to realize my dream. Any two of the steps would not have done it.

So, did I live happily ever after? Not right away. After using this formula for many years to attract extraordinary situations, people and things that I wanted, I eventually realized, like many people before me, that having the things and circumstances you want in your life is wonderful AND it’s not enough. It was then that I discovered another essential key: there is more...

Having things and circumstances - money, success, relationships, health - brings a certain happiness, what I call being “happy for good reason.” Unfortunately, this temporary experience of satisfaction or joy soon fades and we have to hurry up and fulfill the next desire to get a new high. To experience true and lasting happiness, we must be free of the need for any external reason to be happy. As Deepak Chopra has said, “happiness for a reason is just another form of misery.”

What we all want most deeply is to be what I have come to call “happy for no reason” - a lasting neurophysiological state of peace and well-being that is not dependent on circumstances. I’ve spent the last few years researching the latest findings on happiness and interviewing truly happy people for my upcoming book, Happy for No Reason. The good news is this is an achievable state.

Ironically, we seem to have things backwards. True happiness isn’t a result of getting what we want; getting what we want is a side effect of happiness. Why? Because, when we are happy for no reason, we have mastered that tricky step #3, no tension, and then our desires manifest more quickly and effortlessly than ever.

Perhaps we need to focus a little less on getting what we want to make us happy and a little more on creating a deep inner state of happiness. When we are happy for no reason, all else is just icing on the cake.

That is the ultimate secret!


Marci Shimoff, one of the nation's leading motivational experts, has shared her illuminating message about the infinite possibilities that life holds with audiences across the world. Marci is the New York Times #1 Bestselling Author of Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul.

Now she shares her message as part of the life-changing film, The Secret and at The Law Of Attraction Prophets Conference at UCLA July 20-22 along with eight other outstanding presenters from The Secret, and at The Heart Of The Secret Conference in Santa Cruz, California, where Marci will be joined by Howard Martin and Dr. Joe Dispenza on August 3-4. These will be exceptional events that you’ll want to experience.

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION SECRET CONFERENCE UCLA -
July 20-22, 2007

HEART OF THE SECRET SANTA CRUZ CONFERENCE -
August 3-4, 2007

MARCI SHIMOFF earned her MBA from UCLA and holds an advanced certificate as a stress management consultant. She is a founding member and on the board of directors of the Transformational Leadership Council, a group of 100 top leaders serving over ten million people in the self-development market.

A celebrated transformational leader and one of the nation's leading motivational experts, Marci has inspired millions of people around the world sharing her breakthrough methods for personal fulfillment and professional success. President and co-founder of the Esteem Group, she delivers keynote addresses and seminars on self-esteem, self-empowerment and peak performance to corporations, professional and non-profit organizations, and women's associations. Highly sought after, she is a powerful keynoter who consistently receives rave reviews and standing ovations. She has been a top-rated trainer for numerous Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, General Motors, Sears, Amoco, Western Union, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.