Meijer Bjorn

This book is like a primer for The Secret, Seven Habits, and other similar self-help books. It is a quick read, as it simply skims the surface. I was interested to read (several times in the book) that the subconscious doesn't "hear" negative words, i.e., if you say to yourself, "I'm not going to spill wine on my shirt.", your subconscious "hears" "I'm going to spill wine on my shirt." There is no notes section or reference section that lists any science/facts to back this up. So I was left with a skeptical view of this book. There are several grammatical errors throughout the book, which is always jarring. Not an awful book, just not an awesome book, either.… (meer)

The Secret to Life, the book, that is, is a self-help book by all rights. Being a self-help book, it starts with the problem: your attitude.

The major reason why all bad things happen to YOU is because you have a negative attitude. When you wake up in the morning and thing, "man, today's going to suck," congratulations, you've made a self-fulfilling prophecy. Basically, every bad thing that happens to you is your fault.

Also, every bad thing that you do in response to others is also your fault.

The book blends the psychological and the mystical, explaining karma in terms that almost fully work with a purely material world (basically, physical karma" is a euphemism for "cause and effect").

My biggest qualm with the book is that it reads pretty much like every other self-help book I've read, which is: "You make yourself better and you will feel better," which, by all means, is very, very true, and I do take responsibility for my negative feelings AND for my negative reactions to those feelings. I suppose it just gets a little bit, well, annoying isn't the right word, but it's the first word to come to mind, hearing it so often (especially when it's not a problem). I suppose it's good that there are many books out there that tote the "power of positive thinking," as the more books there are out there, the more likely somebody will read one.

One thing I did find useful was the explanation of forgiveness (and how it's not for the forgivee's sake, but for the forgiver's). This may make forgiveness, normally considered to be selfless, to actually be selfish, but that's only if you've trained your mind to only see black and white. If an activity is both selfish and selfless, then I suppose it could instead by considered holistic, like the rush you get when you help someone in need. It makes you feel better, and makes someone else feel better too. Even if you're doing such activities just to feel better about yourself, others are still benefiting.

Though, this viewpoint wouldn't lead to very good metaphysical karma (I forgot his term for it), as that is based on the intents of your heart.

If you've read books like The Secret or The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, then this book will seem like a recap. Otherwise, it may open your eyes to the real problem with the negative aspects of your life: the way you look at life.… (meer)

I think this book was okay. I appreciate the message the book was trying to give, as I believe in the message that you can get what you want by using attraction and thinking positively. I am giving it four stars only because of it's simplicity. It was a quick read, but I feel the author could have gone much deeper. Unless he intended his audience to be children or young adults. I do appreciate the message and how it has worked in the author's life.

It did make me realize the power of forgiveness, and I was able to forgive two people who have wronged me in life, the catch is I'm not going to reach them to let them know they've been forgiven. I forgave them but they are both people I need to stay away from, so in my best interest even though they have been forgiven by me they may not ever know it.… (meer)