Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie “The Secret.”

I just watched it in its entirety the other day and it’s a really helpful film about manifesting intentions in your life.

I had the highest expectations from the movie, given how people were raving about it. I was happy for the most part, although I did want to fast forward through some segments. I didn’t like the overly-simplistic take by some of the resource persons in that movie. It’s almost like they were spouting words out of their ass. I’m not discounting the possibility that I was listening with my ass so consider that a disclaimer.

I loved Esther Hicks, Bob Proctor and Jack “Chicken Soup” Canfield. I didn’t expect to like the Chicken Soup For The Soul guy but he comes across so genuine it’s impossible not to like him. Those three spoke with a lot of clarity and gave very focused ideas. Listening to most of the others was pretty awkward for me. I think they muddled the message more than they added to it.

The stories used to illustrate the concepts were mostly good, especially Jack Canfield’s.

Quote of the Year (LOL!)
“You can cook a man’s dinner with electricity….and you can also cook the man!”
- Bob Proctor

Esther Hicks, hands down, does the best job explaining the concepts in that movie:
“Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.”
- Esther Hicks

This one is the truest statement I heard from the movie. All my ex-girlfriends say the same thing:
“It’s hard to swallow…..”
- Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith

I know, I know…..

Another classic from Bob Proctor:
“Think of something beautiful…think of a baby…(video of a crying baby shows)…errrr…maybe one you love.”

LOL! I’ve never even read of this guy before. He’s like a skinny Don Rickles! Definitely future reading for me.

When manifesting, one of the things that usually hold me back is asking “How am I gonna achieve this?” and Bob Proctor had a great answer for this:
“You will attract the way.”

Lastly, I loved the segments about resistance. This is an area I’ve been working on lately and I really learned a lot from the movie in this regard.

“When they push against the unwanted, they add power to it.”
- Esther Hicks

“The anti-war movement has created more war. The anti-drugs movement has created more drugs.”
- Jack Canfield

“I will never attend an anti-war rally, if you have a peace rally, invite me.”
- Mother Teresa

I believe there are three key components that push us forward to reach our goals. These are intent, will and appreciation. Without either one, our manifestations never reach their true potential.

I like to compare goal-achieving to a never-ending world travel. You will never run out of places you want to go to. And the more places you visit, the more you discover places that you haven’t found yet.

Intent creates our purpose. When we intend, we set a target and we bring our focus towards a specific place. It creates the picture of the desired outcome. Think of intent as your plane ticket. It says where you are now and where you’re going. The booking assures you’re gonna get there. Sure, the plane can crash or the flights can be cancelled permanently but you never think about that. You have a ticket and you’re booked - you know you’re going somewhere.

Willpower is simply the determination to do your part to ensure that the trip happens. You pack your bags, get dressed, and check in at the airport in the proper time. Even with the flight booking in place, you must want the trip to happen in order and take actions that do not derail it. You can get drunk and go to bed two hours before your flight but you will choose not to. You must use your willpower to move you towards the schedule not away from it.

Appreciation is what makes the trip worthwhile. You can have a ticket and actually take your flight but unless there’s a strong feeling of joy and happiness in making the trip, you merely move from place to place with no real purpose and meaning. When you appreciate the preparation, the departure, the time spent on board, the arrival and the time you spend in the destination, it adds value the your life. Without it, you most likely just wasted your time in different time zones.

Appreciation brings a passion to your trips. It gives you permission to truly enjoy what the new experience has to offer.

When you set your goals, treat them like a plane ticket. The booking is there. The destinations fixed. There may be rerouting, the schedules might be delayed a bit but if you exercise your willpower, tap on your patience and don’t go back home, you are sure you will eventually get there.

Again, a terrorist might pilot your plane towards a tower but that’s the price of life - sometimes it happens. Yet I don’t see people canceling all flights because of it! And you won’t too. Your will won’t let you!

When you work towards those goals, do everything you can to move consciously towards them. If your ticket says you’re losing weight and you’re spending the afternoon eating cake, impose your will on yourself. Move consciously towards the goal, not away from it.

Finally, be thankful for all the good things that this goal achieving is bringing into your life. Thank everyone who helps you along the way - the flight agency, the lady answering the phone, the cab driver who drops you off. Even before the goal is manifested, imagine how good it feels to have that in your life and be immensely thankful for the opportunity to experience it. Like falling in love, that gives it richer meaning and makes the whole process of achievement joyful and fun.

Technorati Tags: intent, appreciation, manifesting

If you’re at all interested in personal development, I have one crucial advice.

Stop doing the stupid stuff now!

Stop smoking, drink-bingeing, and drugs. Stop eating too much, throwing up after meals and sleeping when you should be productive. Stop refusing to schedule your activities, balance your finances, and pay your debts. All this and others like it are surface-level stuff. If you’re involved in personal growth and this is the stuff that eats your time away, I think you’re wasting energy unnecessarily.

All it takes is a conscious effort - no weird systems, new scientific data or bestselling book will fix it if you haven’t already. If you’re trying to lose weight and still drink soda, why the fuck are you wasting your time trying to lose weight? Either apply yourself to your goals or just fucking stop it already.

I’m not belittling people’s efforts nor undermining the value of those things for personal development but all that stuff eats time that you can instead use finding and serving your purpose, retraining your mind towards positivity and helping those around you. All the surface-level issues can be handled by sheer willpower and dedication - any effort without those two components will just send you around in circles.

They’re things you can actually fix now without having to look for another resource, other than conscious effort. It’s not something you have to understand further in order to move positively towards. Sure, it’s not easy but how much easier is it compared to spending the rest of your life focused on the same issues over and over?

If you’re really serious about fulfilling your highest potential, getting rid of the mundane stuff that you can get rid of should be a given. Imagine it like you are hiking up a mountain with untold riches on top. You start your climb with plenty of supplies - food, entertainment and anything else you have been used to bringing with you on your travels. Later, as the climb gets steeper, you realize all that heavy supply is slowing you down and keeping you from progressing. You inventory your supplies and estimate that you can get rid of 3/4 of it - entertainment stuff, extra food, dirty clothes. Will you really spend any more time debating with yourself about throwing that extra baggage? Will you spend the next ten days considering what to do with supply you know you don’t need? How long will it take before you decide to throw them away?

Think of these surface-level baggage of negative habits that way. Will you let them go and make your journey easier or hold on to them as you keep trying to reach the top?