I’ve been using the Secret for most of my life, but I didn’t call it the Secret. I didn’t know what it was, I just knew that if I pictured something in my mind it would come to me. I used it a lot when I was younger, and I used to think that I had some kind of magical power. I also believed (and I still do) that if I am generous, even when it seems like I can’t afford to be, I will always have enough.

My life is really great – I’ve been lucky to travel a lot and to have a wonderful family and fabulous friends. I was starting to get into a bit of a negative slump about my love life and finances though. It seemed like I was having ‘bad luck’ for a few years and I had forgotten about positive thinking. Then my dad called me because he had seen an episode of Oprah about The Secret. He just told me the basic idea, and about the guy who had written himself a cheque and put it on his ceiling. He also told me that he thought I spoke negatively both about finances – by using the words “my debt” – and about my love life, and that I should start to change that.

I was so excited when I got off the phone with him. I wrote down all of the things I am grateful for, things that I already had in my life, and things that hadn’t appeared yet.

About a month after I spoke with him I had saved enough money to pay off one of my school debts. Such a good feeling! By then another friend had told me about the movie and lent it to me. I bought the book for myself and some other friends, and was feeling totally inspired.

I had some more good luck with money – I was offered a tutoring job helping a young girl to learn English. I told her mother the rate was 30 dollars an hour, and she told me that she didn’t think that was enough – she wanted to pay me 100 dollars an hour! Because of that job I have almost paid off another debt.

When I was younger I used to make a lot of art, but for some reason I hadn’t really been able to paint at all for about 6 years. I created an intention that I would start making art again. About a week later my parents emailed to say that my mom wanted to go away for a week long art workshop with me that summer. I took a course and LOVED it. Now I am making art every day, and I have applied to do an art show for this coming summer. Amazing!! My next step is to change careers and become a full time artist.

I have a lot of other examples – little things that reinforce that the Secret works. A few weeks ago a friend and I went out for breakfast. After we were done and he was chatting to a person at another table, I started thinking about how much I wanted a mochachino. I was just about to get up and buy one at the counter, when the waiter came over and told me they were having a promotion and they were choosing customers to make their own free drinks!

My love life also improved once I stopped being negative about it. I found a really amazing boyfriend and we had the best relationship either of us has ever had. We dated for about five months, but we broke up recently because we love each other but we don’t think we’re in love. Something is missing. I think that the Secret is magical, but it takes genuine faith and a dedication to being positive. Other areas of my life are working out really well, but I’ve had a lot of fear that things won’t work out for me in my love life. I think that the areas of your life that are the scariest for you take the most work. It’s good work and I believe in it, but I know that I’ve got to focus on my love life and be as positive as I can. It makes a lot of sense to me that this is the one part that is taking a bit longer. I know it will happen though!