Today, after more than 12 years I got in touch with the book The Secret, I shared its wisdom with a client who never heard of it.  That made we wondering if there’re more people out there who in our interesting new times might find my notes useful. so here we go:

 First of all: it’s about the law of attraction and the following 4 lines summarize briefly and concisely what the rest of the text is about.

If you can believe it

If you can imagine

If you can act on it,

then it becomes a reality.

My personal encounter with “The Secret”

Beginning mid 2007 I came across the book “The Secret” and was aware that in my forums they said: “It’s nothing new, but an interesting summary of what you already know”. Towards the end of 2007 I crossed the book “The Secret about The Secret” which made me wonder  it is all about and why there seemed to be such a “hype”. In January 2008 someone even told me about a film on this topic of The Secret and I thought: “Aha, ok, the universe really wants me to get into it so why not”.  A guess what: less than a week later I was gifted the DVD with the note that this might interest me, synchronicity?!?

I admit, I first watched the film with restraint and restrained interest and yes – nothing new was revealed, but the well-known “Law of Attraction” was nicely explained and that propelled me to watch the film a second time, while taking notes useful for my clients.

The Secret: The Law of Attraction

What do you really want? A key question of success in implementing this secret of attraction. It is up to us to be, to have or to do whatever we want. According to Ralph Walter Emerson (1803-1882): “The secret is the answer to everything that was, is and will ever be.”

Simply put: the natural law of attraction translates to: like attracts like. Our pictures in our heads attract things in our life. If you can imagine it mentally, you will have it in your hand – there is only one thing to do: be absolutely clear about what you want, because thoughts become reality – a physical manifestation of the thought. How does it work?

Thoughts have a frequency which is sent out. These vibrations then behave like a magnetic signal and attract what is “visualized” in the mind. Positive thoughts attract positives, negative negatives. However, the mere thought of something is not enough, you also have to feel as if it were already a reality – to not only mentally but emotionally create an imaginary world – why?

We have over 60,000 thoughts a day and to control all of them consciously would be a tremendous job. Feelings are easier as we have much less, and you can  take advantage of the fact that the feelings influence our thoughts.

I am sure you heard of  “Murphy’s law”? According to that paradigm, there should actually be days when everything goes wrong. According to the law of attraction, that’s also true: I think everything will go wrong, it will manifest itself! Therefore, when I have good feelings such as joy, gratitude, love, hope, I subsequently attract more good feelings. So to speak, your feelings are a feedback loop to success. Hence, what you mainly and continuously focus on becomes a reality. Or in the words of Winston Churchill (1874-1965): “In the course of life you create your own universe.”

The 3 steps for the implementation

That sounds pretty easy, but especially when it comes to step 2 we as human-beings are world champions in failure. How often do we doubt that something we wish for will become reality and “snip” it has already happened? Hence: continuous and unwavering belief in your wish is an important key to success. Another is to not only believe that it can be fulfilled, but also to enact the emotional world in the “what-if” situation. How does it feel to have this job, that wage, this client, that responsibility or whatever you want? Surrender to the feelings and celebrate the implementation of your wish in (virtual) reality.

So far, so good, yet what if you can imagine that it is, but don’t know the way there? Do you know this situation when you are driving on a street unknown to you in a dark night and orient yourself on the basis of the part of the road illuminated by the low beam and the signposts? You will get to your destination even if you haven’t seen all the way from the start!!!

According to Martin Luther King (1929-1968): “Take the first step with confidence. You don’t need to see all the way, just take the first step ”. The rest is done for you – you think and wish and the rest is done for you – that is the secret of the universe.

To familiarize yourself with this ideology, there are 2 good exercises that you can do every day:

• the first is to show gratitude for what you already have, and
• the second to visualize your wishes clearly, so-called.

The feeling of gratitude for what is already there will lay a positive energy in your life as a basis. And if you imagine what your future will be with your thoughts, you are well on the way to implementation. According to Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955): “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of the future attractions of life. “

Hence a short recipe for every day:

1. Decide what you want
2. Believe you can have it
3. Imagine that you already have it and enact the feelings about it
4. Be thankful for everything you already have

According to W. Element Stone (1902-2002): “What the mind can conceive, it also can achieve.” Means:  your life is the result of your past thoughts. Therefore, if you start today to wish for something different, then lay the foundation for your new life – be the designer of your life. Aware that there is only one person in this world who is responsible for the joy, happiness and success in your life, and that is you!

“Follow your feelings and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987)

And because it cannot be said enough – the energy is based on the thoughts, including the negatives. Carl Gustav Jung already said: “If you oppose your resistance, you will endure it” andHenry Ford (1863-1947) summarized it this way: “Whether you think you can do it or think you can’t do it, you are right in both cases.”

Therefore, think positive to produce positive.

If you can believe it

If you can imagine

If you can act on it,

then it becomes a reality.

The first of all steps is that you decide what you want and then firmly believe that it will become a reality, not only in your head, but with your whole heart!

In August 2017 I was part of the faculty for a conscious leadership training in St Cruz CA by the Dilts Strategy Groups. We have had a group of 80 students that dived into the principles around key success factors for conscious leadership. It was an amazing experience as we enriched the field with complimentary wisdom. One morning we held a panel about spiritual leadership and I knew that spirits do have lots to say about that. So rather than sharing my opinion I asked spirits what they want to share and below text is what I received.

If you are new to me, you may ask yourselves what that is all about. Good question!

Since 2012 I pondered the thought of how to embrace my spiritual path with what I do for businesses and BizShaman was the answer – merging shamanic principles with business consulting. Since 2014 I follow that path. That lead me to live and work mots of the time in the USA, to publishing the book Dare to Trust – Sprits@Work which reflects my journey and in which the base lays for being a channel for spirits to our world – a hollow bone as its often referred to.

Especially the last paragraph of the message regarding walking gracefully while being aware of the inherent duality of our world  resulting for me in a non-judgmental and compassionate way of life, is essential. What is it for you?

Do you remember when you had your last exam in school or university? More so do you remember when you were told that you failed one of the many exams you did in your life? Where you ready to take on another try or did you shy off?

I failed my first driving test, the theoretical one and then again the practical exam. And actually also my practical exam for the motorcycle….I so when I was booked to make the test here in the US for the local diving licence a year ago I was anxious and asked myself if I really can do it – notice I’m driving cars and bikes since more than 25 years so my experience should tell me that I can do it. BUT there is the mental game within that has a life on its own.

We often let passed experiences holding us back from accepting new challenges or let us doubt if we can be successful because of what happen back then.  And believe me: in these moments 25 years back feel just like yesterday due to their emotional imprint in our brain.

In my practice as coach I often meet those ghosts of the past which steer the life of my clients. Sometimes we can address them rationally but more often we need to address them on a subconscious level through the method of Wingwave®, a sort of EMDR which is used in trauma therapy. Using Wingwave now for nearly a decade I’m still astounded about what can be achieved in a few sessions when having clients experiencing the feelings of: I can do it! and not having any doubts or fear along with it. Such shifts make me going the extra mile in supporting others manifesting their dreams – you, me, we all CAN DO IT!

On Wednesday I was listening to a talk and I heard the story of peacocks thriving on poison. I was instantly caught by that and after a quick internet search I did find the following: “Peacocks live in forest with poisonous plants, they eat the poisonous plants that no other animals can eat, and instead of being poisoned, peacocks transformed the poisons they eat into beautiful, colorful and vibrant plumage and thrive” [1] Some other sources repeat that fact which makes me believe there is truth in it. [2]

by Kathrin M. Wyss – Spring 2016 in the zoo in San Francisco

As the pearl, which is the product of an irritation within the oyster (see blog July 2016) , it seems that nature finds unique ways to transform poison into beauty. Being human, and as such part of nature, the question arises how can we do similar things. How can we transform challenges, irritation, poisons of our minds & soul into beauty, into positive, into something worthwhile?

Spiritual sources refer to compassion, holding the space for what is difficult and be free of judgmental thoughts. Then in the universal perspective nothing is neither good nor bad. However, we are living in a world where judgements seem to be the currency, as is negativity. Bad news sell better, horror stories get attention and if we talk as much about good things as we do about bad ones, we were told to live in a pink bubble and ignoring the ‘real’ world.

And here starts my thought process on transforming poison into beauty. What is the ‘real word’? What is real? Is not everything a subjective perception and as such just a perspective? In mediation, we consider finding levels of agreement where there is disagreement and by doing so we drain destructive energy. We can disagree on high level or low level perspectives, but we will find some agreement when we are willing to shift our original position and consider different thoughts as being valid as well.

But that is sometimes very difficult and the question to ask ourselves is: Why is that so?  Defending our position means we protect something that is very important to us, even if we might not be aware and can express it in words. It can be something that we  or our family cherishes or something that is a cultural tradition; something that comes from our experiences or knowledge tank; or something that springs from our religious, spiritual or political beliefs.

So being confronted with ‘poison’ (hence not our thing), we could argue, could object,  could protect our position OR we can do it like the peacocks & the oysters and ‘digest’ it and let it into our system by thinking and validating the thoughts along what we think and belief. By doing so, we transform it into something that is more manageable and ‘digestible’. I strongly belief, that each of us has this ability and it is up to every one of us to choose where and when we want to apply this capability.

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[1] From a Dharma Talk given by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on 23 May 2006, recorded by Loh Seng Piow
[2] http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Peacock  and http://sisterhoodofstepmoms.com/about-us/the-story-of-the-peacock/

You know those moments, something goes wrong, not as smooth as wanted or even fails totally and then it gets your attention. It seems that as long as all goes as planed and expected, we surf on a wave of unnoticed accomplishment and confidence – life just passes by –moment by moment, day by day. Then, something unexpected happens, and we are out of our flow. We start to question if it is our fault, or someone else’s, if the system works as it should …I could go on and on.

http://www.winterson.co.uk

I’m sure you have seen a natural pearl once in your life. It recently has been brought to my attention (again) that the starting point of such beauty is an active disruption in the life of an oyster. In earlier days’ people thought a grain of sand was the origin. Today we know it’s a parasite or another foreign matter, which actually needs to hurt something very specially inside of the shell to get a pearl as end result.

Use this analogy and take a look at what currently happens around and in politics. It seems to me that there are lots of ‘foreign matters” that disrupt systems in their core matter and understanding. I hear statements driven by fear resulting in negative proclamations of what those disruptions might result in. Thinking of what has happened just in the last few weeks let me reflect on my own personal story and how I deal with disruptions. Thinking retrospectively; aside from momentary pain, unproductive thoughts, and disbelief, the biggest grain of sand in my life brought me a strong call for action – a call to do something now or never. This lead me to awaken from my day by day passing life, and allowed me to actively steer my own path, being aware of what is going on around me, and where others try to influence what I shall do, think, and say. By paying attention to my own actions, to the different perspectives that different people have, and by allowing full trust of nature’s and humans’ ability enabled me to let go of many things such as  formed opinions and a desire for control regardless of my reach of influence.

I learned that disruptions by definition are neither positive nor negative; they simply disrupt the system, the actual flow. There is always a possibility that beauty can grow out of it if we let it happen rather than letting fear obstruct the growth of new things. Sometimes the more it hurts, and the more it disrupts, the more profound the change can be, as foundations, and long standing belief systems are challenged. This is currently happening both in Europe with the Brexit, and in the US with the two candidates nominated for presidency. It also happens in our everyday life on a smaller or larger scale.

It is up to us if beauty can be a result of the disruption in our life, in our systems.  Actively assessing if it’s fear, comfort or anything else that holds us back rather than faith in what can happen is my outlook on current challenges. Actively pursuing the path, you want to walk, asking what is possible, what new option we have not thought of yet that could happen. There is never just an “either / or” situation; there are always way more options available if we just let them arise while containing our fear.

One of my new clients said that I live an extraordinary life and that I somehow align within my path the science of achievement with the art of fulfillment. Being now in a country where the Swiss understatement is less the normal pattern I thought about summarizing my life in a different way – so here we go:

• After taking at age of 10 the decision to be pharmacist, I achieved my masters degree in pharmaceutical science at age of 25
• Within 8 years in the pharmaceutical industry I advanced from a local medical device representative to one of only 5 senior global brand managers within one of the top 3 pharmaceutical companies
• After 18 months of employment at a governmental agency, I advanced to be an elected member in the board of directors at age of only 35 years
• Since 2004 I took over 1’000 hours of further educations in coaching, training, personal development and shamanic studies
• Within 4 years of starting my coaching and training formation in 2004 I  attained the certification for Fellow Member Trainer for NLP
• Within 2 years of being a full time entrepreneur in the coaching and training business, I established a steady annual revenue of over 100kCHF per employee
• Within 4 months I successfully incorporated a company in the US, attained an executive work visa and opened an affiliate on site
• I have nearly 1000 connections on LinkedIn and 500 friends on Facebook.
• I travelled to over 30 countries and was on all 5 continents so far in my life
• I speak 5 language fluently
• Since 2004 I pursue the path of mindfulness  – with more or less success
• I gave up twice a very successful corporate career and immigrated once to another continent following my strong inner call to peruse professional and personal fulfillment
• And…. I had in 2003 a burn-out, I have neither husband nor children, I lost all my animal companions over time and there are every now and then moments in which I ask myself if it’s worth all the efforts and lonely moments.

This is my life – I do agree that I achieved a lot, I also had heavy failures and devastating moments on that path. I’m seeking fulfillment, I’m a deep rooted person and each day I’m getting closer to my own happiness. In that sense I agree it’s an extraordinary life as it’s the only one I have right now!  

Businessman Running to Catch a Flight — Image by © Larry Williams/Corbis

Imagine it’s Saturday morning 5.45 am at the airport and somebody runs to the line of check-in you are queuing, totally in stress asking out of the blue: “Until when do we need to be checked in?” Now I was looking at the men, about mid thirties, Mediterranean and so early already totally stressed and said: “if you board like us for London its about 45 min before the flight hence you have another 30 minutes” “Ush” was his response and he started talking to me about how late he worked the day before, that the mobile checking was not working …and so on and so on… Me not being a morning person but a good citizen was listening and gave him comfort by doing so. Our paths separate for security but we met again at the gate with a warm smile. “You made it” I said and he was happy smiling back and again started to talk: “I cannot go further in my life like that, it’s insane, I work hard and I have plans all the time and even on the week-end I do not relax but do things.”

Wow interesting I thought and I declared that he is talking to a professional coach and that I might see things a bit differently. He said his is waking up at night thinking of the entire tasks he has to do all day long and what he might misses. And that this is driving him nuts. But that he cannot change anything about it. There we are I thought, so I asked “Who thinks all those thoughts?” – “Hmm…I guess it’s me?” – “And who are you, who is thinking that?” “Oh, I’m an achiever!” he returned in a split second.

“Great” I said, “then you brain is exactly doing what you want it to do, to achieve things, to plans to be able to achieve. You are well on track with that – congratulations. Good new is, that if you want to change a few things, then plan them – you will achieve it as you are an achiever. For a start I just want to share with you that listening to a good piece of music, sitting and surrender while having a cup of tea is doing something as well!.” He looked puzzled, not really knowing what to say. But after a moment he asked: “So what are you doing so early on the plane on Saturday?” “Oh, I fly to Santa Fe, my second home base as I just open an affiliate there. Not so easy to work on 2 continents but that’s what I want to do”. ”Oh he said, “as long as it keeps you busy its will be ok, not”…”No” I answered, “as long as it keeps me happy it is OK.”

There was silence after that and I could see he was thinking: busy vs. happy.  I’m sure he was not the only achiever on that plane as other passengers witnessed quite interested our conversation. While the plane took off, I thought about how my own life changed from being an achiever years back to now perusing happiness.

I was supposed to be in Paris today and tomorrow. I planned to visit the garden of Versailles and meet a friend after more then 6 year. Tomorrow an all day client meeting on change management. Things change, the plan is not getting realized and other elements find room to manifest.

Over the last few days sharing of sadness, the coping with unexpected, reasoning and precautions are key topics. A friend of mine just returned from Auschwitz and she is missing words to explain what she experienced. Sometimes our mind, our heart and our soul are missing words, feelings, strategies or believes to make senses of what happens around us.

In those moments I retrieve myself into nature. Endless forms of creativity and surviving strategies; endless cycles of birth & death and yet a certainty that all is coming together – that everything has its reason even if I do not understand it at the moment it happens. Nature gives me trust and comforts me, that we as human beings have the strength to stay connected to us and others with compassion & wisdom, allowing us together to manifest step by step the world we want to live in.