If you haven't heard of The Secret you've probably been living under a rock. The DVD and the book have created a buzz that hasn't stopped since they came out late last year. Since that time the featured seers, philosophers and thinkers have appeared in numerous venues including the Oprah! show and many others. The Secret presents a concept that has been taught and coached for many, many years, under names such as the Law of Attraction, the power of Visualization, and the act of Manifesting.

The Law of Attraction (the secret) states that what you think about, you bring about. The degree to which you give attention to something in your life (positive or negative) is the degree to which it will become manifested in your personal experience. Does this mean that we just have to think positive thoughts and our life will become a bed of roses? No, it isn't that simple, however life is simpler than we think it is when we can harness the energy in our universe and make it work for us. Let me share a few personal examples.

I am well aware that I created my husband. Right after graduate school I moved to the Midwest from California. I loved my new environment and, even though I didn't know a single soul there, I quickly made a promise to myself that I'd get off the dating merry-go-round, and find someone to be a partner who shared my values and my interests. Okay, I had a few other criteria, too. He had to be handsome, funny, and smarter than I was. I share these details with you because it is exactly this specificity that drives manifestation?you must be absolutely clear on what you want. Notice that there were details that I didn't specify, such as occupation, net worth, and religion ? these were simply of less importance to me. Within weeks of my move, I met my husband through some (new) mutual friends and co-workers, and we were married less than a year later. That was over 29 years ago and to this day we are best friends.

Several years into the course of our marriage we made a career move to a neighboring state. We needed to find a house to rent for our family (now there were four of us) and we had no knowledge of our new city. As we started on our house hunt it occurred to me that it would be nice to find a house similar to one that we lived in previously ? it wasn't fancy but ?it worked? for us. As we drove up one of the main north-south arteries in town we saw a For Rent sign on a house that looked like a good prospect. We called the number, viewed the house, and knew that it was where we wanted to live. It was the first property that we walked through and it had the exact floor plan of the house that we lived in years before. When we moved in we promised our kids that we wouldn't move until they graduated from high school, so they would be able to establish and maintain friendships in that neighborhood. We kept that promise, but I was ready to move on by the time they were launched! In the meantime I became more familiar with the various neighborhoods in the city, and found myself attracted to one established area in the center of town that just had a good ?feel? to it. I clearly remember thinking that this would be a nice place to live.

At that time we really hadn't given much thought to moving although we played with the idea of finding a place where we could live that would also generate some income. On a whim, we contacted a local realtor who told us about a duplex that had just gone on the market the day before. Now, you guessed it ? we found ourselves looking at a property in that very neighborhood! It perfectly suited our needs and we decided to buy it the next day.

Perhaps the manifesting experience that is most jaw-dropping for me was one that occurred about five years ago. I was getting a nail-fix at my manicurists? when I she asked how my job was going (knowing that I had been unhappy for many months). I explained that things there still weren't going well, but that I was working on getting one more long-term grant writing client. I had promised myself that with one more client I could confidently quit my job in state government, and open my own grant writing business. With that, the woman sitting next to me said, ?Really? I'm looking for a grant writer!? With a little more conversation we established that she was the Director of an eating disorders clinic, and that'as a compulsive overeater'I could have great insight into both the content and the process of her business needs. The opening of this tiny door lead to my quitting my job, starting my own business, going into long-needed therapy, deciding to have gastric by-pass surgery and, eventually, finding a whole new purpose in life.

Am I particularly fortunate? Unquestionably. Also, really lucky? Probably. But I've also always been aware and conscious of what I wanted, and I know that when I get clear?really clear'on exactly what I want it is there, right in front of me. We don't always know the details of our dreams but when we know the substance?the essence of what we want?that allows us to summon the power of the Genie in the bottle who says, ?Your wish is my command.? Be open and accepting of life. Don't fight life?welcome it. Look to see what's coming ?you never know what door will open!