Changing Your Life: The Recipe (New Thought Sunday Message 11/28/10(

Do you know the secret and do you have the power?

Up and down, over and across the entire Internet, there has been much discussion on the so-called law of attraction, especially since the release of the book and movie, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, back in 2006 and 2007. Now, Byrne has another bit of material out on the market called “The Power,” which doesn’t seem to have gotten nearly the press as her first efforts.

Byrne has as many detractors as supporters. I’ve read both books and let me tell you, the detractors have much on their side as do the supporters. Still, there is an underlying message in Byrne’s books as well as in many other writings on the subject that, when understood, can make a real difference in your life. It follows this simple recipe—simple, but not necessarily easy. I will explain why at the end:

• By changing your thinking, you change your beliefs.
• When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations.
• When you change your expectations, you change your attitude.
• When you change your attitude, you change your behavior.
• When you change your behavior, you change your performance.
• When you change your performance, you change your outcome.
• When your outcome changes, your life changes.
• Repeat as often as necessary…

As simple as the above recipe is, it can be hard to implement because of one thing: Habit. Our habitual patterns of thinking, right from the get-go, are what keep us from putting the rest of the recipe into place.

How do you change your thinking? First, you make the decision to do so. You question virtually every thought you have and ask, “Does this thought help or hinder?” The practice will become automatic after a while, and you will begin to see how old thought patterns have been holding you back. There’s nothing supernatural about it.

It all begins with a decision.