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I created my own happiness
Submitted by: Tracey V
Salem, OHI own a Home Health Care agency dedicated to providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities, and those diagnosed with mental retardation. I am a nurse, mother of 2 beautiful daughters, married to a wonderful man, and I have applied the teachings of The Secret to my life.
I became aware of The Secret by flipping through the TV one day and came across the Oprah show. I never watch the program, but something drew me to the channel. I watched as the show discussed The Secret. I became intrigued and bought the book. I read it over and over, and then bought the DVD. I have also watched it more than a dozen times and began to apply the principles to my own life and business. I own an agency that provides in home care to individuals with developmental disabilities/ mental retardation. I started the company just 2 years ago. We experienced some growth prior to my introduction to The Secret. After applying the lessons to my business and personal life, I began to attract more business and my financial picture also began to grow. When I started my business I was in need of Ten thousand dollars for start up costs, but every bank turned me down. I had been a nurse for 11 years at that point in my life, but had a low credit score, and no one would help me out getting started.
I took out the money on a personal credit card that belonged to my husband. After I watched The Secret, I drew up the blank check and filled it out. I wrote in $250 thousand dollars. At the end of year 1 I took my taxes to the CPA. I had earned $247, 533 that year. This was the gross and before payroll and all of the expenses that come with owning a business. I had reached the amount I wrote in on The Secret check, how amazing this felt.
I took on the idea of creating my own visualization board about a year prior to starting my business. It had been tucked away in my office behind a large vertical filing cabinet. I had done this prior to reading The Secret, so when I read about it in The Secret, I decided to add more to it, then I placed it back where it had been for the past year. About 5 years ago I drove past a piece of property that a man was building a new home on, and I watched every day for over a year as the home he was building took shape. I drove past it every morning to take my daughters to school and would always look at it as we drove by. In July of 2008 I drove past this home for the first time in 2 years as my daughters were now on to high school and drive themselves to school. I had been in love with this place since I first began watching it come to life. I was almost heartbroken when I saw a for sale sign in the yard. I really did not understand why someone would want to sell such a beautiful home. I just kept driving. Fast forward to April of 2009, I happened to drive past the home again, and the sign was still in the yard. I slowed down and noticed an open house sign for the coming Saturday. I had no intentions of buying a new home, but I ever so much wanted to take a look inside the home just to see what it looked like.
I continued to experience growth in my business, and grew to 17 employees. Things were going very well in my business, and my marriage grew even stronger after applying the principles in The Secret. My husband and I began to talk about finding a new home and we were looking in the paper for about 6 months, but never actually went out and put ourselves into the homes, we just read about them and said “someday”. Well the day of the open house my husband wanted to go to look at a home he seen in the paper so we went. Once inside, we both decided that it was overpriced and needed much work. So on the way home I drove past the home I had been watching for the past 4 years. I told him I wanted to go have a look inside because they were having an open house today, and he said okay. We arrived and he immediately was drawn to the garage, it is every mans dream, spacious, cemented flooring, and capable of storing 6 cars with plenty of room to still work. I went inside.
I entered the home and met the realtor who was showing someone else out. She told me to have a look around, and I did. I could not get the smile off of my face. The inside was even more beautiful than I had imagined, and I was in love. I walked into one of the two bedrooms on the first level and the hair on my neck and arms stood up, I began to cry tears for no reason. I do not get emotional easily, and had never done this over an object, especially a house. I had to wipe my face for fear of the realtor or my husband seeing me. I had the most unexplainable feeling come over me as I continued to look at the rest of the home. The upstairs was exclusively the master suite and master bath. It was gorgeous, and everything I had ever wanted a bedroom to be, including a Jacuzzi tub, a separate 2 person seated shower, commode, and sink vanity right out of the dream homes you see on HGTV. I was smiling ear to ear and my face actually hurt because of the joy I felt being in this home. The home we lived in was a double wide house trailer, nice and in a great location on property we owned, but the home we were touring was “the dream home”. I walked out to meet up with my husband came in to look at the home then went back out to the garage. He then proceeded to the car. I told him I would be right out. I went back to thank the realtor and told her I had seen the home up for sale 9 months ago, and had been watching it become a home over the past 4 years. Then out of no where I said I would like to make an offer. I do not honestly know where that came from, and I had not a single intention of buying a home at that point because only a year ago I couldn’t get a mere 10 thousand dollar loan for my business, but I offered $204,000 for this home and we drew up the papers. I went to the car with the biggest grin on my face and my husband said what did you do? I told him I made an offer, he thought I was crazy. A few hours later I took my oldest daughter to the home as she was visiting us. She said to me “mom, this is that house you would always look at everyday when you took us to school, do you remember what you said to us when we asked you what you were looking at”? I said “no”. She said “you don’t remember telling us that one day we would own a home just like that”? I honestly could not recall that, but we pulled in so I could show her the garage and the land. I looked up at the home and the realtor and owner were waving us in, so we went inside. The realtor said “I have great news for you, he has accepted your offer, congratulations”. I was once again reduced to tears, and again had a feeling come over me that I just cannot explain. At this point I was the happiest person on earth and at the same time as scared as I have ever been. How was I going to get financed for this home? I went through 3 lenders that told me NO, my business had not been in existence for 2 years and no-one wanted to lend the money. I was not taking no for an answer, I kept on searching and one day it had hit me, I was doing the same thing for 5 years prior to starting my business and I had the proof to back it. A lender finally came across my path that guaranteed me they could and would finance me. It took a lot of work on my part to supply the necessary documentation, but 2 months later, I had my loan and I now own the Dream Home! I made it my desire, I went after it with the knowledge that it was mine and I was going to get the home of my dreams and it happened!
So I was packing my old house up for the move and I came across my visualization board, pulled it out and looked over it. There was my second Secret check, made out for 500 thousand dollars, and a picture of beautiful sunsets, spectacular nature scenery, and there in the center, a picture of the home that I was moving into. I had placed a picture of it on the board years ago when I first created the board. I was shaking, my eyes welled up again, and I just sank to my knees and began giving thanks to the Universe, sharing the most wonderful feeling of gratitude at that very moment, I had never experienced before. This is the feeling I had been having but could not explain.
So I had to share this with my family, and my brother whom I also introduced to The Secret when I first became aware of it. The Secret check that was on the board for 500 thousand dollars, well, I have already exceeded that as gross income for my business this year and I still have 2 months to go. We have experienced tremendous growth in the business, and we are now up to 27 employees. I am in the process of hiring more people as I just learned today that I have been chosen to provide for another individual that requires 24 hour in home care. I continue to live with and apply The Secret principles to my life, business, and I also share The Secret with other friends, family and my employees. My husband and I enjoy watching the beautiful sunsets, looking at all of the beauty on the 9.5 acres of land we now own, pictures just like the ones on my visualization board. Just another FYI, the realtor had also heard of and utilizes The Secret, when I shared with her my story, she is the one who insisted that I share it with others on The Secret web site. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SECRET!
With sincere gratitude, Tracey.