It was an average day in April 2013. On that particular day, I was sitting at my desk, helping a person who was particularly difficult to work with. When he walked away, I said in my mind, “I want to work in a place where the people are pleasant to work around.” I also said I want a job where I can be out and about, not stuck at a desk working a dead end.

Finally, I declared that I wanted a job that I love that pays $70,000 per year.

The next day, I was conversing with a lady who was a financial adviser. I had just met her a few minutes before, and out of nowhere she said, “How would you feel about coming to work with our company as a financial adviser?”

I admitted I had not thought about it, but, having worked for a not-for-profit agency and being in charge of a lot of financial matters, like investments and budgetary things (which I really, really enjoy) the idea suddenly made sense. And, as it was, I was making about $25,000 a year working for that agency. The lady’s question made a light bulb turn on inside my mind.

I went home and looked up how much the financial advisers at her company make.

The answer? $69,500.

The next thing I did was to research the firm and find out if my values and ideals would be well-suited to that environment. Sure enough, the more I found out about the company, the more I knew it would be a good fit. But I was so busy with my duties at my non-profit job that I did not really follow up on applying.

A year later, I got an email from the same lady, asking if it would be okay that a recruiter contact me about a position. Within a few weeks, two recruiters had flown to Kansas City from another city where the company’s headquarters are located, to take me and the lady who had given my name out to lunch. It was a fancy restaurant, and I could not believe I was sitting there with them. I even waited to make sure they started eating before me, so I knew I was using the correct fork! These things matter with movers and shakers!

One of the recruiters interviewed me on the spot. Then she said she wanted to interview me again by phone. That interview took place a few weeks later, and went extraordinarily well. She passed me through to be interviewed by a gentleman higher up the chain. I did not know whether this interview had gone well or not, but kept the faith that somehow the right thing would happen.

The next day the recruiter called again: I had made it to a fourth interview, this time with someone even higher up the chain. At this point, they requested that I write a business plan, outlining how I would run things if I joined their firm. I stayed up many nights writing the plan, then submitted it. The fourth interview went okay, but not great. Still, the senior person passed me through. A stress and anxiety test was the next step, which I did not do particularly well on, but they liked the fact that I held my own and did not break down under the pressure. After this step, there was a fifth interview.

The process lasted three months. At times I was exhausted, feeling like maybe it was not going to work out after all.

Early this morning the senior person called: I got the job!

They want me to open a new branch, the firm’s first branch ever to open in downtown Kansas City. I will be the financial adviser in charge of the new branch.

It is a dream come true, and proves beyond any hint of doubt conceivable that The Secret is real, it works, and it will work for YOU if you let it. You just have to be prepared to walk through the door that opens and not give up, ever.