I first heard about this book while I was at corporate training in November 09′. Everyone was saying how powerful it was and I was very interested in what they were all raving about. I told my mother that was what I would like for Christmas so she got it for me. It sat on my dresser for 2 months before I even picked it up, and the reason being a friend of mine told me after reading it she got herself out of debt. I was EVEN MORE interested.

I finished the book in one sitting. I decided that there was no way for me to make a decision as to whether or not it was true besides committing myself entirely to it for some time. About one month has gone by and I can say with certainty that I believe in it. It was only about two weeks after I read the book that one of the most significant events took place, making it clear to me that this is no joke.

I had applied to be transfered at work to an office in Chicago. On the day that I was meant to fly out for the interview we were about to get hit with a blizzard in NJ. I ended up checking in ONE MINUTE late for my flight (meaning 44 minutes early instead of 45) and they refused to let me check my bag, or get on the plane without it. I was put on standby with a list of 30 other people who were all scrambling to get out before the storm hit. I did not get on this flight. They rolled me over to the NEXT flight to be on standby again. I went to the woman at one of the check in desks and asked her what I should do, I told her how important it was that I get to Chicago TONIGHT. She almost laughed in my face and said, “listen hunnie, if you missed your flight there’s no way you’re getting there, it’s not the end of the world.” I was devastated. I called my friend I was going to stay with and told her what was going on and she said “Jack don’t worry everything will work out, I’ll see you when you get here.” I immediately decided that she was right. I WAS GOING TO GET THERE. I kept telling myself that over and over.

I went to the gate for the next flight I was hoping to get a seat on. I did not get on… While I was sitting with the other 30 or so people hoping to get on this already full flight I ended up talking to this very nice woman and her husband who were also headed to the same place as I was. They told me they were getting on a different flight into another airport nearby, then flying from there to our destination. At this point the airport was canceling flights left and right. I said that is what I will do. I had the woman at the desk switch me to standby on that flight then called a few other airlines to book a flight from the airport I was now flying to, to my destination. It only cost me $200 and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I walked right off my plane and the next gate was where my next flight was boarding ten minutes later. I actually ended up getting there only 45 minutes later than I had originally planned before the news of the storm!

In an effort to keep this story less that novel length, I think the most important thing I should mention is that I had the secret with me the whole time. I was reading it periodically when I had a few minutes to sit down. From the minute I got off the phone with my friend and decided that I was going to make it to Chicago, that’s when the magic happened. As I waited for them to board all the ticketed passengers and start to call the standby openings I imagined hearing them call my name as a standby passenger. The I would visualize walking off the plane in Chicago airport. More importantly I felt the relief and the gratitude that I would feel when I heard my name and when I finally got there. Although they did not call my name for that flight, they called my name for the standby list on the flight to this other airport with the couple I had met previously. Once we boarded, they had to de-ice the plane 3 times before takeoff because the storm had started to REALLY pick up. I could hear the stewardess talking to other passengers saying how she was not sure if we would take off as she just heard they just cancelled all outgoing flights from the airport. I just closed my eyes and kept telling myself that we were going to make it there and I kept imagining I was already there.

Sure enough, we made it. I got to my interview and will be moving to Chicago in a few months!!

That was the real convincer for me, not to mention I ALWAYS get the best parking spaces now. 🙂