I came across The Secret–the book and the film–around 3 years ago. I was so inspired about the message that I decided to try and it worked! I would say these were my golden years…until it started to fade.

I started to lose everything The Secret had given me–friends, and most importantly faith. During this time I lost my grand dad which had a profound effect on me, and drove me to having PTSD. Also, balancing a major, minor and the making of 3 films in college started to take a toll on me. Along with this, I had roommate problems and a fallout with a few friends. With graduation drawing closer, I hadn’t even landed a job yet and I felt the pressure of my parents–who had invested so much on my college education–weighing down on me. Eventually I let it all get the best of me, but worse, I let it consume me. This left me pessimistic and indifferent, and although I knew I would only be attracting more of this, I felt like I didn’t have the motivation to want change–I had lost faith and trust in others and myself, and there was no reason to want any good. I had put my fear of failure in front of my want for success.

This was fueled by the dejection of a recent college grad especially in today’s economy. My faith started to slip away with every rejection that I received for a job. I didn’t see how this could work. Then, after a month or so when I didn’t know how else to proceed, I stopped fighting and decided to go with the flow.

Finally, I understood. My parents kept pushing and pressuring me to get a job, but I wasn’t ready for one. I had to mentally check myself and get back in gear. I just needed to give time…some time, and start feeling the feelings, instead of forcing and pretending it was there. I am lucky to have friends who decided to take me in until I could mentally heal and do some soul searching. I continued to apply and continued to receive rejection letters but I realized that with every rejection I received, I was being pointed in the right direction. I wasn’t being driven to feel despair and anxiety. Instead, I felt calm and more confident that I was getting closer to my dream job. I kept telling myself–and I actually felt the want to tell myself–the right path will emerge, because in my mind I saw myself leading a good, happy, and successful life. I knew now, that I was ready.

Miraculously, during that same week, I was scheduled a phone interview out of the blue, with a dream company. They remembered me from a resume that had been referred to by an employee, and a month had gone by with no news until now! I jumped on it, but I had the feeling that the interview didn’t go as well as I had hoped for, and spent the rest of the day wishing for a do-over. But I got my inner peace when I told myself that this just had to work. There was no other way to go but up. I couldn’t want this any harder, so instead of wasting time wishing I could do something, to just visualize that I already received it. This was a better use of my time and energy, and did me justice. I actually felt motivated enough to put this in action.

I had graduated college in June 2011, and my hope was to always get employed right out of school. In this month of September, when summer vacation comes to an end for most colleges, I was to get good news. Just this morning, I received an offer from the Fortune 500 company I interviewed with! But just last night, I had written myself a congratulatory email. As I read it, I realized that I truly wanted this job, and that I wasn’t doing it out of desperation and out of other people’s pressure and whims, I was doing this for myself. I also told myself that “when” (not “if”) this happens, I will finally get a chance to write on here and give back to The Secret community. I pictured telling my good friends and family the news, and it was manifested this morning! I am to start in 3 weeks, and I am so blessed to get such a huge opportunity and certainly a huge resume-booster. I am so grateful that despite my lack of experience, my fire finally started to burn and they all saw it and believed me enough to give me this chance!

The morale of this story isn’t that The Secret works. It goes without saying that it does. The lesson to be learned is to let the Universe work without doubting and getting in its way. Don’t strive for instant gratification for others’ sake, because the Universe is working with you and your best interests in mind. Once you take control of your destiny, anything is truly possible. Don’t succumb to external hardships and don’t give up. In the end, it’s your fire that keeps you warm and safe, so don’t let it be put out.