My skeptical husband, brother, and father kept teasing me for buying The Secret and believing in the law of attraction, saying it was just New Age mumbo jumbo. So, I decided to put it to the test.

I wanted the test to be something that I really wanted but not anything too outlandish, like millions of dollars. With three children under five, we had not had a holiday in a long time and definitely could not afford one. So, I chose a luxury 5-star family holiday in Fiji as my goal.

I told the kids that we were going to Fiji and took them to the travel agent. We discussed hotel options, and I decided that the super expensive, brand new InterContinental was where we were going to stay. As I was leaving, the travel agent gave me a holiday magazine to take with me for free. A couple of days later, while flipping through the magazine, I saw there was a competition for a family of four to stay for one week at the InterContinental in Fiji. I got my eldest son to draw a picture and write a poem, and we posted our entry. For three months, we heard nothing. The male members of my family all started teasing me about when I was going to Fiji, but I kept my faith.

Finally, I got the call. We had won! The look on all their faces was priceless when I told them, and nobody has said a bad word about “The Secret” ever since.

We had the most fantastic holiday, and I am eternally grateful. Now, whenever I hear anyone scoffing at “The Secret,” I tell them my Fiji story.