Over the past twelve years, there has been a great deal of loss in my life. My mother, all four of my uncles, two aunts, four family friends, and two beloved pets have passed over. My most recent loss was my very special little cat, Renny, who died this spring at the age of fourteen. My only remaining family members are my eighty-seven-year-old father and one sister.

Before The Secret, if someone had told me I’d be suffering so much loss in such a relatively short time, I would have been convinced it would completely destroy me. I can’t deny that I’ve felt very grieved, lonely, and heartbroken when these losses occurred, and I have shed many tears. I’ve also struggled with anxiety and depression in the wake of several of these deaths.

But thanks to The Secret and the law of attraction, I have been able to overcome my grief each time and bounce back to life in a much shorter time than I would have believed possible. In fact, as counterintuitive as it may seem given the losses I’ve just described, I’ve actually been enjoying life more in recent years than I ever did before! I feel stronger, and life just seems richer and more interesting and exciting.

The Secret was a revelation to me because it taught me that we don’t have to be victims of our circumstances or emotions. I used to believe that we can’t help what happens to us or even how we react to it. I lived in constant fear, wondering when the next crisis was going to strike and send me into an emotional tailspin. I also used to make my happiness dependent on what others did or didn’t do. Learning that I can’t control others but that I can control my reactions to what they do was a real “aha!” moment for me. So was the realization that I can control my future by what I attract through my thoughts and emotions, whether good or bad.

I know I can’t stop the elderly people and pets in my life from dying, but The Secret taught me that I can control how I respond to these events. Whether I go into an emotional collapse, clinging to the past and wishing for the impossible, or calmly let my loved ones go and accept their passing as part of their own spiritual journey while looking to the future for better things, is entirely up to me. What an empowering concept!

Each time I’ve suffered a loss or other setback, I’ve rewatched The Secret to help me recharge my batteries and regain my strength and enthusiasm for life. It works every time. It doesn’t happen overnight, of course, but I know that I’d be in a bad place today if not for The Secret.