Since the age of 16, I have been depressed. I hated myself, thought I was stupid and ugly. I felt like I would never find inner peace, joy, and happiness, and would always be broke and miserable. I felt sorry for my children because they had me as their mother. I could not stand my family because I felt like they were judging me and did not feel comfortable around them. However, I knew deep down inside that I was supposed to be a happy, fun person, who loves to laugh and make others laugh but just did not know how to get it out of me.

The Secret was first introduced to me about a year ago by a co-worker. We were both down, complaining about being single mothers struggling, having relationship issues, never having enough money, trying to figure out what bills would get paid and which ones wouldn�t. I would cry every pay period because I hated money and I knew I was not going to have enough to do everything I needed to do. My co-worker was telling me how a friend of hers was telling her about The Secret, and she talked me into buying the DVD. I started watching it and in the middle of it I turned it off and thought it was stupid, there was no way �wishing� for something would make it manifest out of thin air. I became angry because I felt like I wasted my money.

July 4th, 2008, my boyfriend and I had an argument, and all of a sudden I was drawn back to The Secret and became absolutely obsessed with it. I bought the DVD again (I had thrown the other one away), bought the book and the audiobook. I even bought the DVD for a friend of mine.

My main two goals right now are to buy a nice 4 bedroom house for me and my three girls in the same neighborhood as my brother and his family and have $500,000.00 in my bank account. I wrote out a check for $500,000.00. I put the check on my computer, my wall at work, and my vision board at home, and I look at them every day. I listen to the CD every day to and from work. I watch the DVD and I read the stories from the website every day.

I read a story about a young man winning a million dollars through the lottery and decided I would try it. I bought a lottery ticket and a $2.00 scratch off-ticket and I did not win anything. I bought two more $2.00 scratch-off tickets and I won $100.00. I was in shock.

I decided to try to live by The Secret daily, and made it a ritual to say, “I am a money magnet, money comes to me easily and effortlessly, positive thoughts are powerful and I deserve wealth and abundance.” I kept buying the $2.00 scratch-offs, and for a while, I won every time – $5.00, $10.00, and free tickets. Then all of a sudden it stopped. I started doubting that I was going to get my $500,000.00 I read another story about a woman who gave her daughter money for college expenses but was hesitant because she did not want to take it out of her savings account. She decided to ask the universe for the money so she could put it back into her savings. She got the money back plus an extra dollar. So, again I decided I would try the same thing.

I had taken $400.00 out of my savings to help pay my rent and asked the universe for the money back. Prior to reading that story, I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out how the universe was going to manifest the things I asked for. I decided to do as The Secret says and stop trying to figure out how, and to let the universe do its job. So I read the story, asked the universe for the money, and let go of trying to figure out how it was going to manifest all on the same day. As I did that I actually felt a weight was lifted off of me.

The same night I went to dinner with a relative and she gave me and my girls late birthday/Christmas gifts. She gave each of my girls $50.00 in cash and gave me a check. I did not open the check until I got home guessing it was about $50.00 to $100.00 and was thankful and grateful for that. When I opened the check it was for $500.00. I could not believe it and kept looking at it over and over again to see if I was reading it right. I was floored. It was the exact amount I needed plus an extra $100.00. I was shaking and running around the apartment as I had just won the lottery. I called my co-worker and screamed, “It works, it works, it really works!”

It may not be my $500,000.00, but I know it works, and the universe is working on it right now. Now I always have enough money to do everything I need to do. I am a much happier, person, not just because of the money (even though that does help), but because I am getting to know, love, and appreciate myself. I am able to laugh, have fun, enjoy my children and my family, all because of The Secret. I am happy with what I have and with what I know the universe is working on.

I have to thank my co-worker, Rhonda, and The Secret staff for giving this gift to us, as it has changed a lot of people’s lives. It is truly amazing!