The Secret

I decided to treat myself the other day. After all, us gals deserve treats & little pick me ups every now and then. So I purchased The Secret (book) and started reading it today. I have been skeptical of it and still am to a degree. However, I do believe in the principle premise and have always believed it.

I remember telling a friend that who she is, her thoughts and expectations, determines to a large degree the man that is attracted to her. I really believe that our aura (or whatever you wish to call it) attracts certain experiences or people to us. My friend always lamented how she ended up with the wrong man. I always thought that her expectations and thoughts attracted certain men. Example, you don't think you could do better, so you don't get better.

All my life, education has never been a problem for me. Passing or failing was never an issue; not only did I know, fully believe that I would pass but I knew with certainty that I could and would score among the highest, whatever the class was. Somewhere between then and now, I started doubting myself and abilities. For the first time in my life, I began thinking, can I do this, am I cut out for a Phd, should I even be here, am I smart enough. Now for the first time in my life, I find myself struggling with college.

I will fill my mind with positive thoughts, stop dwelling on the negative-no more of the we are doomed, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, people are nuts, selfish, greedy, corrupt-kind of thoughts. Somehow I gave up hope in alot of things and people, started focusing on the bad rather than encouraging the good.

Who knows what may happen, the mind is powerful thing. I hope (I am full of hopes this evening!) that I follow this through and that life doesn't get in the way. I don't know if changing the way you think can make you a millionare or heal you from a terminal disease (while I believe some can do it, I think the majority are unable to do so), I really think that changing your thoughts can lead to your happiness and inner peace.

Excerpts from The Secret-
Relationships: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others .. love yourself and you will be loved [...] Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it. [...] What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience [...] Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.

Peace!

News and Blogs

I stopped reading the news on a regular basis two years ago. I found that listening to the news during lunch made me queasy and gave me a tummy ache, reading the news during my time off made me depressed and watching it before going to bed gave me nightmares. So I stopped, or tried to stop. I began to skim the headlines and read only what interests me.

It was right about then that I started reading blogs. Not that one is a substitute for the other. Except that blogs, especially the personal ones are so telling and informative. They shed light on what the average person is going through and experiencing. The disconnect from reality that seems to exist between many sections of society that is then translated into some blog or the other. Living for the time being far away from home, Bahraini blogs offered me a rare opportunity of keeping up with my society, the trials and tribulations, the moans and groans, happiness and successes that my people are going through.

I am sure you have a selection of local, regional and international blogs that you read regularly. Here are a few blogs that touched something in me.

Here are a few I like reading: Muslim Hedonist, Raising Yusuf, Neurotic Iraqi Wife, The Angry Arab News Service, and Mosaic. There are a few more that I can’t seem to remember.

Any recommendations?