Rhonda Byrne Tells Her Story Behind The Secret Movie and Book

In case you missed it, Rhonda Byrne did a telecast tonight with the folks at HealthyWealthynWise.com. Not surprisingly, this was a feel good interview that focused on joy, gratitude, and visualization - the primary topics The Secret movie and book covered - rather than addressing some of the criticisms and concerns that have been brought up recently.

I joined the webcast rather than the conference call and had a few access problems, so I didn’t quite catch the first few minutes. Luckily, the connection soon steadied and I was able to listen to the rest of the call without problems.

Rhonda came across as a very positive and loving woman who really does want to spread love and joy throughout the world. I’ve seen her on Oprah and in The Secret movie, but in this interview, she opened up to fellow Secret star and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul author, Marci Shimoff. Perhaps that’s because she knew Marci wouldn’t be asking the difficult questions.

Rhonda started out with her story behind The Secret. Her biggest problem when doing The Secret movie was lack of money but she claims that she “just knew” how things would turn out and trusted in that outcome. As she tells it, the more she “had faith” in her vision of the outcome, the more the Universe delivered.

For instance, when she and her team were filming in Aspen, this was the only time they had two cameras. One team member suggested they set up the second camera to film profiles of each of the speakers, since they weren’t doing much with it. Later on, as they were editing, that footage became an integral part of the film. Rhonda chalks it up to moving towards her vision and having faith that things will work out when things seem uncertain.

That was a key point throughout her talk. Rhonda strongly believes that action is simply allowing yourself to receive. When asked to clarify, she stressed the importance of feelings over thoughts. You must believe and feel that you are receiving what you want right now and feel good about it today. She claims that if you go out and try to make things happen, it’s telling the Universe that you don’t actually have faith.

She explains that when she went to write The Secret book, she visualized the joy she wanted to share with the world. Only when she felt the emotions to the point where tears welled up in her eyes did she sit down and start writing. Instead of making a book happen, she received everything she was asking for and let the love flow from the Universe, through her, and into the book.

If you’ve read other Secret teachers’ books - like Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles or James Arthur Ray’s The Science of Success - you know that this is a departure from what they teach. They believe that action is required to get from point A to point B (and I agree.)

The Secret movie also seems to imply that you don’t need “faith” for things to happen. As long as you believe, you receive. It’s a “universal law” and scientific. Rhonda’s comments tend to blow that theory out of the water.

Instead, Rhonda speaks of the law of attraction as if it’s a supernatural force - that universal genie - that grants your wish as if by magic. I was amazed how many times she talked about “having faith” that you are creating your own reality - just by visualizing and feeling joy and believing it will become reality. Then, you sit around and wait until you are compelled by the Universe to take action (like she did with her book). When you take action without that inspiration, she claims it “makes the journey harder.”

Wow. If that’s the case, I should have won that Powerball jackpot numerous times. I certainly sat around visualizing myself receiving that big check and what my life would look like if I was a multi-millionaire. I’m certain I’m not the only one. Or all the times as a kid I wished it would snow enough for school to close… why didn’t we have more snow days?

Here’s a quick summary of some of the other points she covered:

• Pay attention whenever you say “I am”. That is usually an indication that you’re about to state something you believe. So if you state “I am broke” or “I am tired,” that’s what you’ll create in your life.
• Take full responsibility for your life. “You created it.” If something bad happens, don’t look at it as a challenge that’s separate from you. You can change it in a moment just by thinking something better. Look for the gift in the challenge.
• Give. Rhonda often stressed over money when creating The Secret. She claims that she felt best when she’d give it away to people on the street - even though she really needed it. She found that when she gave, she felt better about money.
• Visualize what you want before you go to bed each night. Think about how you want the day to unfold and how it could be the best day of your life.
• Decide to be happy now. Fill yourself with love and joy. You must fill yourself up in order to give.
• Feel gratitude every day. Gratitude is an expression of love.
• You have the freedom to choose what you want. No one else is the authority over you. It’s up to you to decide what you want.

Rhonda stayed mum on her new project. She couldn’t disclose the details due to a confidentiality agreement and couldn’t give us an idea of when to expect it. She did share that her intention is to bring joy to the world.

As I mentioned at the start, there wasn’t a lot that was new with this telecast. If you saw The Secret movie or read the book, you know the gist. I was somewhat disappointed that Marci didn’t press Rhonda on certain issues - like Oprah did with Esther Hicks on her radio show last week. I’m guessing that’s why Rhonda agreed to do this interview, since she’s been noticeably absent from the media since her last appearance on Oprah.

This interview was virtually all positive PR for Rhonda who has been accused of using The Secret to promote materialistic goods rather than eliminating the bad stuff (disease, violence, poverty) from the world. Rhonda played up her compassionate side - and for the most part, came across as genuinely compassionate and caring… though a bit naïve that “all you need is love” to cure the ailments of the world.