I want to first be clear that I am a big fan of affirmations and speaking your intention to create your dreams. I had some problems, however, with "The Secret"- and how the first 20 minutes of the DVD were all about "if you focus on the nice car, big house, fancy jewelry, then you too can have it everything you ever wanted!" I know lots of people with lots of stuff and they are miserable. The messages of "The Secret" have people who aren't aligned with their spiritual selves grasping for things and stuff with a sense of entitlement that is cracking the foundation of our financial world.

I have a friend who is a struggling actor/writer in Los Angeles who read "The Secret", got the DVD- did a vision board, says his affirmations daily, and yet he still is in financial ruin. He keeps saying "Look- I'm a good person- and eventually the Universe will reward me." so then he takes his credit card and keeps charging expenses like there is nothing wrong. In the meantime, he is a heartbeat away from filing for bankruptcy. Thanks to Oprah, millions of other people are on "The Secret" bandwagon, but unfortunately, the haven't done the spiritual "homework" on themselves to know how real enlightenment can feel, so many of them are not getting the rewards they were expecting.

This sense of "the Universe will reward me" is exactly why our markets are crumbling. Of course there are plenty of guys on Wall Street who have NO idea what "The Secret" is, nor do they care- but I have repeatedly run into people at my book talks and conferences all over the country who tell me that they are disheartened to find that after embracing "The Secret"- they are not driving their dream car. They then follow that up with "but it will be coming any day because the Universe will reward me for being spiritual. I just have to keep trusting and believe."

If you are practicing the principals of "The Secret" and it's not paying off- chances are- you need to do more spiritual work on yourself. I'm talking about the DEEP issues- the painful ones. Your insides have to match your outsides. We all want to jump out of the way of the fire because it's hot and it hurts, and we think that by having the pile of money, it will cure our wounds and shore up our inner child. We've signed up for lessons to learn in our lives; and some of them are painful. Once we work through them- and our egos get out of the way- we can then reap the rewards of spiritual plentifulness.  I am nowhere close to mastering this understanding.  I have plenty of moments when I see myself "affirming" something, without feeling connected to the words.  I have also created things, such as my one woman show, that resonated with every cell of my body.  From the time I said "I'm going to do this show" to the opening night performance , it was only six months.  The vibration matched from the inside out- so the manifestation came fast and furious.  The same thing happened with my book.  The moment I had a deal with a publisher, I wrote 7 chapters in just 2 months.  Spirit can deliver if it's for your highest good and your intention is to forward your learning and not just to increase your income.

I've known my friend in L.A. since we were 11. He is a good person. But he also refuses to look at his situation honestly. He keeps visualizing the "movie deal" that will solve all his problems and take him away from his debt.  He needs to do the homework and dig deeper, but that would be painful- and who wants to be in pain?

So stop thinking there's enough abundance in the Universe that you can just keep buying more stuff and your problems will go away. If things aren't manifesting for you, look in the mirror and ask yourself "what lesson am I supposed to learn from this?" Go for a walk and let the answer come to you. All the good intentions in the world won't make things come to fruition if your vibration is not matching- both inside and out. And then ask yourself what you really need and want to get through this financial crisis. I guarantee you that a diamond watch ain't gonna heal the wounds that are deep inside your soul... (but an expensive bottle of scotch might help numb the pain in the meantime!)