(Disclaimer - although my religion is involved you can still get results without it. Just please read it all)
Okay, so recently I had one of those experiences that changed my life and I'm sharing it with you guys because if it helped me so much that it may in fact help somebody else. Whether this is the right place or not isn't really the issue, imo, just as long as you are able to access it. So if you want to move it, feel free, all I want is to get it out there. With that said, here's my story:

Not too long ago I was doing drugs everyday, which may not be a bad thing to some people, but it really was affecting my life. I was waking up in the morning and as stereotypical as it sounds, I felt a void inside of me. I just felt empty and the only way I could feel alive (or the easiest way) was just to smoke pot. It got to the point to where it really was affecting my lifestyle. I was spending money on drugs, which is an expensive habit when you're broke and in college, and I wasn't studying as much, basically I was just unmotivated to do anything. Partly because of drugs, partly because of depression. Now I hate to bring religion to this, but it's kind of a factor. I believed in God and everything, but I hadn't been praying at all. I'd been trying to solve all my problems and because nobody is perfect, I kept fucking up and fucking up and fucking up. So one night I'm feeling like shit and I'm talking to one of my friends who tells me I need God back in my life and I should pray for something simple like to experience Him or to just find the truth. So I did that a couple times, didn't really pay too much attention to it and was still smoking everyday and feeling like shit. One Sunday morning I called my grandma because talking to my family helps me out when I'm feeling down and my aunt had picked up the phone. I hadn't talked to her in like months. And I tell her how I feel like I'm just floating along in life and I'm really unsure about the future and stuff and she tells me about these anti-depressants she's taking. I say, sure I'll give it a shot, everything I had been trying wasn't working. I get them and I start taking them. On the first day, I just had so much clarity I was able to figure out why I was depressed. I was in a delusion that I couldn't be happy without a person in my life for the most part and it was bothering the hell out of me, if not consciously at a subconscious level. I figured out that I could live without them and that I could be at peace. And although it may be common sense to some people, I just want to point out that when you're stuck in a mindset it's pretty much impossible to see outside of that. Now I only took the antidepressants for 5 days because I saw I didn't need them. I got out of them what I needed and I didn't want to deal with withdrawal symptoms and I sure as hell didn't like the way it affected my appetite. I smoke cigarettes (Going to quit soon, as soon as I have enough money for the patch) and they affect my appetite as it is.

Now the main thing I want to mention is this movie I saw. Yes, I was able to get out of my depression, but watching this movie helps me stay out of it. Using what I learned from it, I feel more in control and happy with my life. The movie I'm talking about is The Secret. http://www.thesecret.tv. Now when I was first watching it, I was a bit skeptical and thought it was a corny joke. But the more I watched I just saw how it all works. It's basically a movie on positive thinking and how your mind is more powerful than you give credit to it. People who take hallucinagens will know what I'm talking about. But anyway, what I'm trying to share with you is not a joke. It sounds corny and unrealistic, but honestly that's only because of your mind. If you think something is bogus or bullshit, then in your mind, it is. If you start believing in something, you would be surprised at what you can actually accomplish. And that's what that movie is about. Honestly, after watching that I've noticed a few things. The first is I'm actually enjoying life. I'm not getting caught up in things that are bothering me, I'm enjoying the things that aren't bothering me. And I'll share with you another simple little experience. One day I checked my bank account and I had 78 cents in it. I kept thinking that I'm gonna have money in my bank account, I know it. It didn't come immediately, I had actually checked it for a little while everyday to hear the same recording telling me I was broke. One day I checked it I had  40 bucks in it! I know it sounds like some stereotypical ad advertising bullshit results, but I'm telling you it's not. I'm not gaining anything out of this. If you don't want to watch the movie, look up the law of attraction - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Attraction and it pretty much says what it is. I just want to give you guys some information that will actually help you in your life, help you in a lot of ways. I feel that this is far more important than any ridiculous news story because this affects your actual life. I just want to let you know again that I honestly just want to share this with you because it actually works. It's not bullshit. And that I'm sharing it with you because I didn't want to keep that for myself. If it has the potential to better the lives of people, why not start with sharing it with a community, our community. I know that everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others, but I just encourage you to try this out and share any experiences you have when you do. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the read.
-tekk

Ohh, I saw that movie last year.
It was....a great experience. It really sounds like bullshit if you just read it, you have to actually watch it. The Law of Attraction is a very nice concept, and I guess it does work.
Usually it's not "If I think this A LOT, it will happen!", but you think about it so much, that you actually ACT to get it. It takes awhile to grasp, too.

I get them and I start taking them. On the first day, I just had so much clarity I was able to figure out why I was depressed

you know... they take up to several weeks to start working

anyway i started reading the secret because my dad got it, then i stopped because it's pretty goofy.
if you set your mind to something you're not making it happen any more than when you aim at a target you make the arrow hit it

overwhelmingly positive thinkers are idiotic and tragically ill-equipped for the harsh realities of the world. particularly positive thinkers that honestly believe that they somehow possess the ability to bend time-space with their positive thinking. really, it's one thing looking on the bright side of life, but another thing entirely honestly believing that their utterly insignificant monkey-will has any legitimate influence on the world around them, beyond how utterly bonkers they appear to the more sensible people in their immediate surroundings.

keep your fucking forty dollars you scumbag. i don't need to pretend to make myself feel better and overcome difficult obstacles in my life.

The Secret sounded like total New Age bs to me. Now, The Fountain on the other hand, that's a good movie.

I cannot believe I start debunking this elsewhere... AND IT FUCKING POPS UP HERE.

I will handle this tomorrow.

My Mom actually bought me the book The Secret. It's an interesting read! Was not aware there was a movie. :\

What's going on here?  Someone turns their life around and they're getting flamed for trying a new method of thinking?

What's going on here?  Someone turns their life around and they're getting flamed for trying a new method of thinking?

No, their beliefs are being criticized, as all beliefs should be.

overwhelmingly positive thinkers are idiotic and tragically ill-equipped for the harsh realities of the world. particularly positive thinkers that honestly believe that they somehow possess the ability to bend time-space with their positive thinking. really, it's one thing looking on the bright side of life, but another thing entirely honestly believing that their utterly insignificant monkey-will has any legitimate influence on the world around them, beyond how utterly bonkers they appear to the more sensible people in their immediate surroundings.

keep your fucking forty dollars you scumbag. i don't need to pretend to make myself feel better and overcome difficult obstacles in my life.

*smokes cigarette*

*squints eyes*







Yeah basically the entire concept is farcical!

there's a problem with the secret. that is, each of the "gurus" have a completely different interpretation of how it works. some of them believes you literally attract everything that happens to you. that is, your very existence is what you bring upon yourself including car accidents, getting sick, winning the lottery, and so on. one of them was even quoted on larry king as saying some 6 year old girl who was murdered brought it upon herself through negative thinking. on the other end is the belief in general positive thinking, so that you will see opportunities you may have otherwise missed and the positive thought and constant attention to your goals will consciously and unconsciously guide you there. either way i don't really understand how it's possible to magically become positive if your life experiences have led you to believe otherwise. you are mainly putting faith in an idea and if you believe it works then no one can tell you different.

going back to the original point, like many faith based or unproven beliefs those who believe in such an idea will have many different explainations of how it works since there's no science or real logic to it at the present time. the whole "you attract things" is completely bogus, because mostly everyone dreams or constantly wishes they were better than their current state and it doesn't work. they treat money for instance like some kind of magical concept when reality would tell you it's impossible for everyone to be rich. yet the secret would say you simply aren't thinking truely positively enough, so there's no way to disprove it for those who have benefitted from it. i will say that a reasonable level of positive thinking would undoubtedly help you though.

Maybe think of it as the power of thinking positively instead of being so cynical...

how about ABSOLUTELY NOT

being cynical is the best. i'm well prepared for when bad things happen(within reason), and it's a really nice surprise when good things happen.

Fuck. HAHA. I went on a end. Nah, like. About the whole money thing. No shit obviously someone put it there. I'm not saying it didn't come from no where. I think my grandma or someone put it in there. But It's really less about making things spawn out of nowhere and more about focusing on the good in your life. I'm not like a blind positive person, I've learned a lot through my experiences I just try to stay focused on my goals and not let petty shit get me down. It was just a big change going from depression to optimism and it's just made my life better. Obviously, not being depressed is a lot better than being depressed and I just feel so much better about life and letting go of the things I can't control and honestly the change between those two is so great that of course it's going to change my life. "Your mind can either be your crutch or your sword and shield." A lot of people just fall back on themselves and think woe is me, give me attention for the shitty situation I'm in and don't do anything to get out of it. But when you start realizing, hey, I can get out of it, it just becomes an experience. And I could sit here and tell you about my change in my outlook on life but everyone has their own outlook on life and I'm not here to change anyone's view, but if someone's going through some rough times I'd like to atleast influence them to be strong and that we're all pretty young on these forums, we've got a lot of years left. Hard times are going to come, again and again and it's all in how you deal with them that either make or break you and I just don't want anyone to go through hell if they don't have to.