My $100 Million LOA Action Plan: Seriously, 6 Steps to Think and Grow Rich March 14, 2010

By July 24, 2012, I will be in possession of $100 million thanks to these 6 steps outlined in Napoleon Hill's 1937 Think and Grow Rich (of course, with the help of LOA-inspired social media campaigns

A couple of months ago a dear friend of mine recommended I read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I made a mental note then buried it in my subconscious

In true synchronous fashion, the universe remembered for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the same book lying on my boyfriend’s father’s coffee table. I expressed interest and though he was in the middle of it, he said he’d read it more times than he could remember and he gave it to me.

I started reading it that night and was immediately struck at how much of it I already knew. As implied by the title, Think and Grow Rich is about the law of attraction — that our thoughts (and subsequent emotions) create our reality. Not that Napoleon Hill calls it that (the law of attraction, I mean), though he does call it “the secret” — the title Rhonda Byrne chose for her blockbuster DVD and book on the subject.

Think and Grow Rich follows the same basic premise as outlined in The Secret — 1) Ask, 2) Believe, 3) Receive — but in a 6-step process that looks like this.

6 STEPS TO THINK AND GROW RICH

First: fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say ‘I want plenty of money.’ Be definite as to the amount.

Second: determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as ‘something for nothing.”)

Third: establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.

Fourth: create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

Fifth: write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

Sixth: read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising  in the morning. As you read — see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.

Now I am even more intent on reading all of the law of attraction books I can get my hands on. Though the principle may be the same, it seems I can always learn more from a new interpretation of “the secret.” For example, step two in Think and Grow Rich is a new application for me in terms of what I intend to give in exchange for a desired dollar amount. Certainly it is implied that I will provide a service or product in exchange for money, but what is the inherent benefit of those products and services?

Take, for instance, my broadest statement of intent inspired by the Think and Grow Rich 6-step action plan:

By July 24, 2012, I will be in possession of $100 million — money that will come to me at various amounts from time to time between now and then. In return for this $100 million, through education, art and by example, I will help increase the flow of creative energy within and among all living beings for the mutual benefit of all.

“My $100 Million Creative Energy Action Plan,” as I call it, then branches off into a detailed outline of each project (i.e., revenue source) through which I intend to funnel my own own creative energy, ranging from social media consulting, to book sales, to writing and producing various film and television projects (all of course supported by law of attraction-inspired social media campaigns).

Anytime I find myself doubting the reality of me achieving such a grand, glorious goal, I remind myself of the following, and ask you to do the same for your own desires. As Rhonda Byrne notes in The Secret:

“In the moment you ask, and believe and know you already have it in the unseen, the entire Universe shifts to bring it into the seen…. The law of attraction will powerfully move all circumstances, people, and events for you to receive.”

It is our job to dream it, pursue it, believe it, and receive it.  The universe will take care of the rest.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzanneandsimon/1746100821/

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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Mirror, Mirror on the Social Media Wall: Who Do You See? February 21, 2010

The more genuine your reflection within your social media network, the more others will perceive you as someone they want to know better.

“Quantum physicists tell us that the entire Universe emerged from thought,” writes Rhonda Byrne in The Secret. So the universe is a mirror of what we think and, in turn, what we feel and believe. It is the Law of Attraction and the same is true of the social media world you are creating online — a universe that reflects who you are and what you want.

Take a look at the three primary reflections of yourself that you are showing to your social network:

1) Profile pic. Though many people with successful social media campaigns do use a logo for their social media presence, we want to socialize with individuals, not companies. Personally, I’m far more likely to take an interest in a friendly smile than a corporate graphic, especially if that smile is a candid shot and not some overly-posed, touched-up professional head shot.

2) Profile bio. It seems the vast majority of people in the social media world are there to promote something. But when I’m looking at your profile, I’m not shopping around for a product or service. I’m looking for someone whose interests reflect mine. By all means mention in your profile your professional endeavors, but make it personal too. As an example here’s the bio I use, or some version of it, for my social profiles:

I’m a writer, environmentalist, animal welfare advocate and social media consultant. I live a vegan lifestyle in Los Angeles, California, with my one-eyed black cat, Sam. I’m writing a screenplay about the law of attraction as illustrated through an epic love story. I’m also writing a book entitled Social Media Intention: How to Build Your Social Network (and Yourself) through the Law of Attraction. My fondest intention of all though is attracting land into my life for a home, vegetable farm and animal sanctuary where I can raise a family

3) Shared content. What are you adding to the conversation? Certainly you should post links to your original blog posts, for example, but it’s equally important to share the work of others — relevant work that reflects your genuine interest in sharing valuable (relevant) content, regardless of its source.

Your social media network is a mirror of what you think, feel and believe. If that network is filled predominantly with people whose primary focus is their own products or services, take a long look at your own reflection. You attract what you project. Put more of the personal into the professional. The more genuine your reflection within your social media network, the more others will perceive you as someone they want to know better.

*Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aloshbennett/

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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What Do You See: People or Products? January 8, 2010

“Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you.” ~ Bob Proctor, The Secret contributor and author of You Were Born Rich

What images do you see in your mind when you’re navigating the social media world?

Do you see the product you are trying to sell? Or do you see the people you can help, inspire, educate or entertain?

Because I can tell you right now the people you want to buy that product are not going to be attracted to a Twitter page that is little more than a billboard for your company. The only people you’ll attract are like-minded tweeters who care only about racking up “leads” (i.e., numbers) in their follower column … the very thing you are implying that you want when you neglect to provide genuinely valuable information or take the time to engage in mutually-beneficial conversations.

For the followers you want and need, follow the Law of Attraction:

See people, express interest in those who you are attracted to, and inevitably they will do the same!

Yes it takes an investment of time and energy to reply on Twitter or comment on Facebook and blog posts, but aren’t you a hundred times more likely to buy something from someone who cares less about teaching you the features of their product and more about engaging with smart, funny, compelling you?!

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The Perfect Chain of Social Media Magnetism December 28, 2009

When Rhonda Byrne started researching the Law of Attraction for her movie (and subsequent book) The Secret, she started by tracing it back to some of the greatest minds the world has ever known.

“I couldn’t believe all the people who knew this,” she writes. “They were the greatest people in history: Plato, Shakespeare, Newton, Hugo, Beethoven, Lincoln, Emerson, Edison, Einstein.” And that’s why Rhonda found it equally hard to believe how few people seem to know and intentionally practice the Law of Attraction today. So she started seeking out those who follow the Law of Attraction, and who do so masterfully.

“One by one they began to emerge,” writes Rhonda of the Law of Attraction thought leaders featured in The Secret. “I became a magnet: as I began to search, one great living master after another was drawn to me.”

“When I discovered one teacher, that one would link to the next, in a perfect chain.”

You too can use the same magnetism inherent in the Law of Attraction to build your social media network. Simply seek out leaders in your area of interest. Read their blog. Follow them on Twitter. Join or fan their Facebook page. Subscribe to their YouTube Channel. Then, most importantly, engage. Not about any product or service you offer, but about the common interest you share.

Comment on their blog or YouTube page. Retweet and reply to them. Post to their Facebook page. And most importantly, do all of these things not just once, but regularly. You may get direct responses from these mentors of yours, and how great would that be?! But what’s more certain is that you are laying the path for a “perfect chain” of connections that will be revealed to you.

All of this regular engagement through your mentors’ social media sites will inevitably lead you to the blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and YouTube channels of others who share the same interest or passion. And the more committed you are to engaging on a regular basis, the more visible you are going to be, thus increasing the magnetism to you.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The Secret Garden and the Law of Attraction December 24, 2009

My favorite book when I was a kid was The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. The only thing is, all of my adult life, I haven’t been able to remember why. So I picked it up about a year ago when I was going through one of my fickle writer phases, thinking I’d take a turn at a children’s story.

Well, The Secret Garden is certainly a good one, the main plot being that of “the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen” discovering a secret garden that changes her outlook on life, and that of the people around her. But not until page 174 did it hit me how dramatically this book — the one I have always called my favorite — must have influenced my life all these years.

The Secret Garden is about how your thoughts and your feelings create your reality.

Mary Lennox is the young girl who moves to her uncle’s estate. He is an unhappy man whose wife died in childbirth. The child, his son Colin, has been sickly since that day and destined for death himself … or so he has always been told. Mary befriends her cousin Colin and together with their friend Dickon they embark on a journey of physical and spiritual self-discovery.

“I am going to die,” Colin tells Mary.

“How do you know?” she asks.

“Oh, I’ve heard it ever since I can remember.”

As Dr. Craven always reminded him, Colin “must not talk too much; he must not forget that he was ill; he must not forget that he was very easily tired. Mary thought that there seemed to be a number of uncomfortable things he was not to forget.”

And all his life, Colin had remembered, staying bedridden indoors and waiting for death.

Mary would have none of that. She didn’t believe Colin was really sick and told him so herself, at which point Colin insisted she feel the lumps on his back that kept him from running, walking, even sitting up on his own in bed.

“There’s not a single lump there!” she told him, “except backbone lumps, and you can only feel them because you’re thin.” At which point Colin’s nurse chimes in, “I didn’t know he thought he had a lump on his spine. His back is weak because he won’t try to sit up. I could have told him there was no lump there.”

Now to page 174 — chapter 23 entitled “Magic” after Colin has been to the secret garden where all of the planting, sunshine, laughter and fun with his friends made him forget something very important.

Colin forgot he was sick and he stood up for the first time in his life.

“Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen,” Colin tells Mary. “Every morning and evening and as often in the daytime as I can remember I am going to say, ‘Magic is in me! Magic is making me well!”

“If you keep calling it to come to you and help you, it will get to be part of you and it will stay and do things. It’ll work same as th’ seeds do when th’ sun shines on ‘em. It’ll work for sure.”

I wish I could say I’d been living this “magic” intentionally all my life, but like a seed I suppose it’s been dormant, only germinating since I discovered this concept of the Law of Attraction — that your thoughts and feelings have the power to attract anything you want into your life, be it physical health, a personal relationship or professional success.

What the Bleep Do We Know was my first exposure to the Law of Attraction (which I just ordered from Netflix and will be watching and blogging about soon).

I also watched The Secret movie when it came out but only last week did I read the book, thankfully coinciding with the development of a social media blog I have had in mind for a couple of months now. Though only halfway through the book did I make the correlation between the Law of Attraction and social media, tapping into a niche, if you will, that is essentially unexplored.

Please click here to learn more about my intention with this blog and how you can grow your social media network (and yourself) through the Law of Attraction.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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