Website design By BotEap.comJust on CNN.com today there was an article on “The Secret,” the book that has taken the world (literally) by storm, describing what is commonly known as The Law of Attraction. While there is nothing new about this “Law” – it has been written for decades – what is new is its presentation and popularity in our culture.

Website design By BotEap.comSo what is really at stake? Let’s look at an example. Not long ago I heard a lady express how “The Secret” had changed her perspective, how she was going to use the law of attraction to change her health and wealth. I was excited and full of enthusiasm. It appears that she had been ill for some time and felt that by using “The Secret” she could attract the funds she needed to seek desperately needed medical help. On the surface, everything seemed reasonable. You attract to yourself what you seek or what you have in consciousness. Therefore, ask and you will receive, a fundamental tenant of “The Secret” or “the Law of Attraction”, must yield the results you are looking for.

Website design By BotEap.com“Should” – but here’s more to the story. It appears that the person seeking health care funding has a long-term disability. There is no doubt that the individual is ill and needs medical attention. But as Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story. The person in question contracted his disease more than 20 years ago. That was not disclosed to the company through which he has a long-term disability. In his words, “if they knew that when I got sick, it would have been considered a pre-existing condition and I would not have received my disability benefit. So I never talk about those early days.”

Website design By BotEap.comWow … my first thought was someone who knew he might not qualify for a benefit, but was willing to play with the system for his personal gain. Would you be willing to be honest and accept the consequences? Once again, let me clarify, I do not doubt the disease, I am concerned about the ethics of taking what may not be yours. But the story goes deeper.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile suffering from a long-term disability, the person in question learned that the insurance company was under investigation. It seems that insurance companies investigate quickly to avoid fraudulent claims or payments. Do Insurance Companies Use Ethical Tactics To Uncover The Truth? Probably not; however, there have been many documented disability claims when, in fact, it was not 100% true. Does this justify unethical investigative tactics? No, but you could see how that could apply when the rest of the story is revealed.

Website design By BotEap.comLet’s take it a little further. A person who is 100% disabled prepares for a trip to a big city in anticipation of a major performance at a world-renowned location. Wait, this is confusing, I thought people with disabilities, especially 100%, well, let’s say, they were challenged with hard effort. I agree. But let’s look at the facts: packing suitcases, traveling to the airport, boarding a plane, going to the hotel, practicing for hours (in anticipation of the performance), standing for hours (before and during the performance), and then attending a meeting of next celebration. It doesn’t sound like someone totally disabled.

Website design By BotEap.comBut there is more. How did this happen without being detected by the insurance company? Good question. A suitcase was wrapped as a gift so that it would not look suspicious when it was removed from the house. And, upon returning, the disabled person went out (not at home), but a little further away, so that he could move behind the building, jump over a fence, and sneak through the back door so that anyone who was watching would not know that he returned. . . And the suitcases. He had them taken to another location so he could unpack them bit by bit, carrying the contents in shopping bags, again to fool any insurance investigators who might be looking.

Website design By BotEap.com“I do not want them to know that I have been away. Otherwise, they would follow me and use the trip against me in their attempt to deny my claim,” the individual stated. It seems like the insurance company would say that she could do some work, and while that might be true, she sure didn’t want them to know.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile I will say, once again, that I do not doubt his illness, I am struck by the lack of ethics and integrity involved in trying to mislead the insurance company, allowing for the ability to make a financial profit.

Website design By BotEap.comBut what does this have to do with the “Law of Attraction”? There are many “laws” by which we live and by which govern our world as it operates on a daily basis. There is the “law of gravity.” We cannot deny that. There is also another law: some know it as “You reap what you sow” or the “law of cause and effect.” In any case, as a motivational speaker, I find myself called to speak in groups about the application of this law, since I have experienced both the consequences and the benefits of its application. I speak first-hand about Choices: Negative Consequences – Positive Results, a keynote address that describes the power we have as individuals based on the choices we make. In addition, the Make It Happen presentation is a keynote presentation that describes the practical application of the “Law of Attraction.”

Website design By BotEap.comWhat seems certain is that the laws of which we speak only work if they are congruent with other universal laws. For example, the “law of attraction” will not financially reward someone if they rob a bank, since that is consistent with the “law of cause and effect”, which will generate a negative consequence for robbery – prison. Similarly, one will not be rewarded with long-term positive results for lying.

Website design By BotEap.comWe reap what we sow and, in general, on a universal level we have in our lives what we attract. In this case (I may be proven wrong, but I don’t think so), I doubt that the universe, through the “Law of Attraction”, provides the necessary funds for the medical care that this person seeks, since such attraction it would be in congruence with other universal laws. Dishonesty, unethical behavior, or a lack of integrity all combined will produce a result that is less than this person’s best.

Website design By BotEap.comAs a motivational speaker speaking about the “Law of Attraction” as well as the “Law of Cause and Effect”, I feel compelled to share with this individual the truth about the application of these laws. However, after several conversations, I am quite convinced that the message will not be heard. Very often we get so caught up in our web of deceptions that we cannot see the truth, even when it is in front of us. More importantly, we may not be willing to accept the consequences of changing our behavior, and at that point, the consequences, when they appear, will be more dramatic than we might anticipate. Insurance fraud is punishable by imprisonment, which is not the desired result.