Do you wish to get rid of negativity? Do you crave deep fulfilment no matter what's happening outside? Mystics knew outer conditions were not the key. So inward they journeyed. What did the mystics find out? The book reveals all the secrets and helps the reader reach a state of pure happiness.  

The Greatest Secret (2020) by Rhonda Byrne is all about discovering who we really are deep down inside, and how tapping into that can bring everlasting joy to our lives. Rhonda Byrne is the author of the world-famous phenomenon of The Secret, a best-selling book, a documentary film, and the prequel to The Greatest Secret. She is also a television writer and producer. In 2007, she was listed on Time Magazine's list of 100 People Who Shaped The World. 

The book is ideal for anyone seeking a sense of peace but readers interested in mysticism and spirituality will find it especially interesting. It begins with an unusual claim - you are not a person!

The majority of people worldwide feel negativity from time to time, be it anxiety, anger, or sadness. But it does not have to be this way. Not everyone lives like that. Hard to believe but there are people who really are always happy. And, you can be, too! You too can lead a life of everlasting joy and bliss - once you realise who you truly are! So, who are you?

We all wonder who we are at some point in our lives. We usually define ourselves with a name, nationality, gender, memories, experiences, and thoughts. What if we told you that you are not this person? What if who you are, at the purest level, is something completely different? What if the identity you cling to obsessively is just an illusion? Who are you, then? What defines your purest essence? Think it is your body? Your mind? Your personality? Think again, because it is neither of those things. 

Rhonda Byrne says that both mind and body are just illusions. Take the example of a car. You sit in it, but does that make you a car? Of course, not! It is just a vehicle that carries you around. Don't you think our bodies serve the same purpose? Crude, but explains the point. The body you inhabit is just a vehicle that your real self uses. Similarly, the mind is also not the real you. The voice in your head surely seems to be all you. But, that's not your voice; it is your mind's voice. In fact, in a state of complete thoughtlessness, you experience a 'no mind' feeling. It is your emotions and thoughts that lead you to believe that you are your mind. Also, you are not your persona, either. A personality constantly evolves and there are multiple versions of you at each stage in your life. 

So, the real you is not your mind, personality, or body. So, what is it? What is your truest essence? Let us find out the 'real you' in the next key idea.

Time to celebrate because we have the key to everlasting joy: a three-step process of Awareness. Ask, notice, and zoom out! 

The first step. You simply ask yourself, "Am I aware?" We know humans are conditioned to seek answers through logic. But this time, do not rely on the faculty of the mind. Instead, just become aware of the presence of Awareness inside you. And do not get upset if the mind tries to make an entry. Just ignore the thoughts, repeat the question, and observe the presence of awareness. As thoughts quieten down, try to consciously focus on your transformed state of being; the state of awareness. That's step two - noticing awareness. Over time, you will find yourself effortlessly gliding into step two, as Awareness becomes second nature. Then you can practise it multiple times during the day. With that, your sense of peace and balance will automatically increase. 

The next step is crucial - staying in a state of awareness. To achieve this state, you need to broaden your attention. Think of it like using a zoom lens in a DSLR. If you zoom way out, you can snap a pic of a whole landscape. But zoom in tight and you only catch one tiny thing. Same with your focus. To ensure you stay Aware, keep it loose and expanded, taking in the whole moment without zooming in on any one thought. For real, just try this right now. Look around and spot something to focus your attention on—maybe that charger over there or whatever. Really zoom your brain in on that one thing. Then, let your focus go loose, stop pinpointing anything at all, and see the whole scene around you. Feels kinda nice not trying so hard to concentrate, right? The feeling of relief will be immediate

Remember, the secret you are now aware of is not a magic spell! Just practising it once or twice will not alter your state of being. Do it multiple times a day. Eventually, you will notice a sense of quietness in your mind and body. Tasks will become easy. Slowly, negativity will leave your life, and positivity will replace it. 

The idea is to understand that negativity does not come from outside. That’s often a challenge for your brain. Let us find out more ahead.

Get ready to kiss those gloomy thoughts and vibes goodbye - by giving them a great big hug! That's right. The hack to getting rid of negativity is simple: don't resist it. The more you struggle against it, the more it'll consume you. So, just don't resist it at all. Observe it. The moment you let go of resistance wholeheartedly, negative thoughts will disappear, leaving you with lasting peace. Rhonda Byrne goes a step further and asks you to adopt the practice of ‘welcoming’ the negativity. That's how she got rid of a painful memory from her childhood, releasing the negative energy associated with that particular memory and the memory vanished. Want a tutorial? So whenever bad feelings hit, don't try to avoid them. Instead, spread your arms out wide like you're about to hug someone you love. Open your attention up to those emotions and make space for them in your head and your heart. You'll probably feel your body relax as that tension starts seeping away. So, don't battle your feelings from now on. Give them space and they'll stop making your life hell. Eventually, your heart will begin to open and all the stress in your body and mind will start evaporating. 

Now, here’s the real game changer: understand that you are not your thoughts. You need to stop identifying yourself with them. It will only lead to a loss of energy and loss of potential to feel peace and joy. Remember thoughts are just thoughts from your brain - they come and go - they’re not “you”. They don't define who you are at your core. 

Enough analysing thoughts - let's talk about how Awareness helps expose beliefs blocking your happiness.

By now, it's pretty clear that we live under the dictatorship of our own minds. Whatever toxic beliefs our mind presents to us, we let them rule our inner world and sabotage our happiness at every turn. But what if you could stage a revolution and attack these false beliefs - the true cause of negativity and unhappiness? 

See, our beliefs act like a filter on our perception, preventing us from seeing things as they truly are. Many limiting beliefs were instilled when we were young before we could question them. If you always heard "money doesn't grow on trees" asking for stuff as a kid, you might've internalised a belief that you'll be forever broke. Or if you failed an exam after barely studying and decided you're "not a smart person." Or say your flight gets cancelled last minute due to bad weather and you immediately feel stressed and anxious. Those feelings originate from the belief that all bad things happen to you! That's a false belief! The good news is, neither of these scenarios really says anything real about you. They are just stories you told yourself that narrowed your self-perception. With awareness, you can go right ahead and toss those beliefs out the window and open up to new possibilities.

Becoming aware of what our false beliefs are is step one. Awareness allows you to notice when a belief arises. Pay attention to thoughts starting with "I can't..." or "I am not..." as these are the beliefs that mess with your head. Strong emotions also expose harmful beliefs worth examining. Once you spot a limiting belief, simply accept it is there. Recognize it isn’t a hard and fast truth. This act of observing yourself without criticism is freeing, because beliefs only have power when you give it to them. Practise the Awareness thing enough, and they lose their grip. You begin to sense all the potential that was obscured. You'll feel lighter, and freer to pursue what excites you. You'll take risks, embrace change, and find creativity you didn't know you had. Happiness naturally follows!

We go through life thinking we see the world as it truly is. But if our identities are an illusion, couldn't everything we perceive be just a façade, as well? What if the thing we call reality is just another illusion conjured up by our own minds? 

Mystics have proclaimed this truth for ages, yet it still baffles most of us. How can war, poverty, and suffering be illusions when their impacts feel so agonisingly real? Quantum physics tries to lift the veil on this mystery. It reveals that what we take to be solid forms are actually just a probability of energy waves. Our brains translate these waves into the definite shapes and colours we then mistake as concrete reality. Scrambles our minds! Really sit with this moment - everything you see, hear, touch, or feel is essentially manufactured by your own awareness. The world 'out there' depends on you, the observer. Without awareness, there's no reality. 

But here's an empowering secret. When we truly recognize that our thoughts shape our reality, it frees us! We can open the doorway to lasting happiness. We can fill our world with more joy, connection, and meaning. We can end suffering!

Think of life as a movie projected onto the screen of universal Consciousness - the source from which all creation springs. We are just actors immersed in our movie roles. At any time, we can wake up from the drama, laugh off our fears and struggles as passing illusions, and reconnect to the vast, loving Awareness that flows through all beings. When we make this shift, when we stop chasing and clinging to people, possessions, status, and situations as concrete things that define our happiness, we take back our power. We realise happiness lives within, not without. This is the untapped potential the mystics want us to embrace - the choice to go beyond the illusions and recognize ourselves as part of the infinite Consciousness.