Is “The Secret” phoney?

[Fininho]

It appears so, to me.
It appears a dishonest philosophy, implying that you do always get what you attract.
Please, explain to me the “mechanics” of this imponderable they called “The Secret”.
...
I've watched it several times, and the more I do the more counterfeit it looks.

[joeactor]

To quote Tom Lehrer:

Now Fred's an intellectual, brings a book to every meal.
He likes the deep philosophers, like Norman Vincent Peale.

"The Secret" seem like a rehashing of "The Power of Positive Thinking", and I'm sure a whole line of similar concepts over the years...

I think that given the same amount of effort put into a given task/goal, keeping a positive attitude may net you better results in the long run (and possibly a happier life).

However, that being said, these miracle techniques seem to be saying "just push positive energy into the universe and amazing things will happen!" (smiles, hugs, and wads of cash ensue...)  Nope.  Not gonna happen.  Not without some planning and a lot of effort.

The main criticism of Peale's work was that much of it was anecdotal evidence, with little real studies or research behind it.
In that way, "The Secret" falls into the same camp.

As my Granpappy used to say "Don't get stars in your eyes - They'll burn your head off!"

[Fininho]

Good reply, thanks.
However, the concept seems to be around choosing the better option of two.
That is, if you are going to think something about something you are thinking about, better think good about the thing.  
You wake up in the morning and have right away two possible thoughts:
"I'm going to have a lousy day, shit!"
I'm going to have a nice day, alleluia!"