Reality - What the bleep is it?

Here's a big one - what's the nature of reality? Is it physical? Is it mental? Is it just the collection of experiences or something else entirely? I don't have a clue. I've been doing a lot of reading & research on this topic over the past 12 months or so & everything I read, watch or listen to just creates more questions.

If we believe the scenario from The Matrix, we're all just batteries for the machines. If "What the Bleep Do We Know?" is correct, then our thought manifest our reality through the power of quantum physics. If that's the case, is there a way we can harness this power directly to improve our lives? If there is, I'd love to know how. Not just for my personal benefit (though an XBOX 360 would be nice!), but to improve things for everyone.

Some say prayer is the way to do it, others subscribe to affermations or positive thinking. As an athiest, I don't think that there's some supernatural being who looks down on all of us - I just don't buy it. I think it's much more likely that prayer is an indirect way of focusing the mind towards achieving the desired goal but attributing the results to an external power. Maybe just focusing the mind is all we need to do to achieve want we want. Now if only I could decide what it is I really want... there' s the biggest challenge of all.