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Awakening to the Dream, or, Why I'm Hanging My Thoughts Out to Dry
I’ve been reading some unusual books recently. These are the kind that turn my brain inside out and hang my thoughts out to dry.
It’s quite liberating, really.
Here’s an example:
I just completed reading Awakening to the Dream: The Gift of Lucid Living by Leo Hartong.
Please note that the sub-title says lucid living, not lucid dreaming. I mistyped it when I first wrote it here because it’s so easy to jump to an assumption about what the book is about. The book is about being awake. It’s a brief but eloquent book about Advaita, which is the philosophy of non-duality.
Let me give you a small head spinning taste from the book:
“If you watch your mind, you will see that thoughts arise of their own accord. Please, do not simply accept or reject this. When you honestly observe and investigate, it will become clear that you are not the thinker of your thoughts.”
Later in this book he says this:
“…ask yourself what your next thought will be and see if you can know it in advance.”
I don’t know about you, but I have no idea what my next thought will be.
Not ever.
I mean, never.
They just appear.
Once they pop into my awareness, of course, I can judge them, act on them, dismiss them, argue with them, wait for a better one, and so forth. The thoughts become the chatter in my awareness. They’re entertaining sometimes. Other times, not.
With mental toughness, I can choose the thoughts that best serve me. (I feel sorry for the people who don’t know mental toughness or haven’t read my book, The Attractor Factor. They must be at the mercy of their thoughts, which drive them to do — or not do — all sorts of things.)
But even as I watch and choose my thoughts after they appear, new thoughts — which I can’t predict — keep coming.
So my question is this:
Where are they coming from?
You can say thoughts come from your unconscious, subconscious, self-image, mind, or something else, but aren’t all of those labels just more thoughts?
From what I understand after reading this marvelous little book, thoughts are simply and magically part of the unfolding of the divine play called Life.
In order to find peace, we want to be the observer of the thoughts.
Not the judge of the thoughts; just the observer of them.
Judging the thoughts is yet another thought.
This is why my favorite T-shirt says, “Meditation is not what you think.”
Think about it.
Better yet, don’t.
Ao Akua,
Joe
www.mrfire.com
PS – Wait till I tell you what non-duality has to say about money! Stay tuned.
PPS – Now you know why I call this blog Beyond Marketing.
What I'm Doing These Daze
A friend just asked me what I’ve been up to lately. As I jotted down some of my activities, I thought you might want to know of them, too. Here are some bulleted points, in no particular order:
* New book “Meet and Grow Rich,” the definitive guide to masterminds, with Bill Hibbler, is an Amazon bestseller this week www.meetandgrowrich.com
* Next book “The Successful Coach” with Terri Levine and Larina Kase comes out in September (it’s in stores now)
* “Zero Limits” book with Dr. Len on ho’oponopono is being written now. See excerpt at www.mrfire.com/article-archives/new-articles/worlds-most-unusual-therapist.html
* Paperback version of “The Attractor Factor” hits in December. It’s being translated into numerous languages, such as Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian.
* “Life’s Missing Instruction Manual” picked up by Wal-Mart and featured in Bottom Line Secrets newsletter.
* Audio versions of “Life’s Missing Instruction Manual” and”The Attractor Factor” will be out early 2007.
* “Hypnotic Writing” comes out in Dec as a hardcover published book.
* Just completed “Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing” for 2007 release. Early reviewers are calling it “genius” and “a masterpiece.”
* Next “Beyond Manifestation” workshop will be Nov 11-12 in Austin. Audios from past one at www.beyondmanifestation.com
* “The Secret of Money” one day event with Mindy Audlin at Unity in Wimberley October 21. http://www.unityathome.org/events.htm
* I’ll be speaking at Pat O’Bryan’s next “Portable Empire” event end of Sept. www.marketerschoice.com/app/?Clk=1554504
* Started my own business-and-fitness contest with Scott York at www.YourBusinessBody.com
* Working on nutritional formulas with Dr. Marc Gitterle and Jeff Sargent such as cholesterol lowering one www.cardiosecret.com and a bodybuilding, muscle building, fitness one described at www.bodybuildingformula.com
* Just became a life-time member of the Society of American Magicians, the group Houdini started in the early 1900s
* About to come out with DVD series showing “Inside the Mind of a Marketer” with Nerissa filming me meeting people, working, doing odd or human or whatever “life” things; Joe’s realty TV show.
* Will be speaking in Poland in December; New Zealand, and Australia in early 2007.
* Will soon be releasing a DVD called “Art of the Humbug: The Story of the Great Powerball Lotto Hoax“
* Just completed “The Canine Concert” DVD and it will soon be at www.canineconcert.com
* My appearance in the movie “The Secret” continues to make me a minor celebrity www.whatisthesecret.tv
* Completing my fifth fitness contest next week, then getting on a plane for some long awaited R & R.
There’s more but that’s all I can recall for now. Best way to keep up with me is to sign up for updates at www.mrfire.com
And what are you doing these days?
Ao Akua,
Joe
www.mrfire.com
PS – Take note: For the first time in his legendary career, Robert Ringer – the “mentor to mentors” -, will share his personal-power techniques with you in a breakthrough, step-by-step teleseminar series. For more information about how you can get on the Path to Power, click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser http://m301.infusionsoft.com/go/p2pjv/JV/ Go for it.
How to Write Your Own E-book – in 7 days
Jim Edwards and I released our e-book, How to Write and Publish Your Own E-book – in only 7 days, five years ago today.
We have sold tens of thousands of copies of it.
The book was a #1 bestseller for about two years straight.
Hundreds of people used it to write their own ebooks.
Many people told me they didn’t write their ebook in seven days, but that the system Jim and I revealed helped them get it written, period.
The ebook continues to sell and Jim and I continue to celebrate.
So today, let’s toast the book that built an empire and helped many people taste the sweet nectar of e-gold.
Ao Akua,
Joe
www.mrfire.com
PS – My new book hits the streets today. It’s Meet and Grow Rich, written by Bill Hibbler and me. It reveals how to create your own mastermind group. This is the definitive book on masterminds. Get it today and get a ton of freebies. See www.meetandgrowrich.com
PPS – Nerissa posted a new short video of me and Mark J. Ryan talking in the car about trust and letting go. See http://drjoevitale.blogspot.com/ Enjoy.
The Question that Explodes in Your Head
A wonderful woman by the name of Debra Anne Nagy interviewed me during the recent hypnosis convention.
Debbie is the author of a book titled Inner Metamorphosis and she’s a real sweetheart. I easily agreed to the interview but had no idea of the transformation about to occur.
We sat in a gazebo with cool air and tall green trees around us. There were also several people quietly and intently listening. I enjoyed the questions, but one of them really blew the lid off my brain.
If you take this one question to heart, it can lift you out of any mental blocks and limits you’ve ever experienced before. Debrah’s question was:
“What would be the one thing so big, that if you ever accomplished and/or achieved it, it would knock your socks off and make the world stand up and say, ‘holy shit!'”
When I heard her question, I lit up, exclaimed it was a mind bender, and found myself having trouble answering it.
It’s easy to come up with quick answers….like I’d like to be on Oprah…or sell millions of books…or star in my own TV show…or develop a cure for some global problem…but consider her question:
“What would be the one thing so big, that if you ever accomplished and/or achieved it, it would knock your socks off and make the world stand up and say, ‘holy shit!'”
That question requires a bigger, bolder, truly “dare something worthy” answer.
After a few minutes I remembered that I wrote in my book, The Attractor Factor, that I wanted to be the world’s first trillionaire.
Well, that would be something, wouldn’t it?
I invite you to play with Debrah’s question. You don’t need to know how you will accomplish the answer, you just need to know the answer.
From there, the magic begins.
Ao Akua,
Joe
www.mrfire.com
PS — Reminders: I’ll be speaking at Pat O’Bryan’s next “Portable Empire” event in Austin, Texas in late September. The last one took newbies to netreprenuer level. This next one will rock with a delightful twist. It’s not been done before. If you want to know the proven system to make it online, then get to Pat’s un-seminar. But only 33 can attend. Details are at www.marketerschoice.com/app/?Clk=1554504 Also, the next Manifestation Weekend will be Nov 11 – 12 in Austin, Texas. Price is just like the original one: $1,000. If you’re interested, send an email to my assistant Suzanne at [email protected] Hope to see you at these events.
What does the Gold Plated Cigar Lighter Mean? or, Your Money Test: Part Two
Yesterday I told you about buying a gold plated cigar lighter for $612. I asked you to note how it made you feel. Now I’ll tell you why I made that request.
The night I bought the David Off luxury lighter, Nerissa, Mark and I went out for dinner. The conversation was deep and entrancing. Whenever anyone said anything wise, insightful, or positive, I flipped open the lighter to anchor the moment with a “ping.”
Sometimes they noticed what I was doing, but often they did not. The “ping” was becoming a tool for sealing beautiful moments into our minds. Milton Erickson would have loved it. So would Pavlov and his dogs.
The next day I had breakfast with Brian Dean, a remarkable cruise ship stage hypnotist. Brian told me he used my Hypnotic Selling Secrets package to take his site, which was making $600 a month, to a site making $53,000 a month.
He also told me he had no emotional attachment to money. He said it was just a tool. Since very few people have this mindset towards money, I wanted to know more.
“Let me test you,” I said.
I then told him about buying the lighter for six hundred dollars.
I asked him what he thought.
“I know exactly why you bought that lighter,” he said.
“Tell me,” I encouraged.
“You bought it to anchor in the emotions of success and deservingness. Whenever you touch that lighter, you’ll recall being here and all the success you’ve had. I think it’s a brilliant investment. It’s worth far more than the six hundred dollars. I applaud you.”
Later that same day, I was sitting in a gazebo, being interviewed by friends. I asked a couple there what they thought of my buying a lighter for hundreds of dollars.
“That’s stupid!” one gent exclaimed.
“Tell me what you really feel,” I said.
“You can light a cigar with a match,” he continued. “You don’t need a lighter, let alone one for six hundred dollars! That’s just stupid!”
Brian dean was there, and he explained his view. As the discussion grew, my gold lighter with the special “ping” became a tool for self-awareness. It revealed where people were in their prosperity consciousness.
In fact, Brian suggested he and I write a book about the whole mindset of money as a tool, which meant my lighter was becoming a money-making new project.
“Let me tell you what I think,” I began. “I have a belief in my head that says the more money I spend, the more money I receive. So when I spend six hundred dollars, I start looking for the six thousand dollars coming around the corner.”
“But you can use that money for other things, like feeding people,” the skeptic said.
“That’s a comment from a scarcity mind,” I said. “I believe you can help feed people and spend six hundred dollars on a lighter. The only limits are self-created ones.”
By now you can see why I asked you how it felt to hear about my lighter. It was simply a way to hold up a mirror to your own beliefs. That shiny gold lighter reflects your money IQ.
If you like your beliefs, keep them.
If you don’t, consider taking on new ones.
If you want to investigate all of this more deeply, the next Manifestation Weekend will be Nov. 11 – 12 in Austin, Texas. Price is just like the original one (just a little more than a gold lighter): $1,000. If you’re interested in attending, send an email to my assistant Suzanne at [email protected]
If you want to know what the first manifestation weekend was like, see www.BeyondManifestation.com
“Ping”
Ao Akua,
PS — I received my Zager guitar. It’s beautiful, sounds lyrical, and somehow seems to make me a better guitar player. Their service is off the charts wonderful, too. I wrote to them complaining that I expected a guitar case but only got a t-shirt with the guitar. They instantly wrote back, said it wasn’t their policy to send cases, but they would send me one for free because they didn’t want a disappointed customer. Now that is service to model. I’m very pleased.
