A few days ago I got the inner nudge to contact self-publishing legend Dan Poynter.
I didn’t do it, and now I know why.
Dan was no longer there to reply.
Dan helped me almost thirty years ago, with advice about publishing, and later by sending me clients for my copywriting services, getting me hired as a speaker at publishing conventions, introducing me at giant events like the National Speakers Association where I was the keynote speaker, and more.
Over the decades, we became friends.
He was the first person to ever stay as a guest in my home when I lived in Houston, was the primary resource I turned to for advice about publishing in any form, and was a friend I could talk to about books or cats.
He believed in e-books before I did.
He believed anyone could become an author, and showed them how.
He believed everyone needed encouragement, and offered it to all, including me.
He believed in stunts to get attention, and loved being involved.
When I helped generate the idea for a national publicity event involving President George H. W. Bush, to help promote parachuting, Dan was right there to help.
The former senior President wanted a special parachute.
Dan, being an expert on the subject because of the self-published best-selling book he had written on it, found the chute.
And the news went global.
Since 1969, Dan wrote more than 130 books, many reports, and more than 800 magazine articles, most of them on book publishing.
But he also wrote about – and because of his books became the authority on – other subjects.
When I was asked to be an expert witness in a court, it was Dan who advised me what to do and what to charge.
How did he know?
He had written about it.
Most of the advice I gave people when I was a publishing consultant, and when I was teaching writing and publishing classes, came from experts like Dan.
His books taught me, and I shared what I learned.
When I was broke and unknown and struggling, it was gurus like Dan who gave me a leg up, offered advice, and encouraged me, even when they made no money or had any idea the advice would stick.
Dan Poynter was like that.
We didn’t stay in regular contact over the last few years, so I didn’t know he developed leukemia.
And I didn’t know that he died on November 3, 2015.
That was the day he came to my mind – as if he was saying goodbye.
He was 77.
Dan was the self-publishing guru who helped countless newbie authors – including me.
Thank you, Dan Poynter.
I will miss you.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – Dan’s books are relevant to any author. Look him up on Amazon or at http://www.parapublishing.com/sites/para/
Moonshine is a barn owl.
But he doesn’t know it.
He thinks he’s human.
He was stolen from his nest when he was still in an egg. When he hatched, opened his eyes, and looked around, he saw a human. He was supposed to see his mother owl.
Owls “imprint” the first thing they see at birth. Because Moonshine saw a human upon birth, he thinks he is human. He can even parrot human language.
But he can never be released into the wild, because he doesn’t know he is really an owl. He has no survival skills.
You and I are a lot like that.
When we were born, we started to “imprint” the behavior we saw around us.
No doubt your parents weren’t enlightened. They had issues with money, relationships, and more.
You unconsciously “imprinted” their beliefs.
Today, as an adult, you wonder why you have issues with money or health or relationships.
You wonder where your programming came from.
The answer is in Moonshine the barn owl.
Like him, you were imprinted with beliefs.
It’s not your fault, any more than it’s Moonshine’s fault.
You simply “imprinted” what you saw after birth.
But you have an advantage over Moonshine.
He can’t change his imprint.
You can.
Because you have self awareness, and you have the ability to actually reprogram your mind, you can erase your imprint and break free.
I met Moonshine last year and saw him again this year, both times at the Miracles Coaching retreat at Robert Redford’s Sundance mountain resort in Utah, when Patti Richards of Great Basin Wildlife Rescue came to educate us about birds of prey.
This time she also brought an Eagle Owl, the largest owl in the world.
This Eagle Owl is gigantic.
It’s hard to comprehend his size without seeing him in person, especially sitting with a barn owl beside him.
He has no known predators, can lift about fifty pounds (!), and is essentially fearless.
Good thing he doesn’t live in Northern America, as he’d be flying off with our dogs, cats, and children.
Imagine it.
He’s fearless.
Where Moonshine thinks he is human and can’t survive in the wild, this Eagle Owl imprinted fearlessness from his Eagle Owl parents, and can essentially fly, hunt, thrive and survive – up to fifty years.
You may have been imprinted with limiting beliefs, but you can change them.
Moonshine can’t enroll in Miracles Coaching.
Or choose to read self help books, listen to positive messages, or recreate himself.
But you can.
Will you?
Ao Akua,
PS – Patti Richards of Great Basin Wildlife Rescue in Utah is doing great work. Last year I released an owl I named Mango. This year we released two hawks. Seeing the second, young adult hawk soar higher and higher into the Utah sky, high above the mountains, demonstrating what freedom is all about, brought tears to my eyes. I want you to have that kind of freedom, too.
A dear friend asked me to create a list of recommended current books to read. I loved doing it. He looked at that list and said he hadn’t read any of them, and had only heard of one of them. With that in mind, I thought you might like to see the list. Here you go…
Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Incredibly terrific. It’s “Fantastic!”
http://www.amazon.com/Total-Recall-Unbelievably-True-Story/dp/1451662440/
The Walk by Philippe Petit. Riveting. Unique. Made me hyperventilate.
http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Philippe-Petit/dp/163450500X
I, Mammal by Loretta Breuning. Enlightening. Read all of her books.
http://www.amazon.com/Mammal-Brain-Links-Status-Happiness/dp/1941959008/
The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth. Fun, funny, flippant. It will spin your writing into a spell generator. (“Spell” as in “I’ll put a spell on you!”)
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/
The Book of est by Luke Rhinehart. Hypnotic. Loved it so much I published it. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Est-Luke-Rhinehart/dp/0557306159/
Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder by Samuel Wilson Fussell. Wise, well written and deeply revealing.
http://www.amazon.com/Muscle-Confessions-Samuel-Wilson-Fussell-ebook/dp/B00TGJJ12O/
Making the American Body by Jonathan Black. Entertaining.
http://www.amazon.com/Making-American-Body-Remarkable-Passions/dp/0803243707/
Mark Twain: Man in White by Michael Shelden. Love Twain.
http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Twain-Adventure-Hardcover-January/dp/B010EWNKVE?
The Shack by William Young. Novel.
http://www.amazon.com/Shack-William-P-Young/dp/0964729245/
Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang. Hilarious and empowering.
http://www.amazon.com/Rejection-Proof-Became-Invincible-Through/dp/080414138X/
The Power of Neuroplasticity by Shad Helmstetter. Simple yet beautiful.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Neuroplasticity-Shad-Helmstetter-Ph-D/dp/1499794606/
Lincoln: Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan. Love Lincoln.
http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Biography-Writer-Fred-Kaplan/dp/0060773340/
Thomas Jefferson: Art of Power by Jon Meacham. Fascinating.
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jefferson-Power-Jon-Meacham/dp/0812979486/
Bill Veeck by Paul Dickson. The Barnum of baseball.
http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Veeck-Baseballs-Greatest-Maverick/dp/0802778305/
Chronicles by Bob Dylan. Reads like a folk song with Dylan style.
http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Bob-Dylan/dp/0743244583/
The Most Contented Man by Joseph J. Vitale. My Dad. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Most-Contented-Man-Autobiography-Joseph/dp/1512287253/
Stuntman! By Hal Needham. Lively read.
http://www.amazon.com/Stuntman-Car-Crashing-Plane-Jumping-Bone-Breaking-Death-Defying/dp/0316078999/
The Einstein of Money by Joe Carlen. Insightful.
http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Money-Timeless-Financial-Benjamin/dp/1616145579/
Not Impossible by Mick Ebeling. Inspiring.
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Impossible-Doing-What-Couldnt/dp/1476782806/
The Power of Impossible Thinking by Yoram and Cook. Life changing.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Impossible-Thinking-Transform-Business/dp/0131877283/
The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein by Ed Spielman. Astonishing.
http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Journey-Joseph-L-Greenstein/dp/1885440308/
And any book by Joe Vitale... 🙂
Ao Akua,
PS – I love books. Feel free to leave a comment telling me about your own favorites.
Thank you for your prayers for the residents of my city, Wimberley, Texas, which was hit by catastrophic flooding and made the front page of the mainstream news all around the world.
The storms have stopped, the flood is over, the rain has gone, and people are rebuilding.
While people are still in shock, they are also moving onwards.
You can’t stop the human spirit.
When I asked you to hold benevolent intentions in my recent blog post, I also invited you to use The Secret Prayer, which is recorded by me and available to hear for free at The Secret Prayer website.
Today I’m excited to announce the release of my latest book, The Secret Prayer.
It reveals a three step formula for attracting miracles that always works.
Always?
Always.
The book explains the secret.
It became a #1 bestseller in three categories the day it was released on Amazon.
You can go get it for your Kindle reader, as a paperback, or on audio at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XV1Q9JG
Here’s what some early readers are saying —
“Joe did it again!! I love his new book…. It’s inspiring, filled with practical wisdom and massive insight!” ~ Janet Bray Attwood, NY Times Bestselling Author The Passion Test and Your Hidden Riches
“An absolute delight to read— The Secret Prayer is mind expanding, heart opening, and overflowing with love.” ~ Marci Shimoff #1 NY Times bestselling author, Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul |
“Joe Vitale has done it again! What an awesome compilation of the best and most powerful prayers from different disciplines! I love how Joe shares the most effective processes and how to get the most out of the wonderful discipline of prayer. I constantly pray — I pray in the most curious ways at times — and my life is filled with love, miracles, prosperity and contribution to others… Thank YOU, Joe, for your wisdom, commitment and your love of people! ~Dame DC Cordova CEO, Excellerated Business School® for Entrepreneurs / Money & You® http://www.DCCordova.com |
“The blockbuster movie The Secret awakened the world to the mystical power within each person to manifest what they desired. But it raised more questions than it answered. Joe Vitale, one of the stars of The Secret, has finally answered all those questions in this long-awaited and historically-significant newest book, The Secret Prayer.” ~Raymond Aaron NY Times Bestselling Author |
“Joe Vitale’s book is stimulating you to pray again with gratitude for who you are and what you have. In his own unique style, he gives you new tools to revise and deepen your connection with the Universe. This book touched me deeply.” ~Marie Diamond Global Transformational Leader, Speaker and Author, Star in The Secret www.MarieDiamond.com |
“Few people truly ‘get it.’ Joe gets it, he got it right in The Secret, and he totally nails it in the The Secret Prayer. This is the book that will lift people out of misunderstanding prayer, invites them to take responsibility for their divine inheritance, and thereby unleash their unimaginable power over all things. A book that can put any life on a fast track to greater happiness and fulfilment.” ~Mike Dooley NY Times Bestselling author of Infinite Possibilities and Leveraging the Universe |
“The Secret Prayer holds the key to fulfilling your heartfelt dreams, goals, and desires. I love this book. Read it and use it. It will change your life!” ~Dr. Susan Shumsky |
The Secret Prayer contains short chapters, deep insights, fascinating stories, and more.
I believe this is what we need today, for ourselves, family and friends, and planet.
Please get copies for yourself and people you care about.
After all, what if it really works?
The book for your Kindle reader is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XV1Q9JG
The audio of the book, read by me, is here: http://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/The-Secret-Prayer-Audiobook/B00XWDOBCA/
Ao Akua,
joe
PS — Here’s an excerpt from the introduction to The Secret Prayer:
According to The Psychology of Prayer, 97% of all Americans pray at least once a week. Even atheists admit that they sometimes pray.
But as we all know, it doesn’t always seem to work.
Why not?
What’s the secret to having a prayer deliver?
That’s what you’ll discover in The Secret Prayer, where I reveal the three-step formula for attracting miracles through this particular prayer. And I’m talking about anything and everything you could name as a “miracle.”
When you think about it, what is impossible?
Since we’re talking about enlisting the help of “Something” greater than you, what could be impossible to attract?
Unless you’re trying to bend or break the laws of physics, or have an unreal fantasy such as riding a unicorn around the sun, can’t you have, do, or be anything you can imagine? Aren’t the only limits the ones you believe in? Aren’t your beliefs open to inspection and change?
I also want to face reality here. Many “new agey” people claim, “It’s all good.” While everything is all good from a Divine perspective, from a physical perspective, we have work to do.
There are plenty of problems in the world. There are people suffering and starving. You may know some of them. You may be one of them. Dismissing the problems and challenges of life is a form of denial and self-sabotage. You have to be honest and note the issues before us.
And you want to look beyond the issues to Source. When you focus on the peace behind the problem, you begin to clean up the perceptions creating and attracting the problem.
This is why The Secret Prayer is so helpful. It assists you in reconnecting with the essence of life, the Divinity of life, the Source of life. The more you can allow prayer to bring you home, the faster you will nullify the causes of the separation. And then you can see the miracle of right now.
It’s worth revealing how I came across The Secret Prayer. You may know me from my books, audios, and movie appearances. You may consider me an inspiration, since I write self-help books, or a huckster, since I sell self-help books. You may like my methods or think they are simply mental diversions from living a life of hard work and struggle.
What you may not know is that I am a seeker like you, and have been since the 1960s, when I was a teenager. Others looked for outside thrills; I looked for inside awakenings. I wanted to know how the world worked, and I wanted to teach it to others. As I discovered new things—such as Ho’oponopono—I would share them in books, such as Zero Limits and At Zero. I simply regarded myself as a scout looking for gold. Whenever I found it, I shared it. I still do that today.
A decade or so ago, I earned one of my doctorates by completing a dissertation on New Thought healers and how they use prayer and “mind treatment” to help people. I found it fascinating but didn’t do anything with it.
Then, after the movie The Secret made the Law of Attraction mainstream, and made me internationally famous, I wondered how the law blended with prayer. Others wondered, too. People would ask me if I believed in God, or if the Law of Attraction replaced God, and so forth. It made me curious about how we use prayer—if we used it all—to align ourselves with God—or whatever we call The Great Something—to have, do, or be whatever we imagine.
Was that even possible?
As usual, I continued my research and meditating. I was led to rereading the books of Emmet Fox, an author I’ve always loved. His “mental equivalent” went a long way in helping me realize that everything begins with vivid thought.
Rereading Wallace Wattles’s famous book, Financial Success through Creative Thought, or, as it is better known by its subtitle, The Science of Getting Rich, reminded me that everything comes out of some great energy vortex, and we call it forth with thought and action.
Reading the letters of Brother Lawrence, the beloved monk of the 1600s who taught us to “practice the presence of God,” meaning to spend every moment looking for, feeling, and loving the Source, helped me realize the power behind all manifestation was this Divine “Something.”
And then one day I had an “aha!” experience.
In some of my books, such as The Awakening Course, I explain that we can have peeks into All That Is, and those glimpses are called satori experiences in some cultures. I had such an awakening. Somehow the blend of prayer and Law of Attraction merged together into a new formula; a synthesis of ideas that created a powerhouse new system for attracting virtually anything.
I became as excited as if I had been hit by lightning or the heavens opened and some Great Being had spoken to me directly. This new prayer was powerful. It is powerful. I put up an audio of me leading people through The Secret Prayer on www.TheSecretPrayer.com. Instantly, thousands of people went to it, used it, and began to rave about it.
Will it work for you, too?
Yes.
How can I say that?
When you realize that you are already a manifester and are already living a miracle for which you are grateful (the first step in the formula), then you can stop there. You already attracted something incredible. But add the next two steps—detached request and inspired action—and your further results are virtually guaranteed.
I’m calling it a “secret” prayer because your prayer should be between you and your inner connection to “All That Is.” I’ve learned that sharing your prayers with others could weaken their power. Rather than invite doubt or negativity, keep your prayer to yourself. Let it be a “secret” between you and Divinity.
Go get the book The Secret Prayer for your Kindle reader at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XV1Q9JG
Or go get the audio version of the book, read by me, at http://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/The-Secret-Prayer-Audiobook/B00XWDOBCA/
On the night of May 24, 2015, my sleeping little city of Wimberley, Texas received more rain than the beautiful rolling hills could handle.
Within hours, the Blanco River rose over 40 feet — not inches, feet — and began to wipe out homes and lives.
The list of shocking casualties is long.
The mainstream news called it catastrophic.
It was.
But the good news is, the people are rallying, joining forces, cleaning and rebuilding.
You can’t stop the human spirit.
Your positive thoughts and prayers clearly help, so now let’s add some rocket fuel behind our mission to rebuild Wimberley.
I’m writing to ask for your assistance – and I will give you gifts for any help you give.
Please go to one or more of these sites and make a contribution:
You can help just married Mike and Katie: http://www.gofundme.com/paggg8
You can help Chuck and Tina and their children: http://www.gofundme.com/penningtonfam
You can help build Wimberley Radio: http://www.radiowimberley.org/donate.html
You can help Wimberley, Texas Area Support: http://barnabasconnects.org/join-us/
And after you give, you can go to these sites to claim your gifts. (Good till June 8, 2015)
“The Miracles Manual: The Secret Coaching Sessions” – all 3 volumes (priceless) http://miraclesmanual.com/thankyou73-dl.html
“Invoking Divinity,” the heavenly instrumental album by Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and myself (worth $20): http://www.nimbitmusic.com/invokingdivinity/promos/Love
And here’s a bigger reward when you give even bigger –
When you give $500 or more to one of the above sites, I will personally send you a box of signed books, including my new bestseller, The Secret Prayer.
And –
When you give $1,000 or more to one of the above sites, you can have a private mastermind dinner with me in Wimberley. (Worth: $5,000)
For the last two larger donations, just send your receipt and your snail mail address to: mrfire @ gmail.com (Take out spaces to make it a workable email addy.)
Please note this offer expires June 8, 2015. Please give right now.
I appreciate you and whatever you can do to help my friends in Wimberley, Texas.
And once it’s cleaned up, please come and visit.
You will love the little community and its wonderful people.
It truly is a little bit of heaven.
Ao Akua,
PS – I think the Wimberley flooding is partly my fault. After years of drought, and the Texas wildfires of too recent memory, I prayed for rain. Well…
Note: Please note that a good reason to be at peace with money is at times like this. You can help people who need it. I am directly helping people, and I am asking that you help them, too. Together, we can make a difference. If you haven’t read my book, “Attract Money Now,” it’s still free at http://www.attractmoneynow.com