At the risk of turning this blog into an obituary column, I have to again pay homage to another friend who just passed away.
I’m in tears as I write this.
Morty Lefkoe was the most loving man I’ve ever met.
I met him at my first TLC (Transformational Leadership Council) meeting many years ago.
We instantly connected, talking about beliefs, books, personal change and more.
Morty had been deeply involved and influenced by est, the controversial seminar back in the 1970s.
He was friends with the founder, Werner Erhard (who was best man at Morty’s wedding), and handled the celebrity department as est grew.
He also personally studied with Ayn Rand, the author of staggering bestselling classics of literature, such as Atlas Shrugged.
Morty attended her private classes, once had a collection of her books, all signed (that today would be worth $20,000 each), and became personal friends with Rand.
He used to tell me stories about Erhard and Rand, that both fascinated and enlightened me.
I couldn’t help but think that Morty soaked up the wisdom of the giants.
But Morty never stopped learning or growing.
He developed his own system for change, called it the Lefkoe Method, and went on to use it to help tens of thousands of people, including me.
He wrote a book about it, too.
I love his book and suggest you read it.
When Morty and I would meet in person, we’d explore our thoughts about life and change, always wanting to learn from each other.
One time he asked me to write a blog post about the Law of Attraction.
He said he would write one, too.
We would then post them and then see what we each thought.
It was a great idea, and helped our readers, as well as both of us.*
When our wives went clothes shopping, Morty and I went book shopping.
When everyone else talked about the news of the day, Morty and I talked about what really works in personal transformation.
He treated me with love and respect, and often felt like an unconditionally loving uncle, encouraging me, listening to me, and loving me.
The last time I saw him, a few months ago, he was in the hospital.
His spirits were good.
He smiled big, asked about my life and projects, and showed no signs that he was unhappy.
He wasn’t.
He talked about projects he was working on, and excited about.
He acted like he was not going to leave us.
But he did.
He passed away yesterday, on November 11, 2015.
I’ll never forget him.
He was the most loving man I ever met.
I love you, Morty.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – Morty’s thoughts are worth digging into on his blog at http://www.mortylefkoe.com and in his book. *You’ll find the blog he wrote on the Law of Attraction, with a link to the one I wrote about LOA, at http://www.mortylefkoe.com/joe-vitale-discuss-law/