This quote startled me –

“If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.”–Cardinal Richelieu.

At first I was appalled.

How could anyone look at only six lines and decide if the author was deserving of capital punishment?

Then it dawned on me.

People see what they want to see.

Others don’t know your motives.

You can do the most noble thing, or the hardest thing for the right reasons, and people will judge you.

Look at some of our greatest leaders, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

Most consider them legends.

Some consider them Divine.

Yet vast amounts of people hate them, despise them, distrust them, and ultimately killed them.

“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have helped countless people.

I remember a broke blues musician who came to me red faced and angry because he couldn’t pay his rent and might be evicted yet again. I helped him for the next decade.

He got out of debt. He tasted the good life.

But later, he changed his mind, turned on me, said he got almost nothing from my help (after 10 years of helping him), and wrote me off.

He wasn’t the only one.

I remember a former drug pusher who was dodging the IRS but wanting to change his life and make money online. I helped him for almost a decade, too.

Again, after he got all he wanted from me, he fabricated a bill saying I owed him for past services he did “as a friend.”

He went as far as to contact former associates of mine, email a database we shared, and try to destroy me.

“Don’t waste your time with explanations, people only hear what they want to hear.” – Paulo Coelho

Of course, there are also people who I have helped who still thank me publicly and privately.

I am grateful for them.

The point is, we can’t control others or their opinions.

We can only do the best we can and hope we make a difference.

They may misunderstand us.

They may misinterpret us.

We have to do what we believe, anyway.

Sometimes what we do will be hard, and no one will understand.

Sometimes what we do will appear wrong, and no one will support us.

Sometimes what we do will hurt, and no one will rush in to help.

We have to do what we think is right anyway.

P.T. Barnum said, “We cannot all see alike, but we can all do good.”

Do good.

Even when no one understands.

Do good.

Even when others judge you or your motives.

Do good.

Even if some cardinal from the 1600s might read crime in your six lines.

Do good.

After all, isn’t life worth living when you follow your own inner compass?

Do good.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Check out the all new www.VitaleLifeMastery.com

My 93-year-old father was moving some old furniture around when he discovered a few long lost black and white photographs.

One of them was of me.

From 1954.

At the age of ten months.

I had never seen the photo before.

But as I stared at myself of almost 65 years ago, I saw a happy child.

My father told me, “Joe, you were one happy baby!”

Maybe I was.

But I certainly wasn’t happy shortly after growing up.

And I went through long periods of unhappiness as an adult, and as a struggling writer wanting to be a success.

What happened to that happy child?

What happened to that uninhibited smile?

Oh, it’s still here.

People can see the baby smile in my adult face today.

But where’d it go for so long?

My guess is, it never left.

And I’m guessing your original innocent smile is still in you someplace, too.

Lately I’ve been encouraging people to look for their very early baby pictures.

Not the ones where you are still in diapers, and not the ones where you are going off to school.

I want you to find the baby pictures where you are showing signs of awareness and your “original smile” is still on your face.

Get that photo and use it as a meditation.

Stare into the smile.

Let it expand from within yourself.

Feel the original innocence of bliss today.

Because it’s still there.

And if for some reason you can’t easily or quickly find an early photo of yourself smiling, then consider looking at my photo. Or someone else that makes you grin or giggle. Or draw or paint one.

The point is, that original smile is not lost.

It’s in you.

I used to teach a form of meditation where you imagined an inner smile within yourself. As you visualized it, it grew. Before long, you had an outer smile.

Your inner child is still within you.

And it is still smiling.

It’s time to find it again.

Ao Akua,

joe

PS – I also believe there is something like an “original laugh,” too. That’s where you laugh without control or inhibition. Recently author-singer-TV celebrity Lisa Winston and I held a Facebook Live to discuss our forthcoming event, “Own the Stage.” We were so open and playful with each other that by the end of the broadcast, we were laughing so hard we were crying. Where is your original laugh? Where is your original smile? I urge you to look within and see…

Since so many people ask how to attract money, I thought it would be useful to share this money attraction secret from 36-year-old billionaire Andres Pira. It’s from the forthcoming 2019 book, Homeless to Billionaire. 

Vibrational Giving 

A New Approach to Attracting Great Wealth 

(An Excerpt from Homeless to Billionaire)

By Andres Pira

(with Dr. Joe Vitale)

Most people know that giving can lead to receiving. But most people do it wrong. I discovered a specific way of giving that has brought me millions of dollars. It helped me become a billionaire before I reached the age of 35. Let me tell you how I used this method to attract my first million dollars.

I am originally from Sweden. I moved to Thailand at the age of twenty to find my way in the world. But before I made any money, I became homeless. As I dug myself out of that dire situation, I noticed that Thailand has unique views about giving.

In Thailand, for example, on your birthday you don’t receive gifts, you give them. That was entirely new to me. But I started practicing it. As I gave more, I received more. As I gave more money, I received more money. I became fascinated and decided to experiment with this apparently magical law of giving. I wanted to see how it works, and if I could improve it.

The way most people give – if they give at all – is by tithing. That is the traditional way of giving ten percent of your income to a religious organization. Most religions teach that you need to give ten percent of the money you receive as a form of “payment” to God. While that has worked for centuries, and I have no argument with it, it’s not the way I do it.

Others have learned that giving money to any source that has inspired them will trigger a force that brings more money back to them. Dr. Joe Vitale, one of the teachers in the movie The Secret, tells people to give ten percentage of their income to wherever they receive spiritual nourishment or inspiration. That could be an Uber driver, a waiter, someone you meet at the store who says encouraging words, or an organization or anything else. I like this idea because it opens up the possibility of giving to others, including but not limiting to a church.

The trouble is, post people give only money and expect only money in return. While that works, it’s a limitation. The Universe (whatever you choose to call The Great Mystery of life) may have something better for you, but you limited the road back to you by insisting that what you get back is money. In my experience, the Universe may have many other gifts waiting for you, not just money, but your expectation of receiving only money is blocking the other good you could receive.

My own method is more refined and more focused. And it doesn’t always have to do with giving away money. In short, I’ve discovered that the emotion you feel as you give anything at all is what you will receive back. This is far more important than you may realize. If you feel hate as you do anything, you are setting up an “attractor field” to experience hate later. If you feel love as you do something, you are also engaging in a principle to attract love back to you later.

When I wish someone a good day, I do it with genuine feelings of wanting him or her to have a good day. Most people say, “Have a good day” with no feeling at all. It’s automatic. It’s dead. But I say it wanting to change the emotion of the person hearing it. I truly want them to have a good day. The feeling I give out as I say the words is one of love. As a result, what I expect to get back sometime later is the feeling of love. It may come as great news about a project, or a check, or a profitable idea, or a new connection, or some other reason to celebrate. But I give out love and what I get back is love.

In other words, when you give money, feel ecstatic as you do so and what you will receive in return is something with the feeling of ecstasy attached to it. That may be a return in the form of money. But it could be anything else. It could surprise you. It could be something unexpected, and not just money. What you gave was some emotion, so what you receive will be the same emotion, but multiplied at least ten times.

I’ve learned that this “vibrational giving” or “frequency giving” is the real secret to making giving work. While giving anything is a good policy, giving with conscious awareness of your emotions will bring wealth beyond all imagination.

Now let me share my story of making my first million dollars with this method.

Many years ago I visited an orphanage in Thailand. It was sad because all the kids had HIV. They didn’t have any government support and they were struggling. I wanted to help. I agreed to paint the building, all the rooms, and give the kids toys. I didn’t do it to receive money. I did it because I felt great in helping.

And that’s the secret to giving: feeling. How you feel when you give is what you will receive in return. Emotion creates vibration. And you can’t create anything without emotion. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of their feelings when they do anything, let alone when they give.

While I had been visualizing making my first million dollars, I also didn’t know how it would happen. But when I was at that orphanage, I didn’t think spending money there would bring me a million dollars later. All I knew is the kids need help and it would make me feel good to help.

So I invested about eighty thousand dollars in hiring people to paint and rebuild the place. I felt great as I paid for the services. Again, I was using “vibrational giving” as my tool. I knew that the feeling I felt as I gave is what I would get in return later, in some unexpected way. There was nothing calculating in my action. I didn’t give money to get money.

Instead, I did something that made me feel great, and I expected something to happen later that would also be a great feeling. But money wasn’t the focus. I just made sure to feel great. While eighty thousand was about a fourth of my yearly revenue at the time, spending it didn’t make me feel stretched or worried. It made me feel good.

As a result, a real estate deal I had in the works went through. I closed a property worth so much that my commission was more than one million dollars. In fact, it was one million plus about eighty grand. So I not only made my first million, but I also got my investment back.

And how did I feel? Fantastic, of course. The feeling I had when I invested in helping the orphanage (feeling great) came back to me to multiplied (feeling fantastic). I copied that check, framed it, and still look at it every day. I still feel great every time I see it.

Mother Teresa had it right when she said, “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”

Again, this isn’t only about money. It’s about what you feel as you give anything. The feeling you give out is what you will receive back. Practicing this “vibrational giving” works for me, and will work for you, too. Try it and see.

*****************

Andres Pira, President of Success Events and Blue Horizon Development, is the largest real estate developer in Southern Thailand. He and bestselling author Dr. Joe Vitale are completing the book, Homeless to Billionaire: The 18 Wealth Attracting Secrets for Becoming a Money Magnet. For details please see http://www.homelesstobillionaire.info

I’m not actor Bruce Willis, and I’ve not met him yet, but I know something he may not.

Let’s call it “Bruce Willis Manifesting.”

It’s a way to use your mind to attract what you want.

It’s something you already do when you think of your favorite celebrity, and it’s something you can consciously direct to manifest what you want.

It’s actually a very cool way to speed up the manifestations of your goals, desires and intentions.

Interested?

Let me explain:

Recently a woman was about to interview me, but couldn’t calm down.

“You’re a legend!” she kept repeating. “You’re a legend!”

She was going gaga for me.

But why?

I certainly know the feeling of being star struck in the presence of a celebrity.

I was that way with rock icon Melissa Etheridge.

I was that way with actor James Caan.

Same when actor-bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno came to my house.

I met President Jimmy Carter twice and couldn’t speak either time.

If and when I meet Bruce Willis, I’ll probably be star struck with him, too.

At least for a few minutes.

But why?

I propose the reason you and I are in awe of stars we like is a clue on how to manifest what we want faster.

So give me a moment to explain.

Last year I was invited to act in my first indie movie.

A woman came to my music show last July at The Townsend in Austin.

She heard my Band of Legends and me and afterwards invited me to act in her movie.

I haven’t acted since kindergarten. I was one of the three little pigs in a kids’ play.

But I told this delightful woman I’d do it.

And I did.

It was the movie Cecilia.

When you see it, you might experience the manifestation strategy I’m wanting to discuss here.

But even if you don’t see that movie, maybe you saw me in the movie The Secret.

If not, I’m in about 15 other movies, with three more coming out this year.

And of course I’ve been on Larry King Live national television, twice.

All of this public exposure is making more people recognize me.

And when they do, some are star struck.

I remember landing in Peru and a bunch of people ran up to me.

It spooked me because some of them were security guards.

I thought something was wrong.

But no, they wanted to meet a star from a movie.

They wanted photos.

And autographs.

At baggage claim.

Why?

So let me get back to explaining:

We watch a movie we like.

We see a star we like.

There is emotion.

Our brains “brand” this emotion onto our minds.

We “link” the visual of seeing our favorite star with the emotion of what the movie is triggering in us.

Then, if we ever see our star on the street, the mental switch is triggered.

And we go gaga.

If you don’t know a celebrity, and he or she walks by, you won’t think anything of it. That star hasn’t been inputted into your brain to have any meaning.

There’s no “programming.”

There’s no emotion.

There’s no “link.”

But if you see a celebrity that you go gaga for, that you watch in all their movies, that you feel love for, you will flip out.

This is “Bruce Willis Manifesting.”

Why?

The movie star has activated the Reticular Activator System or RAS in your brain.

Your RAS responds to emotion, imagery, and repetition.

Anything you think about with emotion, imagery, and repetition will act as a new program in your brain.

And you will unconsciously use the Law of Attraction to bring it into your life.

Melissa Etheridge showing a “Mustang” guitar given to her by the Ford Institute

So, if I see Melissa Etheridge on stage, and on television, and on DVD, and I watch her moved by the emotion in her songs and her performances, and I do this repeatedly for two decades, then the day I meet her is going to feel like lightning struck my spinal cord.

And that’s what it felt like when I went to her home for my songwriting lesson with her.

I was star struck.

My RAS had been “Melissa Etheridge” programmed

So let’s take this concept to a deeper level.

I’m a huge fan of actor Bruce Willis.

I’ve seen all his movies, bought all his music, and follow his career.

His movies, from Die Hard to 16 Blocks to Death Wish, all do something for me. (16 Blocks is one of my all time favorite movies.)

Whenever I get to meet him, I’ll probably be star struck and silent, at least at first.

Why?

“I’m really just a regular guy who has had an incredibly blessed life.” – Bruce Willis

Because he’s branded in my brain with the three ways you engage your RAS: imagery, emotion, repetition.

• I’ve seen his movies. (Visual)
• I’ve felt something while watching those movies. (Emotion)
• I’ve watched many of the movies more than twice. (Repetition)

This imagery, emotion and repetition has wired Bruce Willis in my mind.

But you can use this “gaga” switch of the mind to attract more of what you want.

And this is where you should take notes.

You can use this “Bruce Willis Manifesting” Secret

I’ve written about this formula in numerous books, including the brand new one, Anything Is Possible.

In short:

1. See it. Imagine what you want to have, do or be.
2. Feel it. Imagine using it or living it or being it.
3. Repeat. Do this repeatedly.

You have just used the three step system that stars innocently use to get in our heads: imagery, emotion, and repetition.

It’s also the same three things that your RAS requires to make a change.

So we can thank our favorite stars for showing us a way to control our mind.

Your Mental Movie

One way to make this formula work is to create a mental movie of what you want, complete with the sensory experience of imagining that it is all complete and real.

In other words, when you watch a film on television or in the theater, your mind is being programmed.

You are seeing a visual, feeling emotion, and repeating the experience throughout the film.

But you can use this same technique to program your mind intentionally: by creating a mental movie.

By Creating a Mental Movie!

And instead of feeling like a star struck little child when you meet your favorite star, you can thank them for showing you a way to manifest what you want.

And now you know something even Bruce Willis doesn’t know – “Bruce Willis Manifesting.”

What will you create next?

Imagine it.

Feel it.

Repeat it.

Make a mental movie of it and step into it.

And then, Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua

joe

PS – Here’s Bruce Willis showing you how it’s done with emotion, imagery and repetition:

My favorite book of last year was Ray Dalio’s bestseller, Principles.

While the book is 600 pages of wisdom and insight from the life experience of a billionaire, the single biggest takeaway for me was this one question –

“How do I know I’m right?”

Dalio learned to question himself and get the feedback of others in order to discover the best answer or action in any situation.

I almost never ask myself that question.

Do you?

Stay with me for a minute and let’s explore this.

It’s easy to think and come to conclusions, but how do we know our conclusions are logical, practical, and the best of what can help us?

How do we know we aren’t deluding ourselves, or sabotaging ourselves, or missing better answers and solutions?

After all, our thinking happens in a confined inner world created from past experiences and limiting beliefs.

We can’t easily think “outside” of our thinking because we are the ones doing the thinking.

(Meditate on THAT.)

Even your intuition can be misread and misunderstood, as it has to be filtered though your beliefs, too.

A feeling can be a disguised limiting belief.

(Pause to let that sink in, too.)

So, what can we do?

How do you get better answers, clearer decisions, and more reliable ways of seeing your choices?

For me, there are three solutions –

1. Get in a Challenging Mastermind Group.

Being in a select group with eight other people can elevate your thinking and expose you to new ways of thinking. It’s a smart way to pool resources and expand your mental paradigm. A mastermind has been the secret of the greats. I’ve created and been in many masterminds. I’ve even coauthored a book (with Bill Hibbler) on how to make your own mastermind in Meet and Grow Rich. I’m currently putting together an exclusive mastermind of high profile, high achievers to truly challenge us all to stretch and achieve at levels we only imagined before.*

2. Get a Miracles Coach or Zero Limits Mentor.

Having a trained person listen and reflect back to you your thinking can be enlightening and empowering. We rarely hear our own limiting beliefs but someone skilled in active listening can help you discover them with love and focus, and then help you begin to change them. Change your beliefs and you get a different reality. This is the main reason I created Miracles Coaching more than ten years ago and am currently creating Zero Limits Mentoring. A secret to success is to have someone who believes in you almost more than you believe in yourself.

3. Absorb diverse books.

Dalio’s book introduced me to new ideas and a way to question myself. But I also read other books to keep my mind expanding. It’s also why I write mind expanding and consciousness raising books, such as “The Miracle: Six Steps to Enlightenment” and my newest book, “Anything Is Possible: 7 Steps for Doing the Impossible.” Reading has always been a key secret to the success of high profile people.

I’m not here to sell you anything but to remind you that your thinking will be more powerful and much clearer once you allow greater input, and the three ways above can help you achieve that.

I’m sharing this with love.

Act as you feel inspired.

Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua

Joe

*Note: If you are interested in my exclusive Rings of Power Mastermind, contact my office or leave a comment below and I will see that you get my new manifesto describing it.

PS -The soulful Lisa Winston interviewed me recently on a subject you will love. Here it is: