Tag: cars
Attracting Electric Cars
My wife, Nerissa, drives the Chevy Volt and loves it. She’s had it since 2012. Her electric car never fails, always looks great, contains what feels like enormous room inside, and rides smooth on our errands and trips. It’s a great car.
Nerissa by her 2017 Chevy Volt and wearing an “It’s All Good” T-shirt
It’s so great that we just went and traded it in for a brand new 2017 Chevy Volt.
But not all electric cars are so cool or so reliable.
I owned the Fisker Karma a few years ago.
It was the opposite.
It was a nightmare to drive, though it was stunningly beautiful.
There were over a dozen things wrong with it, and the company.
My Fisker Karma electric car – beautiful car but now bankrupt company
Eventually the company went bankrupt, and I sold the car at a big loss.
Of course, Tesla is all over the news.
I called them when they announced their limited edition of 100 Roadsters around 2008.
But Tesla talked me out of buying one, saying they didn’t have service stations in Texas and wouldn’t be able to repair my car without transporting it to California or sending a technician to me.
Good thing I passed on that roadster, as even Elon Musk today admits that his first car was a disaster.
In a June 2016 Road and Track article online, Musk was reported as saying they had “no idea what we are doing,” and characterizing their original efforts as “completely clueless.”
Tesla is still getting lots of the media attention and I’m glad to see it.
This German marvel runs on salt water, gets 960 hp and 373 miles to the tank, but will it ever be made?
Tesla’s new cars look hi-tech, dependable, and safe.
But I live in Texas, where I have seen the car on the road but have never test driven one. (I asked for a test drive and so far, over three weeks later, no one has replied.)
Besides, I’m not all that keen to get into another electric car, given my trauma with the Fisker.
And the most recent news was of a man killed while using the auto driving feature on his Tesla.
Apparently, the long range electric sports car is not yet out of the woods.
But all of this got me wondering about the origin of the electric car.
In an episode of Jay Leno’s great new TV show, Leno’s Garage, he drove an electric car from the early 1900’s that could get 90 miles on a charge.
I promoted and invested in the Ronn Motors Scorpion, a stunning hydrogen sports car, only to see the company go bankrupt
What happened to it?
What happened to all the other early electric cars?
So I did some research.
Turns out in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the most popular car was the electric.
There were steam driven cars, which no one liked, and a few gas driven cars, which no one knew how to drive or fix.
But people were ready for something new, as the feces and urine filled streets where horse drawn carriages turned the roads into a sewer of slosh, was just too much and too unsanitary.
The electric was clean, dependable, and smart.
Ronn Motors Scorpion HX hydrogen sports car – only one ever made, and not for me
Or course, there were few cleared roads then.
And no driving schools.
And no battery chargers.
And few people had electricity.
And even fewer could actually afford the much more expensive electric car.
And a single battery cost more to replace than the Model T would cost to own.
For example, the price of a Detroit Electric car in 1914 was about $2,650. If you wanted to upgrade to the Edison Nickel Iron batteries, then the price went up about $600. At the same time, you could buy TWO NEW Model T’s for that same $600. (!)
It was an uphill battle for the electric car.
Of course, many tried to make it work.
I wrote a song about “My Electric Car” on my third singer-songwriter album, “Sun Will Rise”
Some entrepreneurial companies saw a business in an electric car taxi service.
The problem was, the cars could only drive about 10 miles before needing a charge or a battery replacement.
This was an incredible nuisance for the passenger — you could only go 5-10 miles away (!) – as well as for the driver and not to mention the cab company.
As a result, electric cars were made, but they weren’t sold easily: first because they were too expensive to buy, and second, they were too expensive to keep replacing batteries.
Most of the electric car companies went bankrupt.
And then Henry Ford enters.
Ford actually wanted to invest in the electric car, and make them.
He bought an electric car every other year for years. He and his wife loved them.
But the electric car companies created a coalition to block any competitors they didn’t like.
In short, many electric car companies got greedy and tried to create a monopoly.
Ultimately, they drove themselves off the pages of history.
The Mark III electric car circa 1901 could go 12 mph and went 35 miles
The electric car simply wasn’t convenient or affordable at the time, and many electric companies were ruthless and competitive.
But that’s not all that happened to make the electric car lose power.
Thomas Edison inspires Henry Ford
It was actually Thomas Edison who threw the switch on making the gas powered car the vehicle of choice.
Edison, the king of all things electric, met Henry Ford at a now historic dinner in 1896.
The inventor listened to the car creator describe his idea of an ideal car: affordable, dependable, efficient, and requiring almost no maintenance.
In fact, Ford wanted his car to be low priced and maintenance free.
Edison heard all of this and slammed the table with his fist.
He then said these now historic words to Ford –
“Young man, that’s the thing; you have it. Keep at it. Electric cars must keep near to power stations. The storage battery is too heavy. Steam cars won’t do, either, for they require a boiler and fire. Your car is self-contained—carries its own power plant—no fire, no boiler, no smoke and no steam. You have the thing. Keep at it.”
Ford listened.
As a result, Ford moved the world with his new car, which was a public hit.
The electric car drifted out of awareness, except for a few failed attempts over the decades at resurrection, and the fossil fuel driven car won the race.
By 1919, virtually all electric car production was stopped, and the electric began to fade away.
It wouldn’t be until the 1970s, when gasoline prices hit record highs, that the mass public started to look for an electric car again.
I’m joining in that search.
A decade ago, when I met the people who make Panoz race cars (I have two of their street legal beauties), I told them if they make an environmentally friendly sports car, I’d buy it.
They haven’t yet.
When I heard of Ronn Motors inventing a hydrogen driven sports car, I ordered the first one, bought stock in the company, invested in the company, promoted the car on national television and on the front page of local magazines.
The company went bankrupt.
When I heard of a sports car that could run on sea water, I contacted the German company and asked if I could invest in it and order a car.
No one answered.
When Porsche made a one-of-a-kind 918 Spyder electric hybrid sports marvel, I asked the price.
They said $845,000. I passed (and almost passed out).
When BMW (a car maker I’ve always loved), developed the electric hybrid sports car they called the i8, I ordered one.
But after half a year of waiting, the salesman said it would be three more years before I would get my car.
I cancelled my order.
I could go on.
Today the marketplace is ready for an electric (or solar or sea water or any environmentally safe) car that is affordable, dependable, convenient, and attractive.
Tesla is working in that direction.
I’ll keep watching them, and other auto makers like Audi, Acura, and Nissan, to see who wins the next race. I may be a specialist in how to attract a new car, but the car also has to exist. 🙂
Meanwhile, we now have Nerissa’s 2017 Chevy Volt.
Let’s charge up and go!
Ao Akua,
PS – Some of my resources for this post include —
https://www.amazon.com/History-Electric-Cars-Nigel-Burton/dp/1847974619/
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/24/milburn-unveiled-1-000-ev-with-100-mile-range-swappable-batter/
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/overview-of-early-electric-cars.html
http://aetherforce.com/electric-car-powered-by-salt-water-920-hp-373-milestank/
http://www.autobytel.com/hybrid-cars/car-buying-guides/best-electric-sports-cars-128503/
http://www.detroitelectric.org/
Member BBB 2003 – 2016
Puppet of Inspiration
Sometimes I feel like “Inspiration’s Puppet.”
I feel as if I am just a stenographer for – as I called it in my book, The Secret Prayer – “The Great Something.”
I receive an idea from this “vast unknown something” and before you know it I am watching my hands move over the keyboard as the bursting concept in my head evolves into an article, post, song, or book.
But *I* had little to do with it.
All *I* said was YES.
I think we are all like that.
We get ideas and – because we have free will – we can refuse to follow them, or we can say YES and act on them.
Struggle happens when we reject the inspiration.
Success happens when we say YES to the inspiration.
Some of my greatest works were penned by me as Inspiration’s Puppet.
And they were done in record time.
I wrote my global bestselling book Zero Limits in only two weeks.
I wrote the recent manifesto The Awakened Millionaire in about three weeks.
Inspired manifesto
But this doesn’t happen with just books.
When Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and I enter the studio, we often don’t have any idea what we will record.
But we go in open, willing, and ready.
And out of the space we make, inspiration guides us to create such musical gems as At Zero and The Enlightenment Audio and so much more.
And it all happens pretty fast.
You can do this, too.
So, how do you make inspiration your friend?
First: Go to work.
Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy. ~ Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Second: Set a time.
I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning. ~Peter De Vries
Third: Persist.
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. – Jack London
Simple, right?
Another example:
A few years ago, in late 2012, I decided that I was done with music.
But then I set an intention to write ten original songs and record them within eight weeks.
It was an “impossible” goal.
After all, I had no songs, no motivation, and no belief.
How would I pull this off?
BUT I stated a clear intention, which got my inner motors revved up, and to my own delight and surprise, songs came “out of nowhere.”
And yes, I recorded that album – all original, all by me, and all in record time.
My band for all my singer-songwriter albums
That album was called Sun Will Rise.* It and all of my singer-songwriter albums are at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JoeVitale1
In a way, I “pulled” inspiration from thin air with a clear intention.
But sometimes inspiration just appears without an intention.
An example:
Back around 2010, I walked around a Rolls-Royce Phantom, the doors swung open so I could peer inside, and mumbled out loud, “That masterpiece is big enough to have meetings in it.”
Even as I said it, I sensed it was a defining moment in my life.
I bought that divine car, and as I filled out the papers for it, I was writing the sales letter in my head for what was to become the now famous Rolls-Royce Phantom Mastermind.
For the next three years I had people flying in from all over the world – Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Japan and more – all coming to me for one reason: to sit in the car and brainstorm with me.
Celebrity fitness model Jennifer Nicole Lee was also a Phantom Rider (and ABC News filmed it)
And those masterminds helped pay for the car.
(I later sold the Rolls, bought the Fisker Karma electric car that was a nightmare of problems, and then dumped it to buy a Bentley. And yes, I currently host Bentley Masterminds.)
I love inspiration.
Anyone can do this.
It takes intent, faith, action, and persistence.
But the end result is something pretty glorious.
You get to be “Inspiration’s Puppet.”
How cool is that?
Ao Akua,
PS – * You can read about the making of Sun Will Rise at http://blog.mrfire.com/the-fifth-miracle/
Member BBB 2003 - 2016
Brainstorm with Joe Vitale
In case you want to work with me in person, letting me help you personally with my three decades of marketing and metaphysical experience, here are three ways to do it —
1. On May 28th I am holding a private mastermind event in Austin, Texas. It will be a half-day of brainstorming with me and nine other people. It is a powerful way to profit from the group energy and the group’s experience, combined with my own. The fee is $5,000. Write [email protected] for details, availability, etc.
2. If you would prefer a one-on-one mastermind, with just you and me, working together on your life and business, then you might want to consider the Phantom Mastermind. While I sold my Rolls-Royce, I have a brand new 2016 Bentley that we can drive to dinner in, and then spend three or four hours focused on you and your desires. The fee is $7,500. To register, write [email protected] The site explaining it is – https://www.mrfire.com/phantom/
3. If you want year-long personal mentoring by me, with monthly meetings by phone or Skype, then you might consider my Gullwing Mastermind. This is a major commitment of time and money, but clearly it could obviously transform your life and business forever. Write [email protected] Details are at — http://blog.mrfire.com/whats-your-gullwing/
Finally —
And if you want a far less investment to get some insights and inspiration from me, consider my new Awakened Millionaire Academy. You can have lifetime access for only a one-time investment. Details at — http://awakenedmillionaireacademy.com/join-12/
Choose your path to success.
Write [email protected] with any questions.
Expect Miracles.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – If you feel all of the above are beyond your reach at this time, then be sure to go read The Miracles Manual: The Secret Coaching Sessions. All three volumes are yours, free, over at – http://www.miraclesmanual.com
Note: All prices are good at the time of this posting and may change at any time.
Available April 18th
What's Your Gullwing?
Brace yourself. This is the first time I’ve ever made this offer. It is limited to 10 people. It will transform your life. It is BIG. Details below…
“Joe Vitale is a true marketing, sales and promotion genius.”
– Dan Kennedy, in his book ‘No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent’
“Just when you think you understand how the world works Joe Vitale comes along and takes you to a whole new place. He’s engaging, entertaining, enlightening and – oh boy – does he ever stretch your thinking.” – Ian Percy, Reg. Psych. and member of both the US and Canadian Speaker Halls of Fame.
“No one else I know of could help someone come up with a Barnum-like Big Idea and then help them take it to fruition = becoming a huge phenomenon, which means BIG money, fame, recognition, and unique world positioning. See Joe Vitale’s outrageous list of accomplishments to know this is the real deal.” – David Garfinkel, Copywriter, Author, Consultant
What else is possible?
What’s left undone?
What can you attempt to attract or achieve that would stun even you?
Yes, you can stay comfy.
You earned it.
But we both know that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
That’s where “the rush” is.
That’s why people do dare devil endurance feats and climb mountains and open businesses.
They want more.
That’s why people in Kuwait, already wealthy, open retail shops.
They are seeking the gusto of life.
They want to feel alive.
What’s your next dream?
While you think about your answer, allow me to share my own answer.
My own big dream is the desire for a vintage Gullwing.
That’s a Mercedes SL300 Gullwing.
The Legendary Mercedes SL300 Gullwing
That’s the iconic car considered by many as the world’s first super car.
Gullwing doors.
Leading edge engineering.
Futuristic design.
Built in 1954-55 and sought today as investment grade masterpieces.
And fetching upwards to two million dollars.
Each.
I want one.
I want one because the desire for one is melting my limits about what I think is possible.
If a once homeless man like me can attract a vintage Gullwing, what else is possible?
It’s not about the Gullwing.
It’s about The Stretch.
So, what’s your Gullwing?
It doesn’t need to be a car.
It can be anything that makes you suck in air.
It can be anything you long for but have yet to achieve.
Anything that gives you chills.
Anything that makes you a little scared and a lot excited.
What’s your Gullwing?
What would you like to experience just because you want it?
I’m looking for 10 people to join a Gullwing Mastermind with me.
This is a full year program for creating miracles.
It’s what Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, declared was the key to success.
He wrote –
“The “Master Mind” may be defined as: ‘Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.'” – Napoleon Hill
The Gullwing Mastermind private group that I am inviting you to join consists of –
- Weekly meetings. (Once a week group phone call)
- Personal consults. (Once a month personal Skype consult with me)
- Yearly retreat. (Once a year in a beautiful US location)
ALSO –
- I will review your marketing and/or business and life goals.
- I will help you with your planning and implementation.
- I will help you find or create your own Big Idea
- I will help you create ways to bring it to the masses
- As you probably know, I bring decades of experience to the table in areas of marketing, copywriting, idea generation, book publishing, Law of Attraction, self-help, speaking, consulting, hypnosis, clearing, music and more. (See below)
- You can tap my brain in any area.
AND –
- And you will get a gift for each week of completion – that’s 52 gifts a year. These might be old and new books, audios, packages, little known items by me, and so forth.
- AND you can attend any event I hold in the next ten years as my guest.
And you will have the power of a mastermind to help you achieve your goals.
Some of the most successful people I know are in one or more mastermind groups.
I met a man recently who is in five masterminds.
These are powerful, inspiring, life changing.
You not only draw from my experience, but you have the collective power of the entire mastermind group on your side – the wisdom, energy, support, experience, education, resources, contacts, and more.
Obviously, this is a priceless experience.
"Money likes speed"
But maybe you need to know more about me —
* I started as a homeless nobody, lived in poverty for a decade, and went on to fame and fortune. Today I live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Incredibly successful people hunt me down for consultations and engagements, like the princess in Kuwait who paid me six figures to speak at her event, and the son of the man who produced The Beatles who wants me in a movie and television show he is producing.
* I wrote more books than most people read in a lifetime – about 50 so far, with numerous ones being bestsellers, such as The Attractor Factor and the recent The Secret Prayer. These books have become #1 bestsellers on Amazon, in the overall category of ALL books. I have been published in every way you can name, and have secrets and insights about each approach.
* I recorded multiple bestselling self-help programs, for the largest and most famous audio producer in the world, and saw many of them become record-breaking bestsellers – even out selling Earl Nightingale’s famous programs. I know how to create, package, and sell programs so the world hears about them.
* I pioneered Internet marketing, wrote one of the first books every published about it in the 1990s, created outrageous attention grabbing stunts like being the first to hypnotize someone live online, using the Internet to out sell a Harry Potter book, and selling a hefty package and making half a million dollars in three days.
* I traveled around the world, speaking in countries as diverse as Russia, Peru, Poland, and Kuwait, and of course being a keynote speaker at major events in the USA, including for the National Speakers Association, and at mega-wealth events with Donald Trump and Tony Robbins on the same bill as me.
* I invented Hypnotic Writing, Hypnotic Marketing, Buying Trances, The Secret Mirror, The Secret Reflection, Miracles Coaching, Wealth Trigger, Hyper-Wealth, and much more, all of which are staggeringly successful. I know how to generate ideas, package them, and market them to the masses.
* I wrote sales copy for more authors, speakers, consultants, CEOs, celebrities and more, than I care to remember, increasing their sales, improving real world numbers, and more. I’m talking everyone from The Red Cross to hospitals and non-profits to Abraham of Jerry and Esther Hicks fame. I created Hypnotic Writing and wrote a book explaining it.
* I have attracted national media exposure being on everything from Larry King Live (twice) to Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea show, to being on ABC, Fox, CNN, CNBC and more. I’ve been in the New York Times and Newsweek. I know the value of media exposure in establishing you as an authority and the “go to” person.
* I have been in 15 movies, with The Secret being the most famous, and three more coming out in 2016. And I got in one of the movies because of a mastermind.
* I am coming out with my own television show in 2016. It’s going to combine a TED-style talk with Oprah-style interviews and the selling power of QVC, and is designed to inspire people to go for their dreams.
* I wrote Attract Money Now and give it away as a list builder and gift to humanity. I also give away numerous other books, including The Miracles Manual and The Abundance Manifesto. I know the value of “karmic marketing” in helping the planet and yourself.
* I brought ho’oponopono to the world, through my books, Zero Limits and AT Zero, reaching an estimated 5,000,000 people.
* Near the age of 60 I recreated myself as a musician and, at my last count, recorded 15 albums. I called myself the world’s first self-help singer-songwriter to separate myself from the overwhelming competition. Reverbnation voted me #1 singer-songwriter. My music videos have attracted hundreds of thousands of views. I have over three hundred thousand fans. My albums with Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon have made more money than most musicians ever make in an entire career. I know how to reframe and repackage to market to success.
* I developed a spiritual approach to wealth, ignoring cutthroat methods and always focusing on a balanced, healthy approach to success, based on passion and purpose. I know how to create win-win-win negotiations and conduct business from the heart.
* I can listen to virtually anybody for about 20 minutes and see or create a unique money making idea specific to them. I have done it with friends and strangers, helping them create products, and with my own wife, helping her create a bestselling cookbook.
* I created a movement to end homelessness, raised funds for those in poverty, and compiled a book to help others who struggle. I know how to think big, confront limitations, and urge people to go for their highest ideals.
* I discovered the “missing secret” in self development, the idea of counter-intentions, and have been teaching it to people for over a decade, in my books, audios, and Miracles Coaching program. This one method alone can accelerate results for anyone.
* I’m considered an expert on the Law of Attraction, and know how to use it, teach it, and go beyond it. I’ve explained deeper concepts than it in my books and audio programs, such as The Awakening Course. Most people have a superficial or erroneous understanding of LOA. I help them get clear. I help them get results.
* I invented e-classes back in the 1990s, which everyone and his brother offers today. I know how to repackage material as an authentically new product.
* I wrote There’s A Customer Born Every Minute, the only business book on P.T. Barnum, the famous circus promoter who was also a speaker, writer, politician, entrepreneur, publicity genius, and more. Studying Barnum (and others like him, like Houdini, Branson, and Trump) gave me the ability to “Barnumize” almost any business by finding or creating the Big Idea and promoting it to the world for fame, fortune and immortality.
* I created the Rolls-Royce Phantom Mastermind, where people flew in from all over the world to spend a few hours with me in the famous luxury car, going to dinner, sharing, and getting coaching from me. ABC television news covered one of them. I know how to think bigger than big and light a fire under people to go for their dreams.
I could go on.
The point is, you not only will get the collective genius of the mastermind, but you will also draw from my own experience as well.
But I have to warn you –
This won’t be cheap and it won’t be for everybody.
After all, when I offered the Rolls-Royce Phantom Mastermind, people paid $5,000 to $7,500 each for just the evening with me.
An entire year will of course be a much larger investment.
If you qualify, we can arrange a payment plan, too.
If this idea makes your palms sweat, but makes your heart race with anticipation, then contact my assistant for details.
Write Suzanne at suzanne @ mrfire.com (close spaces to make it a workable email address).
Are you ready to fly?
Are you ready to stretch?
Are you ready to go for the biggest dreams of your life?
What’s your Gullwing?
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Note: If this offer to join my Gullwing Mastermind ends up being too pricey for you at this time, remember that you can always join Miracles Coaching right now. And you can always read many of my books, such as Attract Money Now, for free.
Member BBB 2003 - 2015
Wealth vs Riches
A friend said, “The richest person I know lives in a van and gives out cookies.”
I’m sure my friend was confusing riches with wealth.
As Roger Hamilton once said, “Wealth is what you have left over after you’ve lost all your money.”
In other words, riches are measurable materials like cash and assets, and wealth is the immeasurable but still real capital such as skills, relationships, wisdom, experience, education and the like.
To live in today’s world, you need both.
The man living in a van has to buy fuel; he also has to buy the ingredients to make cookies, or buy them ready to eat. He probably also has some sort of utility expenses.
He needs money, too.
A friend who volunteers a lot once said, “You need money to work for free.”
Spiritual people often deceive themselves into thinking money is bad or evil.
You can certainly use money to do bad things, but money itself is neutral.
We use it instead of swapping furs for shoes.
A wiser and more balanced approach is to make peace with money and increase your wealth.
You do both with education: inspiration and information, and rightly applied.
Years ago I created a course on just that, called “The Secret to Attracting Money.”
Entire course on attracting money
Despite the word ‘money’ in the title, it’s actually a spiritual and material approach to having a wholesome life.
After all, you are free to live as you please, but my experience reveals that you can be happier and healthier, and help more people and causes, when you are wealthy and rich.
Yes, you can hand out cookies, but it may be wiser to hand out cash.
I’ve given away cars, guitars, cash, and more.
I’ve helped family and friends, and complete strangers.
I’ve donated to causes and movements that help others.
I could not do any of that when I was homeless, or in poverty, or if I lived in a van giving out cookies.
“Be studious in your profession, and you will be learned. Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich. Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy. Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy.” Benjamin Franklin
Yes, reduce your expenses.
Yes, live within your means.
And yes, follow your dreams and fulfill your life mission and make a difference in the world.
Live with eyes and heart open, so you can experience all of life and help others, too.
If you agree, check out my course at The Secret to Attracting Money.
Wealth and Riches await.
Ao Akua,
PS – If you prefer to not spend any money at all today, you can read my book on the subject, for free, at Attract Money Now.
Member BBB 2003 - 2015
