Tag: faith

I’ve been carrying a special coin for more than ten years. It’s inscribed with the famous quote, “All things are possible with faith.” It has a mustard seed in it. It’s a great reminder to hang in there; to have faith in today, tomorrow, your dreams, and more.

This morning I noticed I lost it. I didn’t worry about it, though, as I had faith I would find another. I went online and did.

But how many people lose their faith and then give up?

How many people have faith but don’t use it for anything?

Mustard Seed Coin

Faith is tricky. Some people use it as a form of self-delusion. They use it as an excuse to not take any action.

They say they “have faith” they will get the money for the bills, or find the cure for their health issue, or stumble across the love of their life.

They sit and wait for the results.

After all, they “have faith.”

But faith without action can be self sabotage.

I’m all for having faith. I wrote an entire book about it.*  I’m all for being relaxed about life and letting things you want appear. But I find they appear faster, and more reliably, if I move toward them.

For example, I have faith I’ll write an interesting blog post here for you today, even though I have no idea what I’m saying or going to say as I write this. But I am writing. I am doing, and in that doing, my faith will bring fruit.

I’m inviting you to have faith, and to use it as motivation to do something.

In other words, without faith, there’s little likelihood that you’ll do anything at all. You’ll sleep walk through life. You’ll go with whatever flow is presented to you. That’s okay if you’re willing to remain one of the walking dead. That’s fine if you’re content with the flow your life is currently in.

But what if you want more, or something different, or a smoother flow?

When you have faith, you are fortified internally to do something to make your dreams come true.

Faith gives you wind for your sails. When you have faith that you will attract the money you need, or the relationship you seek, you are positioned to take action to attract the results you expect.

But action is still needed.

Click image to pre-order "Faith"

I’ve been trying to understand why so many people are resistant to taking action. My hunch is they fear doing something they detest; or they fear the result — success or failure — of their actions.

But everything in life is action.

Even “non action” is a type of action. Prayer is an action. Meditating is an action. Imagery is an action. Action is not all digging ditches or taking out the garbage. Action can be small, like breathing, but usually is more intentional, like deep breathing to relax.

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” -Anatole France

Faith can help you take action. After all, the mustard seed’s coin says anything is possible with faith. I’ve often told audiences that a mustard seed has no doubt. It’s going to be mustard. It’s clear.

When you have that kind of faith, virtually anything really is possible for you.

Faith is only a delusion when you use it to replace action. Thinking faith will keep you dry in the rain isn’t smart. Take an umbrella and have faith it will keep you try.

Here’s one more example:

Mathew Dixon and I are currently in the studio recording new music for the follow-up album to our bestselling, “Aligning to Zero.” http://www.aligningtozero.info

When we are in the studio, we have no idea what we will record. We go in with the intention to create something as stunningly beautiful (or better) than “Aligning to Zero,” but that’s it. We don’t have songs or melodies or much more direction than that.

Mathew Dixon and yours truly

We have faith that music will come, because we are preparing to receive it.

We are acting. We are doing. We are available. We are in the studio. We have our guitars and mikes and software. And we are experimenting with ideas, feeling out what wants to appear.

But get this: We wouldn’t even go into the studio if we didn’t have faith that something would come to us by our action of going into the studio!

Faith comes first.

And the results so far have been spectacular. We are recording music so heavenly that I am in awe. To think that we had nothing (but faith), and then out of our allowing (and action), came inspiration.

Wow!

It’s yet another miracle.

The same kind that is available to you, too.

Faith may only be delusional when you don’t actually do anything with it.

Have faith – and act.

I lost my faith coin today.

But my faith that I could get another one was right there.

I took action.

I have a new coin coming.

Where’s your faith?

Where’s your action?

Ao Akua,

joe

PS – *My new book, Faith, will be available on February 15th. You can pre-order Faith online right now at http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Dr-Joe-Vitale/dp/1927005159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357824279&sr=1-1&keywords=faith+joe+vitale

Let’s start off 2013 with a lesson….

As you probably know, you are either living your life from Faith or you are living it from Fear.

Most people live in fear. It’s not very helpful and not much fun. It creates an “attractor field” that pulls to you more to be in fear about.

Forget that. You did that last year.

I want you to go into 2013 with FAITH.

Faith in yourself, faith in your dreams, faith in other people, faith in your future…

Here’s how you can do that —

Click image to pre-order

Pre-order my new book, Faith, right now and get it at a dramatic discount.  Just go to — http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faith-dr-joe-vitale/1107085150?ean=9781927005156

Or go to Amazon — http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Dr-Joe-Vitale/dp/1927005159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356954539&sr=8-1&keywords=faith+joe+vitale

Of course, you’ll have to wait for the book to arrive sometime in late February.

So what do you do till then?

What can you do today?

Here’s what I suggest:

In every moment, ask yourself if you are feeling fear or you are feeling faith.

Actually, what are you feeling right now?

Fear or Faith?

Fear is belief in the negative.

Faith is belief in the positive.

Both are simply beliefs, yet beliefs are what create your reality. They’re the software operating your life.

Take a breath and choose faith.

Living in fear is limiting and exhausting.

Living in faith is liberating and energizing.

Which do you want?

My new book will explain how to have faith in yourself, faith in other people, faith in a higher power, and more.

You always have a choice.

What’s yours?

Ao Akua,

joe

PS — Remember, you can pre-order my new book, Faith, right now and get it at a dramatic discount.  Just go to — http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faith-dr-joe-vitale/1107085150?ean=9781927005156 Or go to Amazon — http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Dr-Joe-Vitale/dp/1927005159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356954539&sr=8-1&keywords=faith+joe+vitale

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Someone commented on my recent blog post about believing in magic, wanting to know about ancient warriors who wore magic vests to protect themselves from arrows or bullets. He felt they were into “magical thinking” and not into reality.

I found that odd.

For one thing, if I were really going into battle, I’d wear anything at all that promised to protect me. I’d quickly put on a “magic vest.” I’d wear spaghetti strands on my head or a necklace of rabbit pellets if I thought it would help me.

After all, I’d be going into battle.

I think you’d be a little silly not to do whatever it took to feel stronger, from praying to rituals to ornaments to you name it. I mean, come on, anything that helps you get through such a terrifying experience as war should be acceptable.

But let’s look a little deeper at my friend’s comment.

When is magical thinking a problem?

My research in placebos — defined as “A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect” — confirms that when you believe in something, your belief tends to make it come true.

There are even shocking scientific studies that prove when many people with knee problems were led to believe they had knee surgery — but in fact did not have the surgery– they actually got better. (!) (See http://blogs.discovery.com/good_idea/2008/05/placebo-surgery.html)

There are even more recent studies that reveal a placebo will work even when you know it is a placebo. (!)  (See http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/dec/22/placebo-effect-patients-sham-drug)

This isn’t news. I’ve known about the power of belief since the 1960s, when I first read Claude Bristol’s masterpiece, The Magic of Believing. Your belief molds reality. Believe something is true about yourself or your world and you’ll tend to attract the circumstances to match it.

You Attract What You Believe

This works with negative beliefs, as well.

The “nocebo” is a negative expectation and will just as easily create a match to it. In other words, if you believe things will go wrong, or something will have a harmful effect, you will tend to attract that expectation. (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2709-2002Apr29)

This leads to an interesting predicament:

If your belief influences your reality so dramatically, then when is your belief in conflict with reality?

• Is wearing a magic vest going into war just deluding yourself?
• Is believing in a positive outcome despite current reality a self delusion?
• Is believing in a negative outcome despite contrary evidence a mistake?

Probably.

Yes, you may be deluding yourself when you wear a magic vest or a blessed ring. But that very “delusion” is the belief that will help you go through your life with strength, and it may even be the extra edge you need to help you survive and prosper.

Put another way, what’s your alternative?

Go into battle with nothing?

Go through life with no power?

Since your belief is the controlling element here, you are free to believe in the positive, or the negative, or “nothing” at all. (I put the word “nothing” in quotes as even believing in nothing is believing in something. It’s still belief.)

Some think the great god called Science is the be-all and end-all of what’s “real.” Yet science is always coming to conclusions that conflict previous conclusions. And the current science behind placebos proves what you believe is more important than the so-called “reality” around you.

In fact, if science were the deciding factor on reality, why don’t all scientists agree?

Why are there scientists who believe in ESP, for example, and scientists who don’t believe in it?

Gee, I thought science was the final verdict.

I quit reading popular science magazines like Psychology Today because it was apparent they simply reported recent studies. Stick around long enough and you’ll find new studies to conflict with the old studies. And so it goes.

In short, what’s real?

Ever since I released my book and audio program titled The Awakening Course, I’ve stressed that reality is an illusion. This isn’t new, either. Buddha and others, especially non-duality teachers, say the same thing. When you come from the fourth stage of awakening, you see the illusion.

As Einstein said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

The goal is to awaken

Again, you are free to wear magic amulets or vests, or do nothing of the kind. You can put your faith in “magic” or you can put your faith in “reality.”

Both reflect your beliefs.

Both, at essence, are reality.

After all, the “reality” you see is viewed through your perceptions, and those perceptions are made from your beliefs.

If you’ve met me, heard me speak, viewed my pictures, or seen me on television or in movies, you know I wear rings and beads. I personally believe some of it is for branding, some of it has some real esoteric mojo in it, and I believe it helps me.

In fact, whenever I speak in public, I wear a special gem made in part from the Gibeon meteorite. That meteorite is older than planet Earth. Estimated about four billion years old. It’s beautiful, and I can feel extra energy when I wear it. It was also a gift from Nerissa a decade ago, so it has sentimental value, too. (You can see me wearing it on the cover of my book, Instant Manifestation.)

Wearing my Magic

What’s most important about it?

My belief in it.

That said, what’s actually real?

I’d rather believe in a magical universe and see my life blossom with miracles then walk through it fearing every turn of a leaf.

Rounding back to my friend who posted the comment about “magical thinking” possibly being bad for you, I want to remind him of the Sufi saying, “Trust in Allah, but tether your camel first.”

That means to trust in your “magical vest” but also do whatever it takes to take care of yourself.

This is what co-creating reality is all about. Yes, there’s magic, and yes, there’s your actions in the physical world. The wisest thing would be to blend the two.

The only real danger in magic is relying solely on it.

Shawn Achor, in his book The Happiness Advantage, suggests you wear rose tinted glasses as opposed to rose colored glasses. He put it this way:

“As the name implies, rose-tinted glasses let the really major problems into our field of vision, while still keeping our focus largely on the positive.”

I’ll end by quoting Bruce Barton, the subject of my book, The Seven Lost Secrets of Success. Barton wrote the following in 1927 in his own book, What Can a Man Believe:

“Faith in business, faith in the country, faith in one’s self, faith in other people – this is the power that moves the world. And why is it unreasonable to believe that this power, which is so much stronger than any other, is merely a fragment of the Great Power which operates the universe.”

In short, if I were going into battle, I’d definitely put on a magic vest and I’d do everything else possible to stay safe.

The magic vest may or may not have power in and of itself, but my believing in it will have power.

Said another way, a placebo isn’t actually real, but the placebo effect is.

Have faith and tether your camel.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — If you want help in understanding and applying this thinking, consider Miracles Coaching.

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