The death of Las Vegas stage hypnotist, author and friend Dr. Scott Lewis has left me rattled.
When I heard of his sudden death in a freak accident in Australia early yesterday morning, I hoped it was a sick hoax.
But as I searched for reliable news bulletins, I realized it was true.
I am still processing this, as Scott was one of my best friends.
Scott began as a client of mine decades ago. Over the years, he became one of my closest friends. He took me to my first magic convention in Las Vegas. He bought me magic tricks for my birthday and Christmas. He introduced me to Vegas celebrities when he was their chiropractor.
He took me back stage at Vegas shows and had me hang out with the stars. He always introduced me as a star, and told legends like magician Lance Burton that I was a marketing genius and author of a book on P.T. Barnum. Scott always elevated my status in a room full of high level people.
He used to tell me his dream of having his own show. He had a lot of doubts, fears and reservations, but one day he decided to do it.
He was so scared, he dripped sweat and kept his notes on a stool on stage. Yet he got past his jitters and ended up with the longest running stage hypnosis show in Las Vegas history.
Many of my friends got to know Scott because he’d perform his comedy hypnosis show at marketing seminars. Many were hypnotized on stage, had a blast entertaining all of us, and still tell the stories of how it happened.
I loved his sense of humor. He was fun to be around. He visited me when I lived in Houston, and more recently outside of Austin. We talked for hours, shared stories, insights, hopes and dreams.
He was supportive of me when I went through family loss and health scares, and was supportive when I expressed my own big dreams. Numerous times he invited me to be his opening act at his Vegas show at the Riviera, where he said I could perform magic or sing my songs.
Though he turned to me for marketing advice, news releases, and encouragement, he was an idea machine and a product generator on the level of uber intelligent. Recently he sent me his new promotional flyer. I looked at it, shook my head in wonder, and wrote Scott a note, saying “It’s genius! I wouldn’t change a thing.” It was true.
We created hypnosis products together, coauthored a book on Las Vegas marketing secrets, worked together on a series of videos with Las Vegas show girls, and more.
Scott was very generous, too. He helped friends of mine quit smoking, lose weight, end pain, and stop bad habits, with hypnosis sessions he never charged to do.
We spoke on the phone a lot, emailed weekly, and continued to support each other in having fun as we make a difference in the world. He was very excited about getting to be in the Australia show he loved and admired, the one he was scheduled to perform in again when he fell to his death.
Scott was 50 years old. He didn’t smoke or drink, and was almost unhealthily concerned about health.
I remember giving him a ride in my Panoz roadster (the one Stephen Tyler owned and I later gave away). Scott had to lather sun block on his face before he’d get in. He was again doing his best to protect his health.
Yet what took his life was a fall off a balcony in Australia.
I’m still processing this news, and mourning the loss of my friend.
Is there a lesson here?
Here’s one —
I had a spiritual teacher once who said that in any moment, everything can be swept away with a pen stroke, an accident, or something else.
Knowing this reality, our job is to stay in the moment and do what needs to be done with gratitude, focus and passion.
I loved Scott Lewis, and will always miss him.
He lived his dream.
May you live yours.
Ao Akua,
joe
PS – Scott’s site is here. I just found this video of Scott and me playing and promoting from 2008. I laughed and cried at the same time. I loved the guy.
“I love your book.”
“Which one?” I asked.
I was talking to my lawn care guy.
“The new one, the one called At Zero, the one where you explained the history and inner secrets of that Hawaiian thing I can’t pronounce.”
“You mean ho’oponopono?” I asked.
“Yea. That one. I loved your book Zero Limits but this new one blew the lid off my mind.”
“What did you like about the new book?”
“You really showed me how deep you go in using the method,” he explained. “I was amazed to read about your own dark night of the soul and how you went so deep to unravel how you attracted it and how you got out of it.”
“Thank you.”
“Most people think they are working on themselves when they aren’t; not really. Your stories reveal how to dig into the heart of change.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Plus I didn’t know I was doing ho’opo wrong,” he confessed. “Your book really opened my eyes.”
“Yea, a lot of people don’t get how the method actually works to bring on miracles.”
“I also didn’t know that that ho’opono-thing came from such dark beginnings.”
“Most people don’t,” I said.
“The final secret that you reveal took me a while to get,” he said. “I almost missed it until I realized you spelled it out in this new book and my mind wasn’t letting me see it.”
“Our minds are tricksters,” I said.
“Well, I loved this new book At Zero and sure hope you sell a lot of them as it can really help people.”
“Thank you again.”
“Well, I better finish your lawn.”
Ao Akua,
PS — Here’s what the experts say —
“Joe’s new book was just as I knew it would be – FABULOUS!
The riveting stories and enlightening insights lifted my
spirits and filled my soul with love. This is indeed a path
to miracles!”
– Janet Bray Attwood, co/author NY Times bestseller,
The Passion Test
“This book ought to be a movie. A masterpiece of story
telling and a revelation on how the Hawaiian healing
system of Ho’oponopono really works.”
~ Barnet Bain, movie producer, “What Dreams May Come”
and “The Celestine Prophecy”
“In ‘At Zero’, Dr. Joe Vitale shares the catalyst of his
own awakening. He is vulnerable, insightful and shares
authentic Ho’oponopono secrets that are empowering and
inspiring. If you want to get to the state of zero, where
there are no limiting beliefs, I highly suggest you read
this book.”
– Dr. Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist
Go see http://www.atzerobook.com
The secret to making 2014 better than any previous year is easy: do something different.
Don’t do just anything different, of course.
Be smart about your conscious change.
Here are three steps to help you make 2014 awesome:
1. Declare a Specific New Intention.
Intentions engage your body-mind-spirit and also alert the Universe to your desire. State a new intention, or a revised old one; one that inspires and delights you, but one that is also doable in baby steps. In other words, “I intend to earn a million dollars in 2014” might be too big a jump. It might engage limiting beliefs. But a goal such as, “I intend to attract 5% more income each month” may be more believable and doable to you. The idea is for the intention to be within reach while still a stretch; something you can get to with daily steps. I also think your intention should be inspired, meaning it feels like a directive from the Divine and not an indulgence of your ego. Again, your past intentions/goals/resolutions may have been too big, or not connected to your core passion. Reassess and restate. Today’s the day.
2. Take Daily Baby Step Actions.
The Law of Attraction requires action. Do daily steps toward the intention. Often people set such big goals that they don’t know where to start, so they get overwhelmed and don’t do anything. It’s far wiser to break down the intent into little things you can do every day. You may not be able to make 100 cold calls all at once, but you can make 2 or 3 a day. You may not be able to release excess weight in one week, but you can do something daily to move in that direction, such as walking, drinking more water, etc. You may not be able to write a book in a day or a week, but you can write a little every day, and in time you will see a book. The point is by doing something every day, you will move to your goal. This is a simple thing you can implement today. I mean, right now.
3. Get Support.
Get allies. You’ll have far greater success in 2014 if you surround yourself with people who believe in you, and cut ties with the critics and naysayers who don’t. Having your own Miracles Coach is the number one thing you can do to make the new year a true stand-out for you. The right coach can keep you accountable, motivated, inspired and informed. One of the reasons for my successes in so many areas, including most recently in music, is having a support team. I always have a coach to help me “get clear” of any limiting beliefs within myself. The more I clear out the internal blocks, the faster I tend to achieve and attract my goals. This is the secret to greatness: get a coach.
Obviously, there are lots of things we could talk about to help make 2014 a record breaker for you, but the above three steps are the keys to change.
Sooooo….
Let’s review —
1. Declare a specific new goal. What’s yours? Think believable but BIG.
2. Take daily actions. What will you do each day? Baby steps lead to adult results.
3. Get support. Who will be your allies and coach? Enroll in Miracles Coaching.
You can do it!
I believe in you!
Happy New Year!
Ao Akua,
PS – And be looking for this head spinning new book, the long awaited sequel to Zero Limits, coming out in just a few days…
It may not mean much to you that my parents got together around 1952…
…and had me in 1953….
…but today is my birthday.
And I am very grateful.
Sixty years and counting.
Thank you, Mom and Dad.
Ao Akua,
joe
Recently, when the Mega Millions lotto was up to a staggering hundreds of millions of dollars, I sent this email to a handful of friends –
“The lottery is at over half a billion dollars. If you won it, what would you do differently?”
Two of my friends took the question for what it was: a prosperity exercise designed to reveal your true desires.
Daniel Barrett, my music producer and my coauthor of the forthcoming book, The Remembering Process, listed well over a dozen ways he would spend, give, or invest the money.
It was pretty impressive, and got me thinking about my own list.
Lori Anderson, another dear friend who supports me in all my endeavors, author of the new book, Divorce with Grace, listed her number one desire: to have her own television talk show.
She, also, got me thinking.
Their serious answers made me reflect on how I would act if I won the Mega Millions lotto, too.
What would I do differently?
Or what else would I do, with hundreds of millions of dollars to spare?
So I made my own list, which was eye-opening. (Apparently there are more music albums and more books in me.)
What about you?
Making a list of what you would do with that much money can be revealing, but it’s only the first step.
Note: Many people claim to have a system to help you win the lottery. Here’s one I have heard of (but not tried): http://outrageous.hooke1.hop.clickbank.net
The second part of the exercise is to ask yourself what you can do right now, even if baby steps, to move toward creating your desires.
It’s not about the lotto. Virtually everyone dreams of winning it, but almost none are prepared for it. You have to grow into handling that much more money. For many, it is too much, too soon.
But you can use the prosperity exercise of pretending you won to –
Again, most people need to grow into having more money.
I’ve landed some pretty big publishing, speaking, and consulting deals. But had that money come when I was homeless or in poverty, or still struggling on a limited income, I would not have been able to handle the wealth.
I had to dissolve inner limiting beliefs about money, success, self-worth, and more to allow more money to come into my life.
This is why so many lotto winners lose their money. They aren’t ready for it.
Again, I invite you to use the fantasy of the lotto win to reveal your true desires, and then to nudge you to look in the mirror and ask what you can do right now to make your dreams come true.
And don’t deceive yourself into thinking you would just blow the money on cars and furs and travel and such. You can play with the kid’s view of money — “I’d buy a house full of candy!” – but you want to go deeper.
After you buy the new cars and the big houses and the world cruises and all the toys, wine and cheese that you want; and after you pay off all your debt and give money to family and friends and causes you believe in; what would you then do?
This is what “The Lottery Secret” is all about.
Face it —
You don’t need more money.
You need clarity and action.
Clarity.
Action.
That’s it!
With those, the money (or whatever may actually help you achieve your desire) will show up.
But you have to start the ball moving with clarity and action.
And you can begin right now by playing “The Lottery Secret” prosperity game.
So here’s the question again…
“The lottery is at over half a billion dollars. If you won it, what would you do differently?”
Well?
Ao Akua
joe
PS – If you need help exploring money as a spiritual self-help tool, and clearing yourself of limiting beliefs so you can accept more good in your life, consider The Secret to Attracting Money complete bestselling audio program.
PSS – Again, a system that claims to help you win the lottery (which I have not tested) is here: http://outrageous.hooke1.hop.clickbank.net