Recently a person commented that I was just after “the dimes.”

When I said I was actually just following the Divine, somebody else said it was clear I was just after “the dollars.”

The two comments got me thinking about money, motivation and perception. I decided I would share some of my insights here with you. I think you’ll find it interesting, and it contains at least one lesson for you, as well. Here goes:

First, money is good.

Most people think, at least unconsciously, money is bad. You hear this sort of patter from “spiritual people” who haven’t fully embraced all of life.  They still think poverty will get them into heaven. They still think money is evil. They still think dimes and dollars are not the Divine. I’ve exposed the fallacy of this kind of thinking in my book, Attract Money Now (which is still free to read online). Anyone who thinks money taints you, doesn’t realize money can save you. It’s a tool. It’s a hammer that can build salvation. It is a concrete form of the spiritual.

I’ve said repeatedly that if you want to make a difference in the world, learn how to attract money and then direct it to where it will do the most good. I’ve given tens of thousands of dollars to causes I believe in. I’ve given tens of thousands of dollars to strangers as well as close friends. I’ve bought new cars for family members. I’m not saying this to brag or seek your approval. I’m saying this to expand your mind;  to illustrate the freedom and power you get to do positive things when you allow money into your life. Money is a powerful solution. No wonder great saints, such as Mother Teresa, raised millions of dollars and used it as they felt directed. Money is good.

Second, the key to success is following passion.

I have never taught or been motivated by money alone. That’s a fast track to unhappiness. The direct route to success is in following your passion, while using money as a scorecard that enables you to keep following your passion. That’s what I do. That’s what billionaires such as Donald Trump and Sir Richard Branson do. Since I’m writing these blog posts for free, the only thing compelling me is the passion to do so. I’ve told several friends recently that this blog is my pet project. I love it. My recent writing and thinking goes here. But I rarely focus on anything you can buy direct from me. Usually I simply get excited about something and can’t wait to share it with you. That’s not being money directed, that’s being passion directed.

That said, I also have bills to pay, just like you. If I charge for a book, it’s because a lot of people were involved in its creation (editors, printers, publishers, etc) and they all have bills to pay, too. My Miracles Coaching program, for example, has about 300 people involved in running it. Obviously I can’t give it away for free. Those 300 people also have bills to pay. Likewise, you need to charge for what you do, as well, if only to be able to live and work in the world. But the whole issue of money becomes an after thought if you first focus on following your passion.

Third, life is an ink blot test.

Basically, what you see in what I or anyone else does is a projection of your own unconscious beliefs. You have no idea what my (or anyone’s) internal motivation is, so you’re left to guess. Lots of room for error there. My fans will see that I’m sharing what I love; my critics will see that I’m selling what I like. Which is it, in reality? Am I serving or selling? It depends on the lens you look through. You have a choice. For me, I promote what I love and think will be of value to you. It’s of the purest intent. But I can’t control what you think, and I don’t want to even try. I do the best I can, based on my passion and my connection to the Divine. Sometimes I remind myself of what Abraham Lincoln said when he was hounded by people who didn’t understand what he was doing:

“If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”

The lesson here for you is to insulate yourself from people who belittle you and what you do. Get clear on your passion, get clear of limiting beliefs about money, and take action to make a difference in the world.

There will always be critics. It’s easy to be one. Just sit back and find fault with others. That’s a no brainer. But to actually do something worthwhile with your life, there’s the challenge and the thrill.

I end most of my emails to my list with the 16th Century Latin phrase, Aude Aliquid Dignum, which translates as,  “Dare Something Worthy.”

Follow the Divine, be true to your heart, dare something worthy, and let the critics squabble.

And if anyone questions you in a negative way, remember what Mark Twain advised:

“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”

Now go do something good.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Recently when I promoted my latest audio program, The Abundance Paradigm: Moving from the Law of Attraction to the Law of Creation, I asked people if they thought I should charge for it or give it away for free. The overwhelming vote was to charge for it. Even my customers knew the value of the product and the fairness of exchanging dollars for it. Follow your passion, charge for what you do, and use the money to make a difference in your life and in the lives of those you care about. By doing so you aren’t chasing dollars or dimes, you’re instead honoring the Divine. Sounds worthy to me.

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Many authors influenced my writing style.

Jack London, Shirley Jackson, Rod Serling, Robert Collier, William Saroyan and Mark Twain, to name a few.

Over the years I’ve attracted rare signed books by and about most of them.

Recently I took the prize by attracting one of the most sought after (and expensive) items of all: a photograph hand signed by Twain himself in 1909.

You have to imagine how this feels.

I wrote about Twain influencing me in such early books as CyberWriting, which was one of my first books on Internet marketing. (1995, now out of print.)

I’ve recently been reading volume one of Twain’s newly released uncensored autobiography, which is a delight.

And I’m greatly enjoying Michael Sheldon’s new biography, Mark Twain: Man in White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years, which reveals the marketing savvy of the great author. The book explains a lot, including the reason Twain started wearing his famous white suit. I’m loving it.

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain

For me to finally have this actual photo, which was Twain’s favorite, and held by Twain, and hand signed by Twain to a friend of his, is huge. It’s inspiring. It reminds me of what great authors and memorable writing are all about.

Looking at it mentally transports me to a place where I am sitting beside Twain, chatting, smoking a cigar, and laughing at life. I’m mind melding with the legend.

It feels great.

You can do this, too.

Just pick a person you admire, read everything by and about them, and then imagine having a dialogue with them. It’s a type of mental mastermind.

In my book on P.T. Barnum, There’s A Customer Born Every Minute, I include an interview with the great showman (who knew Twain and almost coauthored a book with him).

Obviously I never met Barnum. But I imagined what I would ask him, looked through his books for the answers, and turned it all into a dialogue. It’s one of the most popular sections of that book. (And it was recreated in theatrical form in my first Nightingale-Conant audio program, The Power of Outrageous Marketing.)

Again, you can do this, too.

If you had the chance, who would you brainstorm with?

Who would you interview?

Who would you talk to?

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – One of my ancient articles on what an aspiring writer or speaker can learn from Mark Twain is still online at https://www.mrfire.com/article-archives/ancient-articles/mark-twain-secrets.html (It’s an excerpt from my out of print book, CyberWriting.)

Member BBB 2003 – 2011

Thought you’d enjoy seeing a couple of quick video endorsements* for my Law of Attraction book Attract Money Now. The first is in English, the second by the same woman but in Spanish. Here they are:

Member BBB 2003 – 2011

* Both are paid endorsements from a woman who loves the book. Her endorsement is her own, in her own words. I paid her five dollars for each video for her time and trouble. Found her on Fiverr.

The Universe gives clues to you all the time.

You have to notice them.

What you do with them is up to you.

That’s free will.

Here’s an example:

Recently I was talking to Pat O’Bryan about this and that when he mentioned he visited famed luthier Tony Nobles. Tony showed him his latest creation, a shiny black electric guitar made by hand, with all the perks and magic Tony wanted in a guitar of his dreams. Pat played it and said it was “perfect.”

Perfect?

Pat doesn’t toss around that word often or easily. I instantly asked if the guitar was for sale. Pat didn’t know. I just as instantly sent en email to Tony — I sent it right then and there, while Pat was sitting watching me type it on my mobile phone — and asked about the perfect guitar.

Tony wrote back the next day, saying the guitar was the best he had ever made. He said he was out of town but sent me the link to his blog* where he described everything about what he nicknamed The Snake.

I read the post and drooled.

I wanted that guitar.

Pat said it was perfect.

Tony said it was the best one he had ever made.

Two clues.

While waiting, I sent the blog post link* to my guitar teacher, guitar monk Mathew Dixon. He read it and wrote back, “OMG!!!”

Third clue.

By now I had my checkbook out.

But I had to wait for Tony’s return.

When he returned, he let me know I could come and see the guitar.

I still didn’t know what it cost.

I didn’t care.

The Universe sent me three clues that this was the next step for me.

I could have ignored them. I could have said I already have guitars. I could have turned my back on the opportunity before me.

I have free will and could use it to say no.

But I’ve found saying yes is the wiser choice.

I got Pat and we went to Tony’s shop. When I finally got to see The Snake, I loved it. When I played it, it was light, smooth, and easy. It felt like it had supernatural powers. It had mojo. It felt mystical and magical. And powerful. And full of untapped secrets.

Pat played the guitar for me. He’s Clapton. He made it walk, talk, run, sprint, sing, growl, soothe and stimulate.

I finally asked Tony what he wanted for it. He thought about the six months it took him to make it, and gave me a fair number. I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check for five hundred dollars more than what he asked.

Why?

I was practicing prosperous purchasing.

And I wanted to acknowledge Tony for his passion, skill, and love for making it. When you do what you love, things tend to work in the world. Tony does what he loves. I wanted to encourage it, and him.

The lesson: When you get clues from the Universe, act on them.

Don’t second guess. Don’t doubt. Don’t argue.

Act!

When you act on the inspirations you receive, you stay in alignment with the flow of life.

Everything works.

It may not be a guitar for you. The above clues were for me, not you. Yours may be a business idea. Or an urge to make a call, buy a book, attend an event, write, sing, dance, play, bake, or who knows what.

Follow the clues.

They lead to miracles.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Need a clue? Get your free sample of Miracles Coaching by clicking right here.

* Tony’s blog post about The Snake electric guitar is at: http://www.devilsbackboneguitarco.blogspot.com/2010/10/snakes.html

Member BBB 2003 – 2011

Now that I’m on an intense learning adventure to sing, play guitar, write my own music, and record my own album in 2011, I get to see what it’s like to struggle in the pursuit of a goal in a new category.

The key word is “new.”

I’ve written over fifty books. Writing another one would be easy. I’ve already wrestled with the demons in that category. I won.

But learning how to sing and play guitar is a new category for me.  I’m struggling in it.

The struggle isn’t real. Not in any outward, measurable way. But it’s sure real otherwise. The struggle is within; it’s the conscious and unconscious thoughts of self judgment that make us fight with our own progress.

It’s not any fun, either.

Let me explain:

In my third lesson with Daniel Barrett (lead singer for the band PorterDavis), he asked me to play and sing I song I had been working on. (The acoustic guitar version of the Rob Thomas song Lonely No More. See PPS below.)

I did. But as soon as I made a mistake, my body tensed, my playing got awkward, my singing was strained, and my face filled with tension. I was even mad at myself.

Dan’s eyes grew large and he waved his hand to stop me, saying, “Man, you just brought in the entire Gestapo on yourself!”

I stopped.

I took a deep breath.

I reflected on what just happened.

A part of me wanted my singing and playing to be perfect. Even though there is nothing like perfection in the world — none of us can agree on the perfect song or singer, let alone much else — some aspect of my mind had set the bar so high that there was no way I was going to reach it. And when I flubbed, that same mind beat me silly.

I realized what I was doing.

You can’t really learn much when you’re in chains.

I took a deep breath.

I relaxed.

I let the chains drop.

I remembered that the goal is to sing and play and learn, and to have fun as I did so. Yes, I had lots to learn. But beating myself for my efforts wasn’t helping. At all.

Dan and I talked for a while about how we judge ourselves harshly. It’s a learned behavior. We all have it. Try to learn anything challenging and new and you’ll see what I mean.

A part of us is trying to please our inner critics — parents or teachers, family or friends, or even ourselves. We’re trying to learn, but when we don’t meet those invisible high standards and those invisible voices in our head, we lower the boom on ourselves.

That doesn’t help.

No wonder so many people give up on their goals, dreams and intentions.

A lot of who they are listening to, that is talking them out of their own best interests, is their own mind.

As Bruce Barton (who I wrote about in my book The Seven Lost Secrets of Success) once said:

“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances.”

If you’re trying to attract anything in your life, stop trying and start relaxing, all while moving toward your goal with intention, passion and action, and your results will accelerate.

Be as gentle with yourself as you would be with a baby learning to walk, or a puppy you’re training to sit up or roll over.

This is a huge insight.

My going through the process of learning to be a musician is letting me see how this works in me. I’m sharing it so you can reflect on how it works in you, too.

Don’t let the “Mind Gestapo” stop you or slow you.

It’s just a voice.

It’s just self-talk.

But you’re in control of it.

Bring in the Love Army instead.

Love yourself, your process and your present talents.

With love, you can achieve and attract what you want — and you’ll enjoy the adventure all the more.

I’m no longer struggling with playing guitar, singing, or writing my own music.

I’m now in charge of the voices in my head in this new category of learning.

I won.

You can win, too.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – This post also illustrates the need for a really good coach.

PPS – For funsies, here is singer/songwriter Rob Thomas (of the band Matchbox 20) performing the acoustic guitar version of his hit song, Lonely No More:

Member BBB 2003 – 2011