Tag: the book The Secret

Reading as much as I do, it’s hard to narrow the stacks of great books down to a handful of memorable classics. Here are the top ten books that really stood out and made a difference in my life in 2014:

Best Books 2014

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. This may be my favorite book of the year. Yes, there are plenty of self-help books that say virtually the same thing as Sincero’s book, but almost none do it with attitude. I love the humor, honesty, intimacy, personality, and daring of the author. I love the book so much I reached out and interviewed Sincero for my podcast. She’s sincere, funny, open, and a living badass of the polite I-won’t-hurt-you but I’m-going-for-my-dreams-so-stand-back sort. Fun, wise, empowering. Read it.

Spartan Up! by Joe De Sena. This one lit a fire under my butt and made me want to get out and run up steep hills with my shoes on fire. Since I’m already working out intensely, thanks to personally training with Body-for-Life fitness legend Bill Phillips, I didn’t feel compelled to enter a Spartan endurance race. But I found this book inspiring, motivating, and heart pounding. I love his concept of “obstacle immunity,” which means hard core exercise builds inner strength to easily handle the stresses of normal life. He’s right. After intense exercise, traffic is nothing. Great book.

The Science of Living by Emmet Fox. This book clearly explains the teachings of New Thought pioneer Emmet Fox, most famous for his little books, such as The Mental Equivalent and Make Your Life Worthwhile. Though Fox taught and published in the 1930s, The Science of Living is a recent publication based on his private classes with metaphysical students. I love its clarity, plus it made me feel like I was in the room with him. This fully explains what the philosophy of Mind Science is all about. A true gem.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I’ve read this 1937 classic before, of course, but after reading a recent biography of Carnegie (Self-Help Messiah), I decided to read it again. It is a masterpiece. I am in awe of Carnegie’s conversational writing style, powerful stories, and crisp message. I wish just one of my books was this good. The message, while simple, is as relevant today as it was over the last several decades. Priceless.

Making the American Body by Jonathan Black. I found this book hypnotic. It masterfully tells the story of the men and women who shaped fitness in the United States. That may sound boring to you but believe me, the feats, feuds, and fuss of the often egomaniac men and women who urge us to get fit is an entertaining, enlightening, and even appalling read. My only disappointment is the author somehow left out Bill Phillips, who is a living legend in fitness. Otherwise, riveting.

A Moment in Time: The Steve Reeves Story by George Helmer. I’m one of the biggest Reeves collectors in the world. I have the famous body builder/movie star’s gym, car, clothes, trophies, and more. My collection is impressive enough that Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk) came to see it. This long awaited biography, by Reeves’ personal friend and executor of his estate, is mesmerizing. The hundreds of photos are worth the price of admission alone. The stories are alive. It’s a loving tribute to a legend; the definitive biography of the original Hollywood Hercules.

The Devil’s Horn by Michael Segell. As you may know, I’m now a saxophone player. (Afflatus, my baritone sax album, came out last month.) This is the hands-down best book ever written on the dramatic roller-coaster history of the sax, an instrument once considered the “devil’s horn” by some while others swooned to its cool sound. It was once the most popular instrument in the world (until the guitar got plugged in). The man who invented the sax – named (no surprise) Adolphus Sax – went through business failure, ridicule, controversy, political manipulation, envy, and even a death threat. An astonishing book.

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Nicholas Herman, later known as Brother Lawrence, lived in France in the 1600’s as a kitchen working monk. He dedicated his life to constantly living, working, playing, and praying “as in His presence” at all times. “His” means God. If the God word pushes a button in you, exchange it for Divinity or something else. This little book of conversations with, and letters by, Brother Lawrence has been changing lives for centuries. It did mine, too, and deeply influenced the writing of my forthcoming book, The Secret Prayer. There are numerous editions of this holy work around, many published in English for the first time around 1895. Highly recommended.

Managing Thought: How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World? by Mary J. Lore. I love the direct simplicity of this well crafted book. It helps you understand what your thoughts are doing, whether you are aware of them or not. Of course, once you are aware of your thoughts, you are now separate from them and more in control. A practical, inspiring guide.

Willpower: The Owner’s Manual by Frank Martela. This brief book surprised me with the 12 tools it describes for “doing the right thing.” I expected fluff, I got wisdom. People often resist will power, thinking it is pure ego or pure pain, when in reality will power is what you often need to align your desires, achieve your intentions, and attract what you want. Great book. Will yourself to read it.

And here’s a bonus title —

You Are the Placebo by Joe Dispenza. I’m not a fan of so-called scientifically based books describing how the world works, mostly because I can’t follow their terminology and the authors often disagree with each other, but this book is easy reading, easy to understand, and truly eye opening. Dispenza explains how it is possible to heal many “incurables” with thought alone, by detailing how the mind influences everything. In a way, this is a manual on how to create the placebo effect as needed. I read every word. Fascinating.

What about you?

What did you read this year that moved you?

Please post your comment below.

Thank you.

Ao Akua,

Joe

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PS – My list of best books for 2013 is at http://blog.mrfire.com/best-books-of-2013/

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In the October, 1927 issue of Nautilus magazine, prolific Law of Attraction author Brown Landone revealed a way to give yourself a “shock treatment” to attract more money.

I’m a huge fan of Landone. He wrote more than 100 books, including The Success Process, before his death in 1945. I was deeply interested in this article by him in this old magazine of New Thought ideas.

In it, Landone told the story of coaching a woman who came to him complaining that her husband had a weak heart and wasn’t successful.

She wanted him fixed.

New Thought author Brown Landone

Landone explained that he didn’t fix anybody.

He knew that once you found your own inner peace, the rest would follow.

He wrote:

“..I know that abundance is a result of attaining the kingdom of heaven, and that each soul’s kingdom of heaven is within himself.”

He went on to say that he might help in uncovering the source or cause for the heart palpitations and the lack of success, which would help the man discover his own inner kingdom.

In other words, if he could help the man get clear of his inner blocks, the results would follow.

So he agreed to see the husband.

After a brief discussion with the husband, Landone discovered the man had $647 in savings and made $47.50 a week. (This was 1927, remember.)

He also learned that the husband had lost much of his “gusto” for life; that he was simply going through the motions in his day to day life, without much hope or enthusiasm for anything better.

With that information, Landone did something shocking.

He told the husband to go out and spend all the money!

“I told him to buy his wife five new dresses that afternoon, to order a $90 suit of clothes for himself, to purchase a $740 auto within a week, and to buy a $6,000 or $7,000 home within a month!”

What!?

The advice stunned me.

How in the world could he tell a struggling man, just getting by, to go empty his savings and extend himself financially?!?

What logic was behind this?

I was riveted to Landone’s article, wanting to know why he gave such a controversial directive.

Landone went on to explain, “Beginning to lose hope, leads to lack of daring.”

He wanted the husband to wake up!

He wanted the husband to stretch.

He wanted him to dare again.

He wanted him to get out of his comfort zone.

He wanted him to shock his own mind and awaken it.

The man listened, and acted.

Landone said the first thing that happened is the man’s heart began to beat evenly again. 🙂

And then the man began to think of new ways to improve his position at work, which led to him getting promoted, and then getting a higher salary.

Within a few months, the man’s consciousness had changed to the degree that he left his job, started his own business, and saw his revenue leap to $90,000 a year — in 1927!

The man told Landone, “Why it’s silly to be poor, isn’t it?”

I love the story and the message.

In my book, Attract Money Now, I call Prosperous Purchasing one of the seven steps for attracting more money.

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The idea is to honor and appreciate yourself by being honest: when you have the desire for a product or service, and you have the funds, then go ahead and make the purchase.

It’s an affirmation of prosperity to do so.

But Landone suggested buying and investing more than what you are comfortable with, and putting yourself into a scary place financially, as a way to “shock” or “kick start” your own mind.

Instead of playing it safe, you shake yourself by taking a risk.

You over ride your fear with an act of faith.

And then you watch your mind come alive with new ideas.

It’s not about feeling desperate, but about feeling driven.

When I interviewed Jen Sincero, author of the book, You Are A Badass, she told me that her life changed when she hired a coach.

She also said making the decision to do so rocked her world.

“I tapped out my credit card to hire the coach,” she told me. “And the first thing that happened is I threw up.”

Jen went on to tell me that she called her coach and tried to get her money back.

“But the coach told me that my vomiting was part of the process,” Jen explained. “I was beginning my transformation right then and there.”

If you find yourself in a financial lull, consider giving yourself a prosperity shock treatment.

Simply Dare Something Worthy.

Consider what you really want to buy (for yourself or someone else) but are afraid to do so, and then go buy it!

If you are reading this and feeling your heart race and your palms sweat, then you know what to do next.

To be blunt, are you going to come from fear or faith?

Said another way, the idea isn’t to get rid of fear, it’s to use it as a catalyst for new ideas, actions, and results.

Dare and grow rich.

Shocking, eh?

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Just as Brown Landone was a coach to the husband, you’ll get faster results with your own coach, too. Check out Miracles Coaching. Remember, it’s okay to stretch. It’s time to shock yourself into awakening. Do it!

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Someone on Facebook wrote a variation of this statement…

“Napoleon Hill said, ‘Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’ This is the biggest load of monkey poo since the Law of Attraction. Right now, I am conceiving and believing that I can walk on water. Wish me luck.”

This is a wonderful example of illogical thinking.

Does the person really think they can walk on water?

Can they really imagine it?

Do they really believe it?

Obviously not.

And if they can’t, then they just proved Napoleon Hill right.

Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”  and not “Whatever your mind can make up, even though you don’t really believe it and it’s not really possible, it can achieve.”

Big difference.

And please note that Hill said you can achieve it, not that you will achieve it.

He wisely left room for the possibility of you not actually attracting what you “conceive and believe.”

He knew you still had to work all the steps, including taking action.

His quote wasn’t just about conceiving and believing.

He said there were at least 16 laws, remember.

He wrote about them in such books as Laws of Success and of course Think and Grow Rich.

The ridicule people give the Law of Attraction or Napoleon Hill is a reflection of people’s own belief system – only they rarely see it.

I remember being in Russia at one of the many book signings and author meet and greets I did there.

An elderly gentleman in one audience said, “I really want to believe in this Law of Attraction but the skeptics make a good case against it.”

“Have you ever noticed that the skeptics seem to hang out together,” I began, “and the Law of Attraction positive thinkers seem to gather together?”

He smiled, nodding, as it dawned on him what I was saying.

“Everyone is living the Law of Attraction,” I explained, “but some know it consciously and others do not. You are free to believe what you like and you will attract whatever evidence you need to support your belief, even when it’s illogical to others. That’s the Law of Attraction.”

Remember, you get what you really believe, not what you want to believe.

In other words, when you examine your own statements, you might see the twisted logic behind them.

But like the person who posted the opening line, you probably won’t see the fallacy of your thinking without someone there to lovingly point it out to you.

This is why it’s so important to have a coach.

A coach can listen to you speak, reflect back to you the very beliefs you won’t even hear yourself saying, and help you question any beliefs that don’t serve you.

For example, the person who was poking holes at Napoleon Hill’s statement probably didn’t realize they weren’t being logical or even accurate. Seeing this blog post, they might grasp it.

But arguing for limitations seems silly to me.

Why argue against goals, success, visualization, positive thinking and the like?

Why not argue for them?

After all, the whole point is to help you achieve success.

Why not find ways to prove Napoleon Hill right?

Hill also wrote, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”

Anyone who tries to dismiss the positive and encouraging words of Hill is speaking without thinking.

More than that, they are raining on the hopes and dreams of other people.

That isn’t wise, kind, loving, or useful.

As Mark Twain said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

Napoleon Hill believed in you.

So do I.

Go for your dreams.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – For the record, I can walk on water. I’ve done it numerous times, usually in Ohio, usually during the Winter months. We called it ice.

PPS – I also found this on Facebook: “Dear Optimist, Pessimist and Realist: While you guys were arguing about the glass of water, I drank it.” – Opportunist

PPPS – And here’s Napoleon Hill himself giving you some coaching:

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People have been asking the same question about the Law of Attraction since it made its public appearance in the mid 1800’s:

“Why doesn’t this stuff work for me?”

In 1926, William E. Towne addressed it in an editorial for his magazine, Nautilus:

“Many New Thought people fail to succeed in their undertaking because they expect the reading of an inspiring book, or the repetition of some good affirmation, to take the place of directed ACTION.”

The caps were his.

That’s how important he regarded ACTION.

He went on to write –

“It is necessary to work in order to get results and to get the best results it is also essential to LOVE your work.”

His answer still works (no pun intended) today.

In other words, sitting around and reading positive articles and inspiring books is fine.

Sitting and praying and intending and visualizing and meditating is also fine.

But at some point you have to get out of bed or out of your chair and do something.

And when you do, it’s smart to have an attitude of love and appreciation, as that feeling will help you get more of the results you prefer.

It seems to me that too many people expect a home run the first time they go up to bat.

They visualize what they want, take a swing, strike out, and say “This positive thinking stuff is BS!”

They don’t seem to realize that you have to repeatedly affirm and visualize and pray — and repeatedly step up to bat, too.

Success is in the moment, and isn’t always measured with dollars or home runs.

The more you can be here now, while taking action in the direction of your dream, the more you will learn, grow, course correct, and keep moving forward.

It’s the way of life – whether in 1926 or 2014.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Check out Miracles Coaching by clicking right here.

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“Joe, did you make a deal with the devil?”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard you just recorded a track of saxophone music with Mathew Dixon and then you went and played sax on an album with Ruthie Foster and Daniel Barrett but you’ve only been playing the sax a few months.”

“And that means I made a deal with the devil?”

“You also came out with nine albums in just over three years. How else can you explain such rapid accomplishment?”

“Well, you could credit it to hard work.”

“Come on, what’s your real secret?”

Saxman Joe Rockin'

“Truth is, I make deals with angels.”

“Angels?”

“Yes, angels. Most angels are unemployed, you know. Most people don’t ask them to do anything.”

“How does that work?”

“Why would I want to make a deal with the devil when my angels are floating around waiting for me to make a few requests? I keep them busy. I ask for help and guidance for whatever I am doing, like learning how to play the sax.”

“And they help you?”

“You tell me. I just recorded a saxophone track and I’m beginning an entire album of sax music.”

“You are amazing!”

My bari sax debut on first track

“Not really. I just enlist support from the angels and they come and help.”

“It’s that easy?”

“I’m sure it could be harder if I requested it.”

“Come on, there must be more to your method!”

“Well, okay, here’s what I do to learn anything: I get inspired and I set an intention, I read everything I can find, I listen to everything I can find, I get coaching, and I practice and persist.”

“That sounds like a lot of work!”

“It’s only work if you don’t really want to do it.”

“You want to do all that?”

“Yes, or I wouldn’t do it. We all do what we want.”

“But you really believe in angels?”

“Do you really believe in a devil?”

“I think so.”

“Then read Napoleon Hill’s book, Outwitting the Devil.”

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Angels come in all forms. Look for them in my Miracles Coaching program, too.

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