AS I see it, the overriding message of The Secret is that our lives can be so much more than what they are today. Especially for those who are stuck in the middle class Rat Race, and who perceive their lives to be mediocre.
So we see the results that some others have obtained, and quite naturally we want those same results for ourselves. This is not a bad thing. All positive change begins with the desire for something better. This desire should be cultivated, not ignored.
And yet we do not have to go too far down the path to our dreams before we realize that it ultimately must start with us building or buying some kind of business, or creating something else, because true financial freedom does not come until we can be paid some on other people's efforts, or off of royalties, or until we have amassed enough of a stockpile ourselves to just live off the interest. The problem with the latter is that it takes 40 years or so, and you may have been wanting something a little quicker.
And soon after that, we find out that building that business or marketing that book is not as easy to do as it seemed like at first, and we also find that out there in the business world with the big bears and the gorillas and the sharks that the market is very unforgiving of mistakes that we make along the way. Some people find that this puts them in piles and piles of debt, ruins their credit, threatens their home and generally messes with their life.
Does the movie The Secret say that you can just focus on the end result, visualize it, be grateful for it in advance, and then by doing all of that you can just skip the pesky part where you actually have to make mistakes and learn something? I think not.
What it does say, is that if you keep your focus on the end result, if you do not get so caught up in the mistakes along the way, as in just learn from them and move on, that you will with this focus finally get to the end result.
But who is willing to do it?
If I guaranteed you that you could be a millionaire, and that the only price was that you had to be homeless for some undetermined amount of time first, would you be willing to do it? You might ask Neale Donald Walsch that question, because this is pretty much what happened to him.
But here is the real kicker. . . He went into being homeless as a displaced worker who had been living a quiet middle class life.
He came out of it with the inspiration that turned him into a millionaire; namely the Conversations With God books.
Would he have ever received that inspiration if he had not been homeless? Who knows? But my guess is probably not, because he would have not perceived the great and dire need for something better.
If we only sorta want something better, is that enough to get us along the crooked and difficult path to fame and fortune? I think not. We must have a gut renching feeling that something has to change, or we will not do anything different, and as such we will not get any different results.
And to any who would argue that it does not have to be a crooked and difficult path to fame and fortune, I would allow that most of the work is within your head as opposed to without, but if the path were easy then everybody would already be there . . .
And it would not mean as much.
So I do not wish to sound harsh here, but rising to fame and fortune is not for the timid. We will make mistakes along the way, and those mistakes will be costly. Knowing this beforehand helps a little . . .
But not much.
But it's even worse to go into any kind of new venture thinking that we have all the answers and that we are smarter than all of that. We just set ourselves up to fail (which is going to happen a number of times regardless), and we are not able to deal with the failure because we think we were too smart to have had one. So we quit. The only way to ultimately fail in this life is to quit. Those who do not quit eventually get there.
100% of the time.
And that should not be a Secret to anyone.
So I say show your mettle. Everyone and that means everyone should be trying to build some kind of business or create some kind of a new thing in their after work time. We seek to get rich through Creation, not competition. What are you good at? Write that book! Start that home based business!
And understand that when you meet failures, that you see them for what they really are . . .
Signposts that prove that you are on the right road to fame and fortune.
Because there is one and only one group of people who never fail, and you know exactly who they are . . .
Yep. The ones who never try.
Don't be one of them.
Joseph
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Real and Imagined Literacy
These two things exist . . .
There is knowing something.
And then there is doing something.
The one does not imply the other.
In fact it was Aristotle who said "the things we must learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them".
Sound Circular? So many things in life are. There is the vicious cycle; there is also the virtuous cycle, which is just the opposite. Either one can make your head spin.
In the movie The Secret it may seem that they are talking mostly about knowing something, or at least thinking or believing something.
But some people miss the emphasis on doing something. When the inspiration is there; ACT!
And that is all you have to do . . . (Joe Vitale).
In many parts of the world, the populations are not literate. They have little chance of being able to rise out of poverty because they are unable to read.
In the rest of the world, many are Unliterate. They know how to read . . .
But they choose not to. . . At least not to read anything that might expand their horizons.
And as a result they have little chance of rising out of whatever life they have already made for themselves.
So I feel to ask this simple question . . .
Which group is worse off? The group who can't?
Or the group who won't?
What kind of a message is that to send to your subconscious?
It is not going to make the connection that one might be trying to make, that's for sure.
The connection between a person ----
And their real power.
Which is their power to learn. That is the key to all of the rest of it.
Joseph
There is knowing something.
And then there is doing something.
The one does not imply the other.
In fact it was Aristotle who said "the things we must learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them".
Sound Circular? So many things in life are. There is the vicious cycle; there is also the virtuous cycle, which is just the opposite. Either one can make your head spin.
In the movie The Secret it may seem that they are talking mostly about knowing something, or at least thinking or believing something.
But some people miss the emphasis on doing something. When the inspiration is there; ACT!
And that is all you have to do . . . (Joe Vitale).
In many parts of the world, the populations are not literate. They have little chance of being able to rise out of poverty because they are unable to read.
In the rest of the world, many are Unliterate. They know how to read . . .
But they choose not to. . . At least not to read anything that might expand their horizons.
And as a result they have little chance of rising out of whatever life they have already made for themselves.
So I feel to ask this simple question . . .
Which group is worse off? The group who can't?
Or the group who won't?
What kind of a message is that to send to your subconscious?
It is not going to make the connection that one might be trying to make, that's for sure.
The connection between a person ----
And their real power.
Which is their power to learn. That is the key to all of the rest of it.
Joseph
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Accidental Business
I have obtained a couple of (free) audio programs that can be obtained from the website of Bob Proctor, one of the teachers on the book and movie The Secret. I enjoy listening to it because it makes and explains two very important points:
1. You are generally paid in this world according to the value that you provide, so if you wish to be paid more you have to find a way to provide increased value, or the same value to more people. Combine this with the following quote from Robert Kiyosaki: Money always flows to the Leader. If you want more money, become more of a Leader.
2. You can and should have multiple streams of income. Your creative thought should be placed on how you could develop your next one without adversely effecting any of the current one(s).
Well, with these ideas flowing around in my mind, I have been sort of keeping my eyes open for something that I might enjoy doing that could become an additional source of income for me.
And I attribute the fact that I was looking for what happened next. Now I had been looking for a while, and I had run across a couple of things, but the learning curve was too high and I did not really know how to do them.
Then one day, about a month ago, I saw someone posting in our community group about how they were looking for someone to help them with their computer, because they were at their wits end! I had seen messsages like this before and kind of ignored them, but this time I thought I should reply.
So I did. I replied stating that I had a business where I helped people with their computers, and that I had a special rate for the group members per hour. I was not necessairly expecting anything to come of it, but I did reply.
Well I got my first call the very next day. The next call that same day as well. Neither call was from the person who had posted at first asking for help, but both had learned about me from this community mailing list. It helps that this community mailing list has more than 1000 members.
Since I have 17 years of experience in all kinds of tech support, and currently work supporting network operating systems and other very complex pieces of software, helping folks with their home computers is like a breath of fresh air. I am really able to do something for them that they are not able to do for themselves, I can make some money at it, but the most important part of all is how I go home from every job feeling great because I have used my talents and provided some real value to other folks which they were only too happy to pay me for.
You see, I had my doubts about whether I had much to offer folks that they would be willing to pay for. I grew up in the work for someone else world and almost everyone else I know is militantly in the work for someone else world and it took some effort on my part to change my thinking some to believe that people would actually be willing to pay me.
Well I have ten customers now, less than 30 days later. All of them have been very happy to pay me for what I have been able to do for them. I guess when you save their data that they thought was lost it makes them really happy. But again the best part is that I have a blast doing it! I am meeting neighbors in my area that I would have never had a chance to meet otherwise.
Now I could not start this so successfully if I did not have some clue what I was doing, and this is where the things I have learned as a result of my wife's Network Marketing business are paying off. I never figured out how to sponsor anyone, but I did learn several things that one needs to do to run their own business. Like how and when to follow up with someone.
I share all of this to make two points. This has worked so well for me for two specific reasons:
1. I was looking for something
2. I was learning the basics of running a personal business before I had found one I could do.
I believe that everyone, and that means everyone, should be looking for a business that they could do from their home on a part time basis to start. Something that they are talented in and enjoy doing. There are things that we need to learn that just cannot be learned in any other way.
So what are you good at doing?
Joseph
1. You are generally paid in this world according to the value that you provide, so if you wish to be paid more you have to find a way to provide increased value, or the same value to more people. Combine this with the following quote from Robert Kiyosaki: Money always flows to the Leader. If you want more money, become more of a Leader.
2. You can and should have multiple streams of income. Your creative thought should be placed on how you could develop your next one without adversely effecting any of the current one(s).
Well, with these ideas flowing around in my mind, I have been sort of keeping my eyes open for something that I might enjoy doing that could become an additional source of income for me.
And I attribute the fact that I was looking for what happened next. Now I had been looking for a while, and I had run across a couple of things, but the learning curve was too high and I did not really know how to do them.
Then one day, about a month ago, I saw someone posting in our community group about how they were looking for someone to help them with their computer, because they were at their wits end! I had seen messsages like this before and kind of ignored them, but this time I thought I should reply.
So I did. I replied stating that I had a business where I helped people with their computers, and that I had a special rate for the group members per hour. I was not necessairly expecting anything to come of it, but I did reply.
Well I got my first call the very next day. The next call that same day as well. Neither call was from the person who had posted at first asking for help, but both had learned about me from this community mailing list. It helps that this community mailing list has more than 1000 members.
Since I have 17 years of experience in all kinds of tech support, and currently work supporting network operating systems and other very complex pieces of software, helping folks with their home computers is like a breath of fresh air. I am really able to do something for them that they are not able to do for themselves, I can make some money at it, but the most important part of all is how I go home from every job feeling great because I have used my talents and provided some real value to other folks which they were only too happy to pay me for.
You see, I had my doubts about whether I had much to offer folks that they would be willing to pay for. I grew up in the work for someone else world and almost everyone else I know is militantly in the work for someone else world and it took some effort on my part to change my thinking some to believe that people would actually be willing to pay me.
Well I have ten customers now, less than 30 days later. All of them have been very happy to pay me for what I have been able to do for them. I guess when you save their data that they thought was lost it makes them really happy. But again the best part is that I have a blast doing it! I am meeting neighbors in my area that I would have never had a chance to meet otherwise.
Now I could not start this so successfully if I did not have some clue what I was doing, and this is where the things I have learned as a result of my wife's Network Marketing business are paying off. I never figured out how to sponsor anyone, but I did learn several things that one needs to do to run their own business. Like how and when to follow up with someone.
I share all of this to make two points. This has worked so well for me for two specific reasons:
1. I was looking for something
2. I was learning the basics of running a personal business before I had found one I could do.
I believe that everyone, and that means everyone, should be looking for a business that they could do from their home on a part time basis to start. Something that they are talented in and enjoy doing. There are things that we need to learn that just cannot be learned in any other way.
So what are you good at doing?
Joseph
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Secret to Winning the Super Bowl ??
Given how good a game it was, millions of you probably watched the entirety of the Super Bowl this year, Patriots vs. Giants. Ever since seeing The Secret for the first time, I have often wondered if the Law of Attraction could be used to will your sports team on to victory, or whether it could be used by the players on the team to attract the victory to themselves?
It becomes complicated because of the number of attractive creators involved. In a tennis match for instance it would not be possible for both players to attract a victory, because someone has to lose, even if they are both plugged in and are powerful attractors.
Also while we do define our entire world with our thoughts, I am not understanding how we could define our world with a win by a certain team when others who share the Earth with us define their world with the victory of the opponent team.
Just to check, as any of you were watching the Super Bowl yesterday, did any of you see the Patriots win ??
Just checking.
I watch these types of things with a feeling that I really have no control over the outcome from my couch. Therefore I have no control over the outcome. I am not sure what would happen if I felt I had full control over it, but it is difficult for me to see how that would change anything?
Talent wise, I do not believe that the Giants were the better team, but they had the X factor that is required to win games of this type. They were in "the zone". You would have to believe that in seeing the way that they won the game.
As for the Patriots, you could argue that it was their pride that was their undoing. Hear me out on this one.
Prior to playing the Patriots in week 17 of the regular season, the Giants were a good team but not a great one. They were a distant second behind the Cowboys in their division, with the Cowboys having beaten them twice. Now their best receiver was not in either of those two games, but the games were not that close.
Meanwhile the Patriots would have normally rested all their starters in a meaningless week 17 game like this. If they had previously had one loss on the season then they would have certainly done so.
But they wanted regular season perfection. It had never been done on a 16 game season (The Dolphins did it in a 14 game season).
And it cost them the Super Bowl. Why?
Because the Giants came into Week 17 thinking they were a great team but not having proved it. They played all their starters as well (game was also meaningless for them), and they played the Patriots very well and were close to winning the game.
They took a mantle from that game. I have never before seen a team so inspired by a loss. They saw themselves as being equally as good as the Patriots, and that being the case, the Bucs, the Cowboys, the Packers, all became road kill on their way to a rematch with a team that they believed that they could beat. The fact that no one else could did not matter to them.
So they had the inspiration, and the Patriots did not.
If instead the Patriots had rested their starters in week 17, then the Giants would not have had the opportunity to become so inspired. Beating the second string Patriots would not have proved anything, and the Giants would not have know exactly what to prepare for in the big game.
Ask any Patriot fan . . . would they rather be 15-1 in the regular season and win the Super Bowl, or 16-0 and then lose it? you have to win the Super Bowl, it is more important than your regular season record, and the worst thing you can do is tip your hand to a potential super bowl opponent in week 17 of the regular season.
OK enough armchair quarterbacking. The game proves that the X factor is everything, and it was obvious that the Giants had it. The movie and book The Secret try to teach us how to get into the zone ourselves.
So we we can celebrate our life like the Giants are celebrating today.
Joseph
It becomes complicated because of the number of attractive creators involved. In a tennis match for instance it would not be possible for both players to attract a victory, because someone has to lose, even if they are both plugged in and are powerful attractors.
Also while we do define our entire world with our thoughts, I am not understanding how we could define our world with a win by a certain team when others who share the Earth with us define their world with the victory of the opponent team.
Just to check, as any of you were watching the Super Bowl yesterday, did any of you see the Patriots win ??
Just checking.
I watch these types of things with a feeling that I really have no control over the outcome from my couch. Therefore I have no control over the outcome. I am not sure what would happen if I felt I had full control over it, but it is difficult for me to see how that would change anything?
Talent wise, I do not believe that the Giants were the better team, but they had the X factor that is required to win games of this type. They were in "the zone". You would have to believe that in seeing the way that they won the game.
As for the Patriots, you could argue that it was their pride that was their undoing. Hear me out on this one.
Prior to playing the Patriots in week 17 of the regular season, the Giants were a good team but not a great one. They were a distant second behind the Cowboys in their division, with the Cowboys having beaten them twice. Now their best receiver was not in either of those two games, but the games were not that close.
Meanwhile the Patriots would have normally rested all their starters in a meaningless week 17 game like this. If they had previously had one loss on the season then they would have certainly done so.
But they wanted regular season perfection. It had never been done on a 16 game season (The Dolphins did it in a 14 game season).
And it cost them the Super Bowl. Why?
Because the Giants came into Week 17 thinking they were a great team but not having proved it. They played all their starters as well (game was also meaningless for them), and they played the Patriots very well and were close to winning the game.
They took a mantle from that game. I have never before seen a team so inspired by a loss. They saw themselves as being equally as good as the Patriots, and that being the case, the Bucs, the Cowboys, the Packers, all became road kill on their way to a rematch with a team that they believed that they could beat. The fact that no one else could did not matter to them.
So they had the inspiration, and the Patriots did not.
If instead the Patriots had rested their starters in week 17, then the Giants would not have had the opportunity to become so inspired. Beating the second string Patriots would not have proved anything, and the Giants would not have know exactly what to prepare for in the big game.
Ask any Patriot fan . . . would they rather be 15-1 in the regular season and win the Super Bowl, or 16-0 and then lose it? you have to win the Super Bowl, it is more important than your regular season record, and the worst thing you can do is tip your hand to a potential super bowl opponent in week 17 of the regular season.
OK enough armchair quarterbacking. The game proves that the X factor is everything, and it was obvious that the Giants had it. The movie and book The Secret try to teach us how to get into the zone ourselves.
So we we can celebrate our life like the Giants are celebrating today.
Joseph
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