By T. Harv Eker
Featured Trainer of The Masters Gathering
Rich people have a way of thinking that is different from poor and middle class people. They think differently about money, wealth, themselves, other people, and life. Let's examine six crucial differences between how rich people think and how poor or middle class people think.
By doing so, you will have some alternative beliefs in the files of your mind from which to choose. In this way, you can catch yourself thinking as poor people do and quickly switch over to how rich people think.
Remember, beliefs are not right, wrong, true or false, they're just past opinions which can be changed on your command. The fact is, you can CHOOSE to think in ways that will support you instead of ways that don't.
1. Rich People Believe "I Create My Life"
Poor people believe "Life happens to me."
If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life; that you create every moment of your life, especially your financial life. If you don't believe this, then you must believe you have little control over your life and that financial success has nothing to do with you. That is not a very rich attitude.
Instead of taking responsibility for what's going on in their lives, poor people choose to play the role of victim. Of course, any "victim's" predominant thought process is "poor me." And presto, through the law of intention that's literally what they get; "poor," as in money, me.
Here's some homework I promise will change your life. For the next seven days, I challenge you not to complain at all. Not just out loud, but in your head too. I've given this little challenge to thousands of people and several hundred have personally told me that this exercise completely transformed their lives. I invite you to email me with the results of this experiment. I guarantee you'll be astonished as to how amazing your life will become when you stop focusing on the "crap."
It's time to decide. You can be a victim OR you can be rich, but you can't be both. It's time to take back your power and acknowledge the fact that you create every moment of your life. That you create everything that is in your life and everything that is not in it. That you create your wealth and you create your non-wealth and everything in between.
2. Rich People Play the Money Game to Win
Poor people play the money game not to lose.
Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. Let me ask you, if you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, what are the chances of you winning that game? Most people agree; slim and none.
Yet, that's exactly how most people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security, not wealth and abundance. So, what is your goal? What is your real objective? What is your true intention?
Rich people's big goal is to have massive wealth and abundance. Poor people's big goal is to have "enough to pay the bills..." on time would be a miracle! Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your objective is to have enough to pay the bills, that's exactly how much you'll get; just enough to pay the bills and usually not a cent more. You get what you truly intend to get. If you want to get rich, your goal has to be "rich." Not just enough to pay the bills and not just enough to be comfortable. Rich, darn it, rich!
3. Rich People Are Committed to Being Rich
Poor people are uncommitted to being rich.
Most of us have good reasons as to why it would be wonderful to be rich, but what about the other side of the coin? Are there reasons why it might not be so great to be rich or go through the process of trying to get rich?
Each of us has a file on wealth in our mind. This file contains our personal beliefs that include why being wealthy would be great. But for many people, their file also includes information as to why being rich might not be so great. These people have mixed internal messages around money and especially wealth.
One part of them says, "Having more money will make life a lot more fun." But then another part screams, "Yeah, but "I'm going to have to work like a dog! What kind of fun is that?" One part says, "I'll be able to travel the world." then the other part responds, "Yeah, and everyone in the world will want something from me." These mixed messages are one of the biggest reasons that most people never become rich.
In fact, the #1 reason most people don't get what they want is they don't know what they want. Rich people are totally clear they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. They will do "whatever it takes" to have wealth as long as it's moral, legal and ethical. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.
I hate to break the news to you, but getting rich is not a "stroll in the park." It's takes focus, expertise, 100% effort, and "never say die" perseverance. You have to really commit to it, both consciously and subconsciously. You have to believe in your heart you can do it and you deserve it. If you are not fully committed to creating wealth, chances are you won't.
4. Rich People Think Big
Poor people think small.
We once had a trainer teaching at one of our seminars who went from a net worth of $250 thousand to over $600 million in only 3 years. When asked his secret he said, "Everything changed the day I began to think big." In my book, SpeedWealth, I discuss the "Law of Income" which states that "you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the market place."
Another way of understanding this is to answer the following question: How many people do you actually serve or affect?
For instance in my business, some trainers enjoy speaking to groups of 20, others are comfortable with 100, others like an audience of 500, still others want 5000 people or more in attendance. Is there is a difference in income between these trainers? You bet there is.
Who are you? How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the game?
Do you want to play in the big leagues or in little league, in the majors or the minors?
Will you play big or play small? It's your choice.
But hear this. It's not about you. It's about living your mission. It's about living true to your purpose. It's about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world. It's about serving others.
Most of us are so stuck in our egos that everything revolves around "me, me and more me." But again, it's not about you, it's about adding value to other people's lives. It's your choice. One road leads to being broke and miserable, the other leads to money, meaning, and fulfillment.
It's time to stop hiding out and start stepping out. It's time to stop needing and start leading. It's time to start being the star that you are. It's time to share your gifts and value in a BIG way. There could be thousands or even millions of people counting on you. Are you up to the challenge for our society and our children's sake? Let's hope so.
5. Rich People Are Bigger Than Their Problems
Poor people are smaller than their problems.
Getting rich is not a stroll in the park. It's a journey that is full of obstacles, twists, and detours. The simple fact is, success is messy. The road is fraught with pitfalls and that's why most people don't take it. They don't want the hassles, the headaches and the responsibilities. In short, they don't want the problems.
Therein lies one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people. Rich and successful people are bigger than their problems while poor and unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems.
Poor people will do almost anything to avoid anything that looks like it could be a problem. They back away from challenges. The irony is that in their quest to make sure they don't have problems, they have the biggest problem of all... they're broke and miserable.
The secret to success is not to try to avoid or shrink your problems; it's to grow yourself so you're bigger than any problem.
Imagine a "level 2" character person looking at a "level 5" problem. Would this problem appear to be big or small? The answer is that from a "level 2" perspective, a "level 5" problem would seem BIG.
Now imagine a "level 8" person looking at the same "level 5" problem. From this person's perspective, is this problem big or small? Magically the identical problem is now a SMALL problem.
And for a "level 10" person, it's NO problem at all. It's just an everyday occurrence, like getting dressed or brushing your teeth. Whether you are rich or poor, playing big or playing small, problems do not go away. If you're breathing, you will always have so-called "problems."
What's important to realize is that the size of the problem is never the real issue. What matters is the size of you!
Remember, your wealth can only grow to the extent that you do! The idea is to grow yourself to a place where you can overcome any problems that get in your way of creating wealth and keeping it once you have it.
Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems and do not complain about problems. Rich people are financial warriors and when a warrior is confronted with a challenge they shout: BRING IT ON!
6. Rich People Focus on Opportunities
Poor people focus on problems.
Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss.
Rich people focus on the rewards. Poor people focus on the risks.
It's the age-old question, is the glass half empty or half full? We're not merely talking about "positive thinking" here, we're talking about a habitual way of seeing the world. Poor people come from fear. Their minds are constantly scanning for what's wrong or what could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mindset is "What if it doesn't work?" or, more bluntly, "It won't work." Rich people, as we discussed earlier, take responsibility for creating their life and come from the mindset, "It will work because I'll make it work."
In the financial world, as in most other arenas, risk is directly proportionate to reward; generally, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. People with rich mentalities are willing to take that risk.
Rich people expect to succeed. They have confidence in their abilities, they have confidence in their creativity and they believe that should the "doo-doo hit the fan", they can always make their money back or succeed in another way.
On the other hand, poor people expect to fail. They lack confidence in themselves and in their abilities, and should things not work out, they believe it would be catastrophic.
You have to do something, buy something, or start something in order to succeed financially. You have to see opportunities for profit all around you instead of focusing on ways of losing money.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Hawaii isn't just a place in the middle of the Pacific.
"When the first Haole (slang for Caucasian), no doubt one of Captain Cook's crew, arrived at the Island of Hawai'i, he came ashore, and asked the first Hawaiian he saw, "What's the name of this place? Where do you live?" The Hawaiian answered, "Hawai'i."
Then the sailor went to another area of the Big Island and asked the next Hawaiian he saw, "Where do you live?" The second Hawaiian said, "Hawai'i." And then a third, with the same answer, so the island was named "Hawai'i." What each Hawaiian meant was, "I live in the supreme Mana that rides on the life's breath."
When the sailor visited the next island, he asked the first Hawaiian he saw, "Where do you live?" This Hawaiian said, "Hawai'i." And then another island and another, and still the same answer, "Hawai'i." So Captain Cook named all the Islands, "Hawai'i."
But Hawai'i isn't just a place in the middle of the Pacific, it's a place inside you -- a place that, wherever you go in the world it is still inside you. You see, what the Hawaiian was saying was, "I live in:
Ha: meaning breath, or breath of life
Wai: meaning water, but also a code word for Mana or life force, and
'I: meaning supreme
But Hawai'i is not just in the Hawaiian Islands, you also carry it with you, and so you can connect with your Hawai'i -- the supreme life's force that rides on the breath, any time, anywhere.
Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha." The out-breath is whispered loudly, and is twice as long as the in-breath.
So if you're in traffic, bumper to bumper, and you have to be somewhere, and you're about to rip the bumper off the car with your bare hands: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
If you've had a rough day at the office and you're tired, really tired, but it's only three: Don't take that 14th cup of coffee, forget about it. Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
If your kids are raising the roof, and your dog just mangled your 120 dollar Reeboks, and the cat just fur-balled in your bed, and you are about to yell and throw all of them out: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
You're about to go in to see your boss, and you hope he's in a good mood, 'cause the last time he wasn't and that wasn't fun, and you're really anxious: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
Remember -- anywhere, anytime -- you can reconnect with the supreme Mana that rides on your life's breath -- the Hawai'i inside you. Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you. Anyone can -- anytime, anywhere. So wherever you go you can be in the flow of the supreme Mana that rides on the life's breath.
In the early 1800's, when the first white visitors to Hawai'i arrived, the Hawaiians watched them carefully especially when they spoke or prayed. Soon the Hawaiians noticed something odd about the missionaries. The Hawaiians had confirmed their suspicions -- the newcomers didn't breathe, at least not the way the Hawaiians did. The Hawaiians were miffed. Before any Hawaiian would begin to chant, or even to make a pronouncement, they always breathed and meditated, but the new arrivals didn't, so they were called Haole. Ha, meaning "breath," and Ole, meaning "lacking."
So let's not be Haole, at least not in the true meaning. As you're reading now, let's breathe together, doing the Ha breath for 5 minutes. Why not stop and do that now? Just take a deep breath in through the nose, filling your lungs completely. Then exhale through the mouth, loudly whispering the word "Haaaa," and exhaling completely. Continue for 5 minutes -- put on some nice music if you wish or just sit quietly. (By the way if you begin to hyperventilate or feel light headed at any time during any breathing technique, just stop and wait for it to pass.)
THE ACTIVE MEDITATION OF THE KAHUNA
One meaning of Hakalau is, "To stare at as in meditation and to allow to spread out." If you've never tried it before, right now, this technique can be a real eye opener. Try it.
1. Ho'ohaka: Just pick a spot on the wall to look at, preferably above eye level, so that your field of vision seems to bump up against your eyebrows, but the eyes are not so high so as to cut off the field of vision.
2. Kuu: "To let go." As you stare at this spot, just let your mind go loose, and focus all of your attention on the spot.
3. Lau: "To spread out." Notice that within a matter of moments, your vision begins to spread out, and you see more in the peripheral than you do in the central part of your vision.
4. Hakalau: Now, pay attention to the peripheral. In fact, pay more attention to the peripheral than to the central part of your vision.
5. Ho'okohi: Stay in this state for as long as you can. Notice how it feels. Notice the ecstatic feelings that begin to come to you as you continue the state.
(Notice that this description is almost the same as Patanjali's description in the Yoga Sutras of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi leading to Samyama.)
Hakalau is the means, then, in the Hawaiian system for entering a rapid trance state at will. In our Huna Intensives given in Hawaii, we suggest to the Haumana (students) that they use this technique inside and outside of class -- all the time -- until it becomes automatic. This is the state we are in as we go from place to place, walking, cycling, riding in a car, etc. And as you do it more and more, you will also find that it is impossible to hold a negative state in consciousness when you are in peripheral vision. Hakalau is also why some Shamans won't actually make eye contact with you, because it could interfere with the state. (Truthfully, if eye contact can interfere with your state then you need more practice with a qualified guide.)
The ability to enter a trance state rapidly, and at will is deepened by sitting in meditation and deepening the experience. The technique is practiced with the eyes closed, and adds some additional techniques to Hakalau." Matt James
Then the sailor went to another area of the Big Island and asked the next Hawaiian he saw, "Where do you live?" The second Hawaiian said, "Hawai'i." And then a third, with the same answer, so the island was named "Hawai'i." What each Hawaiian meant was, "I live in the supreme Mana that rides on the life's breath."
When the sailor visited the next island, he asked the first Hawaiian he saw, "Where do you live?" This Hawaiian said, "Hawai'i." And then another island and another, and still the same answer, "Hawai'i." So Captain Cook named all the Islands, "Hawai'i."
But Hawai'i isn't just a place in the middle of the Pacific, it's a place inside you -- a place that, wherever you go in the world it is still inside you. You see, what the Hawaiian was saying was, "I live in:
Ha: meaning breath, or breath of life
Wai: meaning water, but also a code word for Mana or life force, and
'I: meaning supreme
But Hawai'i is not just in the Hawaiian Islands, you also carry it with you, and so you can connect with your Hawai'i -- the supreme life's force that rides on the breath, any time, anywhere.
Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha." The out-breath is whispered loudly, and is twice as long as the in-breath.
So if you're in traffic, bumper to bumper, and you have to be somewhere, and you're about to rip the bumper off the car with your bare hands: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
If you've had a rough day at the office and you're tired, really tired, but it's only three: Don't take that 14th cup of coffee, forget about it. Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
If your kids are raising the roof, and your dog just mangled your 120 dollar Reeboks, and the cat just fur-balled in your bed, and you are about to yell and throw all of them out: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
You're about to go in to see your boss, and you hope he's in a good mood, 'cause the last time he wasn't and that wasn't fun, and you're really anxious: Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you.
Remember -- anywhere, anytime -- you can reconnect with the supreme Mana that rides on your life's breath -- the Hawai'i inside you. Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, "Ha," and reconnect with the Hawai'i in you. Anyone can -- anytime, anywhere. So wherever you go you can be in the flow of the supreme Mana that rides on the life's breath.
In the early 1800's, when the first white visitors to Hawai'i arrived, the Hawaiians watched them carefully especially when they spoke or prayed. Soon the Hawaiians noticed something odd about the missionaries. The Hawaiians had confirmed their suspicions -- the newcomers didn't breathe, at least not the way the Hawaiians did. The Hawaiians were miffed. Before any Hawaiian would begin to chant, or even to make a pronouncement, they always breathed and meditated, but the new arrivals didn't, so they were called Haole. Ha, meaning "breath," and Ole, meaning "lacking."
So let's not be Haole, at least not in the true meaning. As you're reading now, let's breathe together, doing the Ha breath for 5 minutes. Why not stop and do that now? Just take a deep breath in through the nose, filling your lungs completely. Then exhale through the mouth, loudly whispering the word "Haaaa," and exhaling completely. Continue for 5 minutes -- put on some nice music if you wish or just sit quietly. (By the way if you begin to hyperventilate or feel light headed at any time during any breathing technique, just stop and wait for it to pass.)
THE ACTIVE MEDITATION OF THE KAHUNA
One meaning of Hakalau is, "To stare at as in meditation and to allow to spread out." If you've never tried it before, right now, this technique can be a real eye opener. Try it.
1. Ho'ohaka: Just pick a spot on the wall to look at, preferably above eye level, so that your field of vision seems to bump up against your eyebrows, but the eyes are not so high so as to cut off the field of vision.
2. Kuu: "To let go." As you stare at this spot, just let your mind go loose, and focus all of your attention on the spot.
3. Lau: "To spread out." Notice that within a matter of moments, your vision begins to spread out, and you see more in the peripheral than you do in the central part of your vision.
4. Hakalau: Now, pay attention to the peripheral. In fact, pay more attention to the peripheral than to the central part of your vision.
5. Ho'okohi: Stay in this state for as long as you can. Notice how it feels. Notice the ecstatic feelings that begin to come to you as you continue the state.
(Notice that this description is almost the same as Patanjali's description in the Yoga Sutras of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi leading to Samyama.)
Hakalau is the means, then, in the Hawaiian system for entering a rapid trance state at will. In our Huna Intensives given in Hawaii, we suggest to the Haumana (students) that they use this technique inside and outside of class -- all the time -- until it becomes automatic. This is the state we are in as we go from place to place, walking, cycling, riding in a car, etc. And as you do it more and more, you will also find that it is impossible to hold a negative state in consciousness when you are in peripheral vision. Hakalau is also why some Shamans won't actually make eye contact with you, because it could interfere with the state. (Truthfully, if eye contact can interfere with your state then you need more practice with a qualified guide.)
The ability to enter a trance state rapidly, and at will is deepened by sitting in meditation and deepening the experience. The technique is practiced with the eyes closed, and adds some additional techniques to Hakalau." Matt James
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Prosperity Prayer from Joe Vitale
Prosperity Affirmation
(Read Aloud Every Day for 30 days)
I am the source of all wealth. I am rich with creative
ideas. My mind abounds with new, original, inspired
thoughts. What I have to offer is unique, and the world
desires it.
My value is beyond reckoning. What the world needs
and desires, I am ready to produce and give. What the
world needs and desires, I recognize and fulfill. The
bounty of my mind is without hindrance or limit. Nothing
can stand in the way of my inspired creativeness.
The overflowing power of God life energy overcomes
every obstacle, & pours out into the world, blessing &
prospering everyone, & everything through me.
I radiate blessings, I radiate creativity, I radiate
prosperity, I radiate loving service. I radiate Joy,
Beauty, Peace,Wisdom & Power. Humanity seeks
me and rewards me. I am beloved of the world.
I am wanted wherever I go.
I am appreciated. What I have to offer is greatly desired.
What I have to offer brings a rich reward. Through my vision
the world is blessed. Through my clear thinking & steadfast
purpose, wonderful new values come into expression.
My vision is as the vision of the mighty ones. My faith is
as the faith of the undefeatable. My power to accomplish
is unlimited. I, in my uttermost God Source, am all wealth,
all power, all productivity. I hereby declare my financial
free-dom, NOW and henceforth forever!
Love,
joe
(Read Aloud Every Day for 30 days)
I am the source of all wealth. I am rich with creative
ideas. My mind abounds with new, original, inspired
thoughts. What I have to offer is unique, and the world
desires it.
My value is beyond reckoning. What the world needs
and desires, I am ready to produce and give. What the
world needs and desires, I recognize and fulfill. The
bounty of my mind is without hindrance or limit. Nothing
can stand in the way of my inspired creativeness.
The overflowing power of God life energy overcomes
every obstacle, & pours out into the world, blessing &
prospering everyone, & everything through me.
I radiate blessings, I radiate creativity, I radiate
prosperity, I radiate loving service. I radiate Joy,
Beauty, Peace,Wisdom & Power. Humanity seeks
me and rewards me. I am beloved of the world.
I am wanted wherever I go.
I am appreciated. What I have to offer is greatly desired.
What I have to offer brings a rich reward. Through my vision
the world is blessed. Through my clear thinking & steadfast
purpose, wonderful new values come into expression.
My vision is as the vision of the mighty ones. My faith is
as the faith of the undefeatable. My power to accomplish
is unlimited. I, in my uttermost God Source, am all wealth,
all power, all productivity. I hereby declare my financial
free-dom, NOW and henceforth forever!
Love,
joe
Monday, February 2, 2009
Are You a 'Responsibility' Addict?
By Barry Goss and Heather Vale
In light of some of the confusion and surface-level teachings going on about the "responsibility game" (as in how far you should take your need to be responsible for everything that you see, feel, and experience ), let's start by analyzing, and putting deeper meaning, around this quote:
"Most people have no idea what responsibility means... They are into blame. As they grow and become more aware, they begin to consider that they are responsible for what they say and do. Beyond that, as you become even more aware, you can begin to realize that you are responsible for what everyone says and does, simply because they are in your experience. If you create your own reality, then you created all you see, even the parts you don't like." ~ Joe Vitale
The above quote is excerpted from Joe Vitale's best-selling (of course, he has the process down!) book, Zero Limits, which is about the ancient Hawaiian art of Ho'oponopono. The basic premise is that you are responsible for absolutely everything you experience, whether within your control or seemingly beyond your control, simply for the fact that you are experiencing it. In order to change it, you must clean yourself by sending out love, gratitude, and apologies to the Universe.
Now, apparently there have been some pretty awe-inspiring results come out of this seemingly strange practice. And yet, we keep meeting people who do and teach Ho'oponopono but still don't take responsibility for their lives and everything that happens to them. They still act as victims if someone says or does something that they don't like.
So the question is... are they extremely incongruent? Or do they just have a feeling, deep down, that we're really NOT responsible for everything that occurs within our awareness? Or is it perhaps a combination of both? And more importantly, where does the truth lie? Are we, in fact, responsible for everything we see, hear, smell, taste, feel and experience... whether it occurs in our own backyard, or halfway around the world?
This question has been floating around the spiritual circles, and hotly debated, for some time now. Followers of the movie The Secret tend to believe what the movie tells them, which is that we "attract" or "create" everything in our lives.
In the movie, Bob Proctor says that everything in your life, you are attracting into your life. Mike Dooley says that Thoughts Become Things. Michael Beckwith says that creation is always happening. Joe Vitale says you're like Michelangelo, and the David you're shaping is you. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that you create your own Universe as you go along. Quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf says that the mind is shaping the very thing being perceived. So they don't really say "responsible", they say "attract" and "create". But that begs the question... is "attraction" and "creation" the same thing? And where does responsibility fit in?
We think that Fred Alan Wolf's assessment that the mind shapes the very thing being perceived is spot on, because perception is so often taken as cold hard fact by most people. "You attacked me," "You turned your back on me," "You yelled at me," "You cut me off on purpose," and so forth are all perceptions of an event that took place, and/or perceptions of the intent of another person involved. But often these perceptions are completely the opposite of what the other person intended... and intention is so much more powerful than perception when it comes to what reality is.
So our minds shape what we experience based on our perceptions... but those perceptions do not make reality, just what we perceive as reality (which we can call "our reality," as in "we create our own reality," but it may not have any impact whatsoever on anybody else... and is therefore not "true reality").
If I send you a gift from the heart that I honestly think you'll appreciate and enjoy, and you decide that there must be some hidden message in why I would pick that particular thing, what's true? My intention of giving a gift from the heart? Or your perception of the hidden message that was "wrapped up" with the present?
I think it's pretty clear that my intention is what's true, and your perception, while it might seem true to you, is really not. Your perception shapes your reality, but no one else's, unless you're determined to tell everyone you know how terrible I was for giving you the gift. Then you're influencing my reality, and all the other people's reality too. But you haven't changed true reality unless you can change everyone's beliefs - including mine - about what happened.
But I don't think that "perception" is the same as "creation", and I don't think that perception requires taking responsibility for what is... only for what our reactions are to it. And in fact, despite the common habit of using both words interchangeably, I don't think "attraction" is the same as "creation", either.
When Joe says we're like Michelangelo, sculpting our own Davids (ourselves) he is definitely saying that we "create" our reality. But now, after lots of investigation and study, we're starting to question this premise. We "attract" what's in our lives, absolutely. That's the Law of Attraction, and it's not going to change. But "create" - as in the artistic sense of create? We'd have to say no, not by that definition of "creation".
Think of it this way... you can attract another person to you. But you can't create another person, unless that person is your offspring (and then you're only co-creating with your partner)!
I've painted many paintings in my life. They start with a blank white canvas, and I can create absolutely anything I want on that surface. It might be a cartoonish animal, it might be a landscape, it might be a portrait of a person, or it might be totally abstract. There are no rules, and I can create whatever I choose.
In life, we can't create whatever we choose. If you want your skin to be naturally darker, you can't create that. If you want to be a natural blonde when you're not, you can't create that. If you want to use your own leg power to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, you can't create that. If you want to run faster than a speeding bullet, or be more powerful than a locomotive, you can't create that.
If you want to have four legs, or six arms, or three eyes, you can't create that. If you want a unique pet, you can't just create any Dr. Seuss-like character you can conceive... even if you believe it (sorry, Napoleon!) Physics rule just as hard and fast as metaphysics, and you can't bend the rules. But you can absolutely attract anything that already exists on this planet... it was created by the Universe (The Creator, or a co-creation of the Universal consciousness, including you) but it's attracted by you.
If you write a book, you created it. If you read a book that happened to come along into your life at the precise right time, and you just know it was a sign from the Universe... you still didn't "create" it. You only "attracted" it. Or, as I like to say: We don't create, we facilitate.
If creation is the equivalent of an artist's painting, then facilitating is the equivalent of making a collage out of pictures that you've cut out of magazines, photographs you've taken, keepsakes and mementos you've picked up, and various other odds and ends lying around.
In the corporate world, we facilitate a meeting - conceive it, put it together, make sure it happens and guide the way it unfolds. But nobody says we create a meeting, because you can't create how others will be involved. Facilitating is basically another way we can look at attracting, but it implies a more hands-on approach that I really like, and that inspires self-responsibility for what we experience.
Back to the example of attracting vs. creating other people... Barry and I were first "attracted" to each other in the classic metaphysical sense: the Law of Attraction at work. But Barry facilitated our first conversation by taking the initiative to email me. Over a year later, we became "attracted" to each other in the physical sense: animal magnetism at work. But again, Barry facilitated that becoming more than just a mutual admiration. Yes, he was the one kick-starting that phase in our relationship too. But a couple of weeks later, when I also realized what I wanted, I helped in the facilitation process (by sending him an REO Speedwagon song, to begin with) and we ended up where we are now (another whole journey in itself). Yes, you could say we "created" the relationship. But from a true something-out-of-nothing perspective of creation, we really "facilitated" it happening the way we had designed and envisioned, rather than creating it from scratch.
But back to one of my original questions: Are we absolutely responsible for everything we experience - whether it happens in our personal circle of influence, or halfway across the world? Are you responsible for a tsunami because you watched it being covered on the TV news? Are you responsible for a co-worker being fired because you witnessed the boss axing him? Are you responsible for the price of gas because you filled up your car? Are you responsible for global warming because you commented on how nice the hot weather was last summer? Various scenes in The Secret would imply yes. The principles of Ho'oponopono say absolutely, yes. We say no.
Now at this point, it's important to make a clarification. When teachers talk about "you" creating your personal reality, or being responsible for what you personally experience, they are often talking about your Higher Self you, not what we'll call your Lower Self you. They don't usually make that distinction, which is why so much confusion abounds... but that's what they really mean.
The Higher Self is you on a spiritual plane - the part of you that has all, knows all, and probably guides all in your life. The Lower Self is you on the physical plane - the part of you that experiences all, and is learning with each step along the way. We could call it Mini Me (physical) and Maxi Me (spiritual); or as fellow metaphysical writer Stuart Davis says, the spiritual part is your Self and the physical part is your self. Get it? Upper case "Self" = Higher Self, and lower case "self" = Lower Self.
The point is, listening to teachers who say "we already have everything we need" or "we're already whole" is misleading, because they mean the Higher Self, which of course is already whole! We don't need anyone to tell us that, it's obvious. But most of us aren't 100% connected to what our Higher Self knows and wants at any given time.
So if you get raped or mugged and a teacher tells you you're "responsible" for that, should you feel terrible about it? No, because if there is any responsibility in the equation, or if it was pre-planned for that event to happen, it was all your Higher Self's doing. The Lower Self experiences it, and can choose how to react to it (such as acting like a victim, or taking a strong stance as a survivor or, even better, a thriver). But obviously the Lower Self did not choose to experience that, even if the Higher Self did. The Lower Self is not fully responsible, even if the Lower Self attracted it.
How would the Lower Self "you" attract such a terrible thing? Either by thinking and feeling things like "nobody's trustworthy," "everyone's out to get me," "men are only after one thing from me," etc... or by walking around like a victim with shoulders stooped, expecting the boogey man to jump out at any second. Criminals look for the victim attitude, and never attack someone who walks with confidence and a don't-mess-with-me attitude.
Extending this argument to global events takes on a whole different level of suspended disbelief, however. Can we say we're responsible for that tsunami because we walked around like a victim? Or even that we're responsible because we watched the weather report on TV and said out loud, "Wow, the environment is really getting out of whack lately!" I don't think so... what do you think? What does your soul tell you? What are your gut reactions? How much of what you experience or witness do you truly feel you're responsible for? And when engaging in this discussion, keep in mind whether you're referring to your Higher Self or Lower Self when you say "I".
So now, where do YOU stand on the issue? What does your intuition tell you about what you're responsible for? Just remember my favorite Jack Canfield formula: E+R=O (Event + Reaction = Outcome) and take a curious look at your reaction to what you read here. Does it ring true? Does it ruffle your feathers? Does it make you want to embrace me or lash out? Only you have control over that... we're not responsible!
But that's good news, because taking self-responsibility for your habits, your reactions, and your roadblocks is one of the most empowering things you can do. It allows you to see your self-defeating behavior and patterns, and adjust accordingly so you facilitate a more desirable situation for yourself. We just don't think you need to take self-responsibility for the earthquake in California.
We're not approaching this from the position of uninformed non-spiritual people who just don't get it. We're approaching it from the stance of investigators who have been there, done that, dug deeply, and discarded what doesn't jive.
In light of some of the confusion and surface-level teachings going on about the "responsibility game" (as in how far you should take your need to be responsible for everything that you see, feel, and experience ), let's start by analyzing, and putting deeper meaning, around this quote:
"Most people have no idea what responsibility means... They are into blame. As they grow and become more aware, they begin to consider that they are responsible for what they say and do. Beyond that, as you become even more aware, you can begin to realize that you are responsible for what everyone says and does, simply because they are in your experience. If you create your own reality, then you created all you see, even the parts you don't like." ~ Joe Vitale
The above quote is excerpted from Joe Vitale's best-selling (of course, he has the process down!) book, Zero Limits, which is about the ancient Hawaiian art of Ho'oponopono. The basic premise is that you are responsible for absolutely everything you experience, whether within your control or seemingly beyond your control, simply for the fact that you are experiencing it. In order to change it, you must clean yourself by sending out love, gratitude, and apologies to the Universe.
Now, apparently there have been some pretty awe-inspiring results come out of this seemingly strange practice. And yet, we keep meeting people who do and teach Ho'oponopono but still don't take responsibility for their lives and everything that happens to them. They still act as victims if someone says or does something that they don't like.
So the question is... are they extremely incongruent? Or do they just have a feeling, deep down, that we're really NOT responsible for everything that occurs within our awareness? Or is it perhaps a combination of both? And more importantly, where does the truth lie? Are we, in fact, responsible for everything we see, hear, smell, taste, feel and experience... whether it occurs in our own backyard, or halfway around the world?
This question has been floating around the spiritual circles, and hotly debated, for some time now. Followers of the movie The Secret tend to believe what the movie tells them, which is that we "attract" or "create" everything in our lives.
In the movie, Bob Proctor says that everything in your life, you are attracting into your life. Mike Dooley says that Thoughts Become Things. Michael Beckwith says that creation is always happening. Joe Vitale says you're like Michelangelo, and the David you're shaping is you. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that you create your own Universe as you go along. Quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf says that the mind is shaping the very thing being perceived. So they don't really say "responsible", they say "attract" and "create". But that begs the question... is "attraction" and "creation" the same thing? And where does responsibility fit in?
We think that Fred Alan Wolf's assessment that the mind shapes the very thing being perceived is spot on, because perception is so often taken as cold hard fact by most people. "You attacked me," "You turned your back on me," "You yelled at me," "You cut me off on purpose," and so forth are all perceptions of an event that took place, and/or perceptions of the intent of another person involved. But often these perceptions are completely the opposite of what the other person intended... and intention is so much more powerful than perception when it comes to what reality is.
So our minds shape what we experience based on our perceptions... but those perceptions do not make reality, just what we perceive as reality (which we can call "our reality," as in "we create our own reality," but it may not have any impact whatsoever on anybody else... and is therefore not "true reality").
If I send you a gift from the heart that I honestly think you'll appreciate and enjoy, and you decide that there must be some hidden message in why I would pick that particular thing, what's true? My intention of giving a gift from the heart? Or your perception of the hidden message that was "wrapped up" with the present?
I think it's pretty clear that my intention is what's true, and your perception, while it might seem true to you, is really not. Your perception shapes your reality, but no one else's, unless you're determined to tell everyone you know how terrible I was for giving you the gift. Then you're influencing my reality, and all the other people's reality too. But you haven't changed true reality unless you can change everyone's beliefs - including mine - about what happened.
But I don't think that "perception" is the same as "creation", and I don't think that perception requires taking responsibility for what is... only for what our reactions are to it. And in fact, despite the common habit of using both words interchangeably, I don't think "attraction" is the same as "creation", either.
When Joe says we're like Michelangelo, sculpting our own Davids (ourselves) he is definitely saying that we "create" our reality. But now, after lots of investigation and study, we're starting to question this premise. We "attract" what's in our lives, absolutely. That's the Law of Attraction, and it's not going to change. But "create" - as in the artistic sense of create? We'd have to say no, not by that definition of "creation".
Think of it this way... you can attract another person to you. But you can't create another person, unless that person is your offspring (and then you're only co-creating with your partner)!
I've painted many paintings in my life. They start with a blank white canvas, and I can create absolutely anything I want on that surface. It might be a cartoonish animal, it might be a landscape, it might be a portrait of a person, or it might be totally abstract. There are no rules, and I can create whatever I choose.
In life, we can't create whatever we choose. If you want your skin to be naturally darker, you can't create that. If you want to be a natural blonde when you're not, you can't create that. If you want to use your own leg power to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, you can't create that. If you want to run faster than a speeding bullet, or be more powerful than a locomotive, you can't create that.
If you want to have four legs, or six arms, or three eyes, you can't create that. If you want a unique pet, you can't just create any Dr. Seuss-like character you can conceive... even if you believe it (sorry, Napoleon!) Physics rule just as hard and fast as metaphysics, and you can't bend the rules. But you can absolutely attract anything that already exists on this planet... it was created by the Universe (The Creator, or a co-creation of the Universal consciousness, including you) but it's attracted by you.
If you write a book, you created it. If you read a book that happened to come along into your life at the precise right time, and you just know it was a sign from the Universe... you still didn't "create" it. You only "attracted" it. Or, as I like to say: We don't create, we facilitate.
If creation is the equivalent of an artist's painting, then facilitating is the equivalent of making a collage out of pictures that you've cut out of magazines, photographs you've taken, keepsakes and mementos you've picked up, and various other odds and ends lying around.
In the corporate world, we facilitate a meeting - conceive it, put it together, make sure it happens and guide the way it unfolds. But nobody says we create a meeting, because you can't create how others will be involved. Facilitating is basically another way we can look at attracting, but it implies a more hands-on approach that I really like, and that inspires self-responsibility for what we experience.
Back to the example of attracting vs. creating other people... Barry and I were first "attracted" to each other in the classic metaphysical sense: the Law of Attraction at work. But Barry facilitated our first conversation by taking the initiative to email me. Over a year later, we became "attracted" to each other in the physical sense: animal magnetism at work. But again, Barry facilitated that becoming more than just a mutual admiration. Yes, he was the one kick-starting that phase in our relationship too. But a couple of weeks later, when I also realized what I wanted, I helped in the facilitation process (by sending him an REO Speedwagon song, to begin with) and we ended up where we are now (another whole journey in itself). Yes, you could say we "created" the relationship. But from a true something-out-of-nothing perspective of creation, we really "facilitated" it happening the way we had designed and envisioned, rather than creating it from scratch.
But back to one of my original questions: Are we absolutely responsible for everything we experience - whether it happens in our personal circle of influence, or halfway across the world? Are you responsible for a tsunami because you watched it being covered on the TV news? Are you responsible for a co-worker being fired because you witnessed the boss axing him? Are you responsible for the price of gas because you filled up your car? Are you responsible for global warming because you commented on how nice the hot weather was last summer? Various scenes in The Secret would imply yes. The principles of Ho'oponopono say absolutely, yes. We say no.
Now at this point, it's important to make a clarification. When teachers talk about "you" creating your personal reality, or being responsible for what you personally experience, they are often talking about your Higher Self you, not what we'll call your Lower Self you. They don't usually make that distinction, which is why so much confusion abounds... but that's what they really mean.
The Higher Self is you on a spiritual plane - the part of you that has all, knows all, and probably guides all in your life. The Lower Self is you on the physical plane - the part of you that experiences all, and is learning with each step along the way. We could call it Mini Me (physical) and Maxi Me (spiritual); or as fellow metaphysical writer Stuart Davis says, the spiritual part is your Self and the physical part is your self. Get it? Upper case "Self" = Higher Self, and lower case "self" = Lower Self.
The point is, listening to teachers who say "we already have everything we need" or "we're already whole" is misleading, because they mean the Higher Self, which of course is already whole! We don't need anyone to tell us that, it's obvious. But most of us aren't 100% connected to what our Higher Self knows and wants at any given time.
So if you get raped or mugged and a teacher tells you you're "responsible" for that, should you feel terrible about it? No, because if there is any responsibility in the equation, or if it was pre-planned for that event to happen, it was all your Higher Self's doing. The Lower Self experiences it, and can choose how to react to it (such as acting like a victim, or taking a strong stance as a survivor or, even better, a thriver). But obviously the Lower Self did not choose to experience that, even if the Higher Self did. The Lower Self is not fully responsible, even if the Lower Self attracted it.
How would the Lower Self "you" attract such a terrible thing? Either by thinking and feeling things like "nobody's trustworthy," "everyone's out to get me," "men are only after one thing from me," etc... or by walking around like a victim with shoulders stooped, expecting the boogey man to jump out at any second. Criminals look for the victim attitude, and never attack someone who walks with confidence and a don't-mess-with-me attitude.
Extending this argument to global events takes on a whole different level of suspended disbelief, however. Can we say we're responsible for that tsunami because we walked around like a victim? Or even that we're responsible because we watched the weather report on TV and said out loud, "Wow, the environment is really getting out of whack lately!" I don't think so... what do you think? What does your soul tell you? What are your gut reactions? How much of what you experience or witness do you truly feel you're responsible for? And when engaging in this discussion, keep in mind whether you're referring to your Higher Self or Lower Self when you say "I".
So now, where do YOU stand on the issue? What does your intuition tell you about what you're responsible for? Just remember my favorite Jack Canfield formula: E+R=O (Event + Reaction = Outcome) and take a curious look at your reaction to what you read here. Does it ring true? Does it ruffle your feathers? Does it make you want to embrace me or lash out? Only you have control over that... we're not responsible!
But that's good news, because taking self-responsibility for your habits, your reactions, and your roadblocks is one of the most empowering things you can do. It allows you to see your self-defeating behavior and patterns, and adjust accordingly so you facilitate a more desirable situation for yourself. We just don't think you need to take self-responsibility for the earthquake in California.
We're not approaching this from the position of uninformed non-spiritual people who just don't get it. We're approaching it from the stance of investigators who have been there, done that, dug deeply, and discarded what doesn't jive.
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