A coffee with ... Joe Vitale
Wimberley author who appeared in 'The Secret' discusses the phenomenon
By Jenny Miller
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, May 24, 2007
It's 10:45 a.m. and Joe Vitale has already harnessed the powers of the universe several times.
On the drive from his Wimberley home to the Barnes & Noble at the Arboretum, the doctor of metaphysics, marketing guru and author of "way too many books to mention" used a tool called the law of attraction to ask for the following: a safe trip with no traffic (which he gets); that he be early for the coffee interview (which he is); and that we easily find each other in the bookstore's cafe (which we do).
The law of attraction — the theory that we "attract" into our lives whatever it is our minds are focused on — is the central message of the best-selling self-help book and film "The Secret," in which Vitale appears. If you haven't gotten in on "The Secret" yet, you've probably at least heard of it. The DVD, released in March 2006, has already sold more than 1.5 million copies. The corresponding book has 3.75 million copies in print, and both have topped the charts at Amazon.com.
Those who have seen the film will remember Vitale as the dimpled, middle-aged man in a black T-shirt and brown prayer beads who uttered some of the most memorable lines. "You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David that you are sculpting is you," is one. Another: "The universe likes speed," meaning that to reach our goals we should take action in the very moment we feel inspired.
The speed line is so frequently referenced that Vitale declares it will be carved on his tombstone, though the 53-year-old adds that he has plenty of time before then.
The movie's message is somewhat radical, and, as much as the English-speaking public seems to be gobbling it up, there's been criticism, too. One major complaint (the thesis of a recent Newsweek story) is the focus on attracting money and material goods over more altruistic goals. (And indeed, sports cars and luxurious houses play as big a role in "The Secret" as any of the people quoted.)
Vitale himself is a sports car aficionado. He owns a limited edition Panoz, which he "attracted" last year on a day when he drove to San Antonio merely wanting to lay eyes on one of the rare automobiles. As it turned out, the car had been a prize in a charity raffle, and the winner was thrilled until he got his tax bill. Vitale ended up driving away with the car that day having paid less than half of the usual $150,000 sticker price, he says.
To Vitale, his Panoz and two BMWs are "proof that the law of attraction works." When asked whether that's a rather materialistic outlook, he seems prepared for the question. "People have a belief that the material is not spiritual," he says. "It's our cultural programming."
What Vitale and the other "teachers" in the film want us to learn is that the material, according to metaphysical thought, is a direct manifestation of the spiritual. As he puts it, "Your thoughts and feelings are creating the outer reality."
Though Vitale lives what he describes as a "life of luxury," that wasn't always the case. More than 30 years ago, before he discovered metaphysics (or writing, or marketing), the Ohio native lost his savings to a fraudulent company that promised work overseas, he says. He then spent six months homeless in Dallas, sleeping in doorways and churches. A relative eventually helped him get work in Houston, and he spent years in that city in "virtual poverty" going from one low-paying job to another.
"It felt like there was no way out, and then I started learning about the law of attraction," Vitale says. A few years later he published his first book, "Zen and the Art of Writing." He learned marketing while publicizing that book, and things took off from there.
"The life I have right now compared to the life I had 30 years ago is so dramatically different that it feels like a past life," Vitale says. "I want people to realize that if you keep being positive, you keep moving forward, you can get to a place that's so different from where you are now it will blow your mind."
That seems like an inspiring note to end on, and as we toss our drink cups in the trash I'm relieved that the self-described bookaholic plans to browse the store's titles before he leaves. If we walked out to the parking lot together, he might see my dusty 8-year-old Honda Civic, which I would have washed if I'd known it was a direct manifestation of my inner reality. Maybe I should spend the drive home attracting some spiffier wheels.
Find this article at: http://www.statesman.com/wireless/content/life/stories/other/05/24/0524coffee.html
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Creating Vision Boards
Here's a great article on creating vision boards. I think all you Secret lovers with find it useful! --Ron
How to Make a Vision Board
by Christine Kane
One of my most popular past blog posts is Vision Boards: A Quick Story. I wrote it months before the DVD The Secret was released. Then John Assaraf's story of manifesting his giant mansion by using vision boards (in The Secret) popularized the concept. Many of us, however, have been doing them for years. (I've been using them at my women's retreats for about 5 years now.) And the value of a vision board goes way beyond just mansions and gold watches!
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you've torn out from various magazines. It's simple.
The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
For instance, before I ever started performing music and I had no idea how I'd ever get a gig, write enough songs, or assemble a press kit, I drew a picture of myself in a bar with people watching me perform (I'm a terrible visual artist, so I actually had to label the people "people!"). And though it wasn't the only factor in making it happen, I had a calendar full of bar and coffeehouse gigs by the next year.
My drawing was a kind of a vision board. Vision boards do the same thing as my drawing did. They add clarity to your desires, and feeling to your visions. For instance, at the time I did my drawing, I knew I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. (I have since left the that circuit, and I'm performing in theatres and at conferences. But in my early twenties, I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. I was pretty clear about that!) Taking the time to draw it out, even poorly, made it indelible in my mind.
There are several methods you can use for creating your vision board. I've written about each one below. You can choose which one works best for you, depending on where you find yourself on this path of creating your life.
Supplies you'll need for creating a Vision Board:
- Poster board. (Target sells a really nice matte finish board. I highly recommend it.)
- A big stack of different magazines. (You can get them at libraries, hair salons, dentist offices, the YMCA.) Make sure you find lots of different types. If you limit your options, you'll lose interest after a while. When I facilitate my women's retreats, I always make sure we have plenty of Oprah, Real Simple, Natural Home, Yoga Journal, Dwell, Ode, Parenting, Money, Utne, and an assortment of nature magazines.
- Glue. Not Elmers. (It makes the pages ripple.) I like using Yes! Glue or Rubber cement. Glue sticks are my second choice because they don't last.
Before you begin your vision board:
No matter which method you're choosing, have a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intent. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe one word will be the answer. Maybe images will come into your head. Just take a moment to be with that. This process makes it a deeper experience. It gives a chance for your ego to step aside just a little, so that you can more clearly create your vision.
Put on soft music. My favorite music for activities like this is Anugama Shamanic Dream I and Shamanic Dream II . I love these CD's for massage or any activity where you want to keep your mind quiet.
The Five Steps of Creating a Vision Board:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you'll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story. At my retreats, I've seen women come up with wildly creative ways to present a vision board.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
Three Types of Vision Boards:
1 - The "I Know Exactly What I Want" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You're very clear about your desires.- You want to change your environment or surroundings.- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Dwell magazine and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture. I remember at the last retreat, one woman yelled out, "If anyone finds a picture of a little girl with red hair who looks happy, give it to me!" And someone else yelled out, "I'm looking for a Cadillac!" Pretty soon, a lively trading session began. Following the five steps above, create your vision board out of these images.
2 - The "Opening and Allowing" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You're not sure what exactly you want- You've been in a period of depression or grief- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.- You know you want change but don't know how it's possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don't ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it's a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it's a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you'll know the answer. If you don't, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough. Some women at my retreats had NO idea what their board was about, and it wasn't until two months later that they understood. The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren't in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 - The "Theme" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It's your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That's called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. I was just talking with a friend of mine who said that she had been making a vision board for the new year. The theme was all about what she wanted in this year. Then, as she pulled pictures and began to lay them out, the theme changed into a simpler one about her everyday life and the moments in each day. It surprised and delighted her to experience that evolution. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Make a Vision Journal
Another option is to use these same principles in a big sketch book. Get a large sketch book and keep an on-going vision journal. This is especially effective if you're going through many transitions in your life.
Visit Christine's Blog at http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?NISQx0pLVow5HO7N9eiStQ
How to Make a Vision Board
by Christine Kane
One of my most popular past blog posts is Vision Boards: A Quick Story. I wrote it months before the DVD The Secret was released. Then John Assaraf's story of manifesting his giant mansion by using vision boards (in The Secret) popularized the concept. Many of us, however, have been doing them for years. (I've been using them at my women's retreats for about 5 years now.) And the value of a vision board goes way beyond just mansions and gold watches!
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you've torn out from various magazines. It's simple.
The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
For instance, before I ever started performing music and I had no idea how I'd ever get a gig, write enough songs, or assemble a press kit, I drew a picture of myself in a bar with people watching me perform (I'm a terrible visual artist, so I actually had to label the people "people!"). And though it wasn't the only factor in making it happen, I had a calendar full of bar and coffeehouse gigs by the next year.
My drawing was a kind of a vision board. Vision boards do the same thing as my drawing did. They add clarity to your desires, and feeling to your visions. For instance, at the time I did my drawing, I knew I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. (I have since left the that circuit, and I'm performing in theatres and at conferences. But in my early twenties, I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. I was pretty clear about that!) Taking the time to draw it out, even poorly, made it indelible in my mind.
There are several methods you can use for creating your vision board. I've written about each one below. You can choose which one works best for you, depending on where you find yourself on this path of creating your life.
Supplies you'll need for creating a Vision Board:
- Poster board. (Target sells a really nice matte finish board. I highly recommend it.)
- A big stack of different magazines. (You can get them at libraries, hair salons, dentist offices, the YMCA.) Make sure you find lots of different types. If you limit your options, you'll lose interest after a while. When I facilitate my women's retreats, I always make sure we have plenty of Oprah, Real Simple, Natural Home, Yoga Journal, Dwell, Ode, Parenting, Money, Utne, and an assortment of nature magazines.
- Glue. Not Elmers. (It makes the pages ripple.) I like using Yes! Glue or Rubber cement. Glue sticks are my second choice because they don't last.
Before you begin your vision board:
No matter which method you're choosing, have a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intent. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe one word will be the answer. Maybe images will come into your head. Just take a moment to be with that. This process makes it a deeper experience. It gives a chance for your ego to step aside just a little, so that you can more clearly create your vision.
Put on soft music. My favorite music for activities like this is Anugama Shamanic Dream I and Shamanic Dream II . I love these CD's for massage or any activity where you want to keep your mind quiet.
The Five Steps of Creating a Vision Board:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you'll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story. At my retreats, I've seen women come up with wildly creative ways to present a vision board.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
Three Types of Vision Boards:
1 - The "I Know Exactly What I Want" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You're very clear about your desires.- You want to change your environment or surroundings.- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Dwell magazine and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture. I remember at the last retreat, one woman yelled out, "If anyone finds a picture of a little girl with red hair who looks happy, give it to me!" And someone else yelled out, "I'm looking for a Cadillac!" Pretty soon, a lively trading session began. Following the five steps above, create your vision board out of these images.
2 - The "Opening and Allowing" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You're not sure what exactly you want- You've been in a period of depression or grief- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.- You know you want change but don't know how it's possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don't ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it's a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it's a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you'll know the answer. If you don't, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough. Some women at my retreats had NO idea what their board was about, and it wasn't until two months later that they understood. The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren't in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 - The "Theme" Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It's your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That's called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. I was just talking with a friend of mine who said that she had been making a vision board for the new year. The theme was all about what she wanted in this year. Then, as she pulled pictures and began to lay them out, the theme changed into a simpler one about her everyday life and the moments in each day. It surprised and delighted her to experience that evolution. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Make a Vision Journal
Another option is to use these same principles in a big sketch book. Get a large sketch book and keep an on-going vision journal. This is especially effective if you're going through many transitions in your life.
Visit Christine's Blog at http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?NISQx0pLVow5HO7N9eiStQ
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Science of Getting Rich
This is kind of cool: an audio book version of the Wallace Wattles classic. This is the landmark book that started Rhonda Byrne on creating THE SECRET. You can get a free ebook version at my site: http://secretsofthesecret.com.I love to listen to audio books. I pop 'em into my MP3 player and listen wherever I go. What a great way to learn! The recording on this one is very nice. I really like the reader's voice (this can really be an issue for me - if I don't find the voice to my liking, I just can't listen. I tune out).
And it's a cheap download! Take a peak here.
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