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  • Here's a secret that may surprise you: when you

  • want something, but can live without having it,

  • you have upped the odds of your having it. This is one of the ironies of life. As long

  • as you are playfully desiring something, but not addicted to your

  • having it, the universe will most likely quickly bring

  • it to you. But as soon as you say, “I must have this,”

  • you begin to push it away.

  • Why? Because you are sending out an energy to repel

  • what you say you want.

  • Because you are focused on need and not in the moment.

  • Because you haven't learned the ultimate secret:

  • Let Go.

  • Again, the ultimate secret to attracting whatever you want is

  • to want it without needing it. When you are detached to the

  • outcome, you disconnect from everything that could sabotage

  • your success when you state your intention and are happy whether you

  • achieve it or not. This is a delicate balance. But it's the major

  • secret to how the universe works. In other words, in the world of everyday reality,

  • struggling to achieve something causes the opposite forces

  • within yourself to kick into play. But when you come from

  • an inner place of serenity, and you go with the flow toward

  • your wishes, you have upped the odds of your achieving

  • them. Your peace will attract peace.

  • Years ago I discovered that most of us, myself included, don't

  • like to let go and allow because there's nothing for us to grapple

  • with. There's no drama. Most of us feel that if we can't get

  • in there and fight and struggle, we don't feel like we're accomplishing

  • anything or getting anywhere. The struggle gives a sense of accomplishment. At least,

  • you can say, “Hey, I tried.”

  • The ego gets a big rush out of struggle. The ego gets to feel

  • that it is doing something worthwhile. Well, that's okay. If

  • your ego needs a pat on the back, let it struggle for some of

  • the things that you desire. But the truth is, you don't have to

  • struggle at all. Again, it can be another way, an easier way.

  • I used to teach a class calledThe Inner Game of Writing.”

  • It was modeled after the work of Tim Gallwey, who wrote

  • The Inner Game of Tennis and co-authored several otherinner

  • gamebooks. What I discovered was that we have at

  • least two distinct beings within us, not personalities so much

  • as aspects of our mind. Gallwey called them Self One and

  • Self Two. Self One can be likened to your ego, the part

  • of you that wants to control.

  • Self Two can be likened to the inner master within you, the

  • part of you that is connected to all things. The job of Self One is to select what you

  • want and let go. The job of Self Two is to bring it to you.

  • Gallwey learned that when people learned to let go and

  • trust, they got what they wanted more often than not, and it

  • came much easier than if they fought for it.

  • The same concept works in your life. Choose what you

  • want and let God or the Universe (whatever that means to

  • you) bring it to you. Let it orchestrate the events that will

  • manifest the thing you desire. Give up needing to know how

  • you will manifest anything. Knowing how can become a limitation.

  • If you choose to manifest something, but can't consciously

  • see a way to create it, you may give up. The conscious

  • mind can't see all of the possibilities. Surrender control

  • and you free the universe to bring you whatever you want.

  • Again, when you know what you want and are clear, you will

  • be drawn to the thing you want, and events will pull it to you.

  • Dan Poynter is a dear friend and internationally recognized

  • expert on self-publishing. He's written several books, including

  • the famous Self-Publishing Manual. Dan also conducts

  • weekend seminars in his home on how to self-publish and

  • market your own book. He's been offering this seminar for

  • over 10 years, has helped hundreds of people, but has always

  • struggled to get people to register for the event. One day Dan

  • called me for my help. “I want you to write a brochure for me that

  • is so powerful that people sign up for my seminar without

  • my having to do a thing.”

  • Well, notice what Dan was doing. He knew what he didn't

  • want (to pull teeth to get people to come to his seminar),

  • and he knew what he did want (to have people call and

  • register easily and effortlessly). When I agreed to create a new

  • brochure for Dan, what did he have to do? Let go.

  • He had to let go. He had to trust that he hired the right guy

  • and all would be well. So I designed a flyer for Dan, he loved it,

  • and he printed it. A few weeks later, I called him and he said,

  • My seminar is already sold out.”

  • It is?!” I yelled, delighted. But Dan stopped me in my

  • tracks. “But it isn't due to your flyer,” he

  • said. “It isn't?” Dan went on to say

  • The seminar sold out two weeks ago, and I only mailed

  • out the new flyer last week. There had been a delay in the

  • mailing.” I askedThen what happened?” I asked. “Why

  • did it sell out?” Dan didn't know. But here's my guess.

  • As you know by now, the energy you give out brings the results

  • you get. When Dan stated his new intention, and allowed

  • me to create a new flyer for him, he was changing the inner

  • signal he was sending out. Once you change the way

  • you are inside, the outer world changes. Dan didn't even

  • have to mail his flyer out. People picked up on the signals

  • in the air and responded.

  • Crazy? Well maybe so. But as I've pointed out throughout this

  • recording, the energy you give out attracts and creates the results

  • you get. Change your inner energy and you change

  • your results.

  • The following story reveals how one of my greatest dreams

  • came true. I am sharing it with you in the hope that it will inspire

  • you to go for your own dreams. It's all about the power

  • of setting an intention and then letting go of it.

  • I wanted to have an audio program of my own in the

  • Nightingale-Conant catalog for many years. I wanted it for

  • the prestige, as well as for the profit. I wanted to be among

  • their roster of greats: Tony Robbins, Tom Peters, Deepak

  • Chopra, Bob Proctor, Brian Tracy, and Wayne Dyer.

  • But until autumn 1998, this desire had only been a dream.

  • Despite the fact that I always sent Nightingale-Conant my

  • new books as soon as they were published, I could never

  • seem to ignite their interest in my work. But I never gave up. I simply held onto the

  • dream, trusted that something would give sooner or later,

  • and kept doing my thing.

  • And then something amazing happened. One day, a man began sending me e-mail, asking

  • numerous questions about marketing in general and P.

  • T. Barnum in particular. I answered all of his

  • questions, glad to help. Then, one day I received a shock. The man

  • sent me an email saying, “If you ever want your material

  • considered by Nightingale-Conant, let me know. I'm their

  • Marketing Project Manager.”

  • This amazing story illustrates many lessons: The power of a dream (I held my vision of

  • what I wanted for years).

  • The miracle that comes from having someone who believes

  • in you.

  • The true magic that occurs when you are in alignment

  • with your life's purpose and doing what makes your

  • heart sing. And the power of letting go.

  • I'm sure there are other lessons in this story, lessons that

  • you see and I don't. Again, I am sharing this with you in

  • the hope that it sets your own heart on fire, awakens something

  • in your soul, and urges you to go forand getyour

  • own dreams. And here's something else to think about:

  • According to research done at Spindrift Foundation on the

  • power of prayer, a “Thy will be doneprayer gets more

  • than twice as many results as a specificgive me this

  • prayer. That's why it's so important to end your request for

  • anything you want with the magic words, “This or something

  • better.”

  • When I was writing my book on P. T. Barnum, I went to the famous showman's

  • grave in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I had a moving experience

  • there. But what I want to share with you here is what I saw written

  • on P. T. Barnum's gravesite marker. To my surprise, carved in

  • his simple concrete headstone were these magical words, words

  • that Barnum relied on throughout his colorful life:

  • Not my will but thine be done.” Those magic words worked for Barnum, helping

  • him to survive personal and professional disasters

  • and to become one of America's first millionaires, and

  • those words can work for you, too.

  • In other words, trust the universe. Want something better?

  • You can ask for whatever you want to do, be, or have, but

  • also be willing for the universe to give you something better.

  • End all of your requests with the phrase, “This or something

  • betterand you will be letting the universe know thatThy

  • will be doneis of highest importance.

  • Why is this so? Because the universe can see the big picture

  • while your ego can't. Your job is to ask for what you want, and

  • then to act on the inner nudges you get to do things, like

  • make phone calls, write letters, visit a certain person,

  • or whatever. Bob Proctor, in his wonderful book, You Were Born

  • Rich, puts it this way:

  • Learn to follow the quiet voice within that speaks in feelings

  • rather than words; follow what you 'hear' inside, rather

  • than what others may be telling you to do.” The universe itself will act to move you to

  • what you want, and move what you want to you. All you have

  • to do is let go, while acting on your inner prompts. Let go

  • of fear, doubt, worry, disappointment, and any other negative

  • emotion that might make you feel low.

  • The famous poet and sage Rumi wrote something that may

  • help you here: “Some things that don't happen keep disasters

  • from happening.” Now think about it. What you're being asked

  • to do is trust. Trust that when something happens, it's

  • good, and trust that when something you want doesn't happen,

  • it's good, too.

  • Wayne Dyer has an interesting book out called The Power of

  • Intention. It claims to teach you how to get whatever you

  • want. A friend read the book and said the title should be How

  • to Get What You Want By Wanting What You Get. Well exactly!

  • The trick to manifesting whatever you want is to trust that

  • whatever you get is what you wanted to manifest in the first

  • place. You attracted it. The more you can understand this balance

  • of wanting and allowing, or desiring and letting go, the

  • more you will be happy in every moment.

  • Some things that look like they are in our best interest are

  • often not going to serve us when we see the big picture. We

  • have to trust and let go, realizing that everything that happens

  • is for our highest good.

  • I'm riveted by the book A Lifetime of Riches, the biography of Napoleon

  • Hill, the author of the classic book Think and Grow Rich.

  • Not only did this man struggle for 20 years to write the

  • definitive guide to success, but he experienced poverty, his

  • life was threatened, his backers were murdered, he suffered

  • from bouts of hopelessness, and his family suffered beyond

  • all understanding.

  • He was not an overnight success. One thing that stood out in Hill's life

  • story was his ability to turn the negative into the positive. He

  • always looked for what some people call that silver lining

  • in the dark cloud. As I thought about Hill's life, I

  • realized I've been noticing this ability to see the good in the

  • bad practiced by others, too.

  • I was at a meeting with my friend Mark Joyner, Internet pioneer

  • and bestselling author. I overheard Mark talking to a

  • man who had just gone through hell due to the FTC. Mark

  • listened to the man's sad story and then said, “Turn it into

  • something good.” Now this is remarkable advice. It's the

  • kind of thing Napoleon Hill would have said. It goes against

  • what most people ever even attempt to try. The whole

  • idea of taking whatever happens to you and turning it into

  • something good seems, at first glance, preposterous.

  • But this also seems to be a key to success. I remember P. T.

  • Barnum offering to buy a rival's elephant. He sent a telegram

  • stating his offer. His competitors took Barnum's telegram and

  • ran it as an ad, saying, “Here's what Barnum thinks of our

  • elephant.” Well instead of being upset, Barnum decided

  • to join with those competitors. That gave birth to the famous

  • Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum took the experience and turned

  • it into something good.

  • What I, Barnum, and Napoleon Hill are doing is one thing:

  • Taking the so-called negative experiences in life and turning

  • them into something good. I call this TIISG. It stands for Turn

  • It Into Something Good. You have the ability to do this. It's a

  • choice. No matter what happens, take a breath and ask, “How

  • can I turn this into something good?”

  • The question redirects your mind. Instead of looking at the

  • problem, you are now looking for solutions. This is a brilliant

  • way to learn how to operate your own brain. You become the

  • master, not the slave, of your life.

  • Andrew Carnegie, that tycoon who challenged Napoleon Hill to undertake his 20 year quest

  • to uncover the secrets of success, confessed that the

  • principle key to his own staggering success was the ability

  • to operate his own mind.

  • He told Napoleon Hill, “I am no longer cursed by poverty because I

  • took possession of my own mind, and that mind has yielded

  • me every material thing I want, and much more than I need.

  • But this power of mind is a universal one, available to the

  • humblest person as it is to the greatest.” It all begins with the basic TIISG question:

  • How can I turn this into something good?”

  • The answer will bring you new choices, happiness, and

  • may lead to wealth you never dreamed of before.

  • I attended Bob Proctor's three-day course calledThe Science

  • of Getting Richin Denver during 1999. It was a mind expanding

  • experience. But one idea that I got from Bob's course

  • that I want to give you right now is this quote: “Everything

  • that happens in your life is moving you in the direction of your

  • goals.” Now think about this. That statement says

  • that everything, without fail, without exception, is moving

  • you toward your dreams.

  • So if something happens that you feel is bad, remember

  • that it happened to move you forward. Your job is to find the

  • positive in the negative, or at least to trust that there is a positive

  • there, even if you can't see it at the moment. This could be tough to accept, at first. But

  • the truth is, it is an enlightened way of living your life. I

  • love the statement and thank Bob Proctor for saying it. What

  • it tells me is that I have to let go and trust that life itself

  • is taking me to the things I desire. And as I let go, trust, and

  • give thanks for my life, I feel different, I radiate a different

  • vibration to the world, and better things and experiences come to

  • me. Again, the whole secret is in learning to

  • simply let go.

  • But what do I do if I let go?” is the question I get the most.

  • If I let go, don't I just sit there?” You usually

  • still have to do something to achieve your dreams. That

  • something might be as little as answering the phone. Or making

  • a call. Or buying a book. Or joining an association. Or answering

  • an e-mail. I have no idea what that action will be for

  • you to achieve your dream. But you usually have to do something,

  • however small or large a step. But the magic answer to the question of what

  • action to do next is this:

  • You want to take what I callInspired Action.” Inspired Action is any action you take based

  • on an inside nudge.

  • In other words, an Inspired Action is when you suddenly

  • get a desire to drive to the store. You may have no idea why

  • you need to go to the store right now. But something within

  • you is urging you out the door. Follow that hunch. It may

  • lead you to your goal. At the store, you may meet the right

  • person. Or find the right product. Or pick up the right magazine

  • that will lead you to completing your dream. For example, about 20 years ago I was working

  • for a major oil company. When I left for lunch, I always

  • went to the food court at the closest mall. Always. Talk

  • about being stuck in a rut.

  • One day, I decided to do something different. As I left for

  • lunch that day, I felt an impulse to turn left where I always

  • turned right. Now this may sound like nothing to you, but it

  • meant the world to me. It was like leaving the planet and going

  • to Mars. I was suddenly on an adventure. To my sheer amazement, only a few blocks away

  • was an Italian deli. Now try to picture this: I'm

  • an Italian living in Texas. I hadn't had good Italian food since

  • leaving Ohio about 20 years earlier. To stumble across

  • an Italian deli, byaccident,” during lunch hour, was almost

  • miraculous.

  • I went inside and met the owner. He was from Italy. He

  • made me a sandwich that was so good I still drool today as I

  • think about it. I was so grateful that I took his menu back to

  • my office, shut my door, and created a whole new menu for

  • him. I wrote new copy, designed it, and then printed him

  • 500 copies. I then posted that new menu all over the company

  • building. The next day, when I went back to the deli,

  • the owner met me with tears in his eyes. His business had

  • been booming all day. His lunch hour was packed with customers.

  • He didn't know how to thank me. I didn't need to be

  • thanked. All I wanted was another sandwich.

  • But this miracle didn't stop there. We became friends.

  • When my wife at the time and I needed to move and looked

  • for a place to move to, the owner of the deli sold us his house.

  • He wanted to move but because he built the house for himself,

  • he didn't want just anyone in it. When he learned I needed a

  • new home, he arranged for us to buy his house. And all because I took Inspired Action!

  • Once you state your intention, you need to watch the signals you

  • get and act instantly on them when you see them.

  • When I was working for a major oil company and hated

  • my job, I used to pray for a way out. This was 20 years ago

  • and I felt lost. I felt trapped in my nine-to-five prison. I would

  • drive 35 miles each way, to and from a job I hated so much I

  • would cry as I drove. It was pretty sad. But I stated my intention

  • to break free. I then looked for the signals. Every day, I would pass a street sign named

  • Quitman. I never thought much of it, until I realized

  • it was a signal for me. The sign was on the freeway for people

  • to know where to exit. But for me it meant, “Quit, man.”

  • And I did quit my job. I've been happier ever since.

  • Here's another example: While writing my book, a dear

  • friend paid us an unscheduled visit.

  • The conversation was mostly about energy, remote viewing, mind

  • over matter, and other such esoteric conversation. During our

  • conversation, our friend raved about a book called Infinite Mind. She

  • told us she read and reread the book, underlined passages,

  • and thought it was pure genius.

  • I immediately took that as a signal for me to get the book.

  • Why? Because the whole situation reeked of synchronicity.

  • The fact that our friend appeared while I was writing that book

  • seemed odd. I immediately took inspired action. As soon

  • as our friend left, I ran upstairs, jumped online, and ordered

  • the book from Amazon for overnight delivery. Not only

  • that, but while in this buying mode I also ordered Manifesting

  • Your Heart's Desires, Book I and Manifesting

  • Your Heart's Desires, Book II. They all turned out to contain key

  • information. And all this from an innocent event that others

  • might have dismissed!

  • So here's how to make Inspired Action work for you:

  • Step One. Set an intention. An intention is your declaration

  • about your dream, or goal, that you want to be, do, or have.

  • This is your request of your subconscious, unconscious, and

  • the universe itself. The clearer your intention, the better your

  • results. One of my intentions was “I intend to have a bestselling

  • audiotape program with Nightingale-Conant.” Another

  • was “I intend to find a new place to eat lunch.”

  • Step Two. Follow your hunches. Watch the signals. Listen to

  • your intuition. If you get a desire to make a plan of action, so

  • be it. Do it. But if you get a desire to go for a walk, or to watch

  • television, or to surf the web, then do that. You never know

  • where your Inspired Action will take you, but because you

  • set an intention (Step One), your intuition will find a shortcut

  • to your dreams. Inspired Action works because your ego can

  • only see limited terrain while the universe can see it all.

  • Your ego might say, “Write a business plan.” Inspired

  • Action comes from the bigger picture, which you can't always see

  • until you've taken the actions you're being inspired to take.

  • Finally, the more you can quiet your mind, still your

  • thoughts, and relax your body, the more you will hear the inner

  • voice nudging you in the direction of your dreams.

  • When it speaks, move. That's Inspired Action.

  • Do it, and you'll find amazing new shortcuts direct to the

  • fulfillment of your stated desires. It's an easy path, more fun,

  • more relaxed, and usually more profitable, than planned action

  • and constant struggle. Try it and see.

  • A secret about money. Let me tell you a secret about money.

  • One day Pat O'Bryan, a wonderful Texas musician well

  • known in Europe, walked into a Master Mind group we are

  • in and announced, “One day I'm going to write a book titled

  • The Myth of Passive Income.” He was joking. Everyone laughed.

  • I heard an opportunity. “You ought to write that book right now,”

  • I said. Everyone shut up. They looked at me.

  • It's a great idea,” I explained. “People think passive income

  • is doing nothing all day and making money while you

  • sleep. It isn't quite like that. So let's blow the whistle and tell

  • people the truth.” Pat was beginning to learn how to act when

  • an opportunity popped up.

  • “I'll do it,” he said. We met in the parking lot after the group

  • meeting. He asked, “Would you go ahead and write a letter

  • asking people making money online if they would contribute

  • an article to our book? We just want to know what a typical

  • day for them is like. I bet they don't sit around doing

  • nothing.” Suddenly I was the coauthor in this project.

  • I see opportunities and jump on them, too. I agreed.

  • I went home, went to my computer, and drafted a letter. It

  • was simple. I asked successful business people online if they would

  • tell us what a day was like in theirpassiveworld. I sent the

  • letter to Pat. He approved it almost instantly. I then sent it out

  • to every list owner I knew. This all happened within maybe

  • three hours. Within 24 hours we had wonderful articles

  • by David Garfinkel and Tom Antion. Later the same day

  • I heard from Jim Edwards, Yanik Silver, Jo Han Mok, and

  • other online giants, all agreeing to send articles for our book.

  • Now note what happened here: A spontaneous joke became a project. That

  • project began to take form within three hours. And within one

  • day the book was being written, and not by Pat or me.

  • >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>28:40>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> So what does money like?

  • Money likes speed. That's the secret few know about money.

  • Money comes to those who act fast. If you think, wonder,

  • question, doubt, plan, meet, discuss, or in any other way drag

  • your feet, money goes to the next person in line.

  • If you want to know how I've managed to write so many

  • books and articles, it's because I act fast. This very section is

  • an example. Twenty minutes ago I got the idea to write something

  • aboutmoney liking action.” I thought I should write it

  • some day. Then I thought, “Why not now?” Well, here you go.

  • It's done. You now know the secret, too. When you get

  • an inspired nudge to take action, then take action. Don't

  • wait. Act. Act right now.

  • What are you waiting to do?

  • Many people say they don't want to take any action, that they

  • just want toLet go and let God.” That reminds me of the story of the man with

  • a beautiful garden in his backyard. One day a man walked

  • by, saw it, and stopped to admire it.

  • The stranger saidYou have an amazing garden here.”

  • And the owner saidThank you,” “It's really God's garden, isn't it?”

  • the stranger asked. “Yes, it is,” replied the owner. “But

  • you should have seen it when God had it all by Himself.”

  • The point is, God (Universe, Spirit, or whatever name feels

  • right for you) provides us with the basics, and we have to do

  • something with what we've been given. If we just allow

  • things to grow in the backyard, we'll have a jungle, not a garden.

  • Someone has to tend to the earth. Take Jesus, for example. According to Bruce

  • Barton, author of the 1925 best-seller, The Man Nobody Knows,

  • Jesus was a businessman. Hehiredtwelve employees,

  • inspired them, and sent them out to spread his message. That's

  • sound marketing. That's inspired action.

  • Or take Phineas Parker Quimby, the man credited with being

  • the father of New Thought, or modern spirituality. Martin

  • Larson calls QuimbyThe Advertising Therapistin his

  • book, New Thought or A Modern Religious Approach. he wrote from 1847 to 1859, the tireless,

  • searching Quimby went from town to town offering mental therapy

  • through the power of faith. He distributed a brochure in 1855 which

  • repudiated the mesmeric (hypnosis) technique and which read

  • in part: “Dr. P. P. Quimby would respectfully announce that he

  • will attend to those wishing to consult him in regard

  • to their health, and, as his practice is unlike all other medical practices,

  • it is necessary to

  • say that he gives no medicine and makes no outward applications,

  • but simply sits down by the patients, tells them their feelings

  • and what they think is their disease. If the patients admit

  • that he tells them their feelings, then his explanation is the

  • cure; and if he succeeds in correcting their error, he changes the

  • fluids of the system and establishes the truth or health. The truth

  • is the cure.” As you can see, even the great father of metaphysical

  • healing handed out flyers in order to get new business.

  • He didn't sit and do nothing.

  • The point is, letting go doesn't mean do nothing. It means

  • take action based on your inspiration. If you feel moved from

  • within to make a call, or run an ad, or take a walk, or build a

  • community, then do so. Just have the spirit of nonattachment

  • as you do. Nonattachment is letting go. Again, when you want something and are fine

  • if you get it or not, then you are most likely going to

  • receive it. You must let go of your attachment to success

  • to attract success.

  • Letting go doesn't mean giving up. When I went to Italy in 2004, I visited many

  • people and places, from Michelangelo's tomb in Florence,

  • to the Pope at the Vatican. I found Italy to be a country

  • rich in ancient history but poor in current prosperity. I met some

  • snooty people, and some warm ones.

  • Sister Mary Elizabeth is one of the warm ones. She's the

  • personal secretary to the Mother General of the Sisters of St.

  • Filippini order, which serves very poor women and children

  • in third-world countries. She once told me my ideas

  • helped her raise funds to feed homeless and starving children around the world.

  • It was a very gratifying thing to hear, to be sure.

  • But odd things began to happen. While in Rome, I

  • checked my e-mail. I was stunned to see an e-mail from my

  • sound engineer, telling me the master audio tapes to a program

  • I had invested thousands of dollars to create, had vanished.

  • He had no explanation. He runs one of the best

  • studios in the world, and he lost the masters! And here I am,

  • on the other side of the planet, unable to do a thing about it.

  • I couldn't believe it. Things got even stranger. We hired a driver

  • in Italy to take us to Pompeii and Naples. We had a great day.

  • But at the end of the day, while unloading the car, he suddenly

  • told me he wanted more money than agreed on. It made

  • the entire day feel ugly.

  • Later that night, we went out to eat. It was our last evening

  • in Rome. We had a nice dinner, but when we went to pay, we

  • were told by an unfriendly French waitress speaking only

  • Italian, that their credit card machine was down. Well, we

  • had no cash. We ended up leaving, promising to send them

  • money for our meal. We got back to the States safely, but the

  • strange world seemed to stay with us. I was told I owe thousands

  • of dollars in back taxes on property I own. My agent

  • was supposed to negotiate a deal with a publisher and ended

  • up getting fired over it.

  • We decided to go to Las Vegas and see some shows to relax.

  • But on the flight there, I had chest pains and couldn't

  • breathe very well. I thought I was having a heart attack. The next

  • day the house doctor at The Venetian took one look at

  • me and sent me to the emergency room. I had never been in

  • any hospital before, so this was scary. And with my chest

  • pains, I thought I was never going home again. Several hours

  • later, and 5,000 dollars lighter, I was told I had asthma.

  • We returned home but the strangeness continued. One day,

  • while I was typing a chapter, an entire sentence repeated itself on my screen. At first I thought

  • I imagined it. I deleted the sentence. But as I watched

  • the screen, the sentence retyped itself on my monitor. Talk

  • about bizarre! I assumed I had a virus and shook my head.

  • What in the world was happening here?

  • One day I drove out of town and spent the day with my chiropractor

  • and dear friend, Dr. Rick Barrett. I needed to chill, to relax,

  • to get some distance. I told him about these misadventures.

  • I was feeling stressed to the max as I relayed all of what

  • I just shared with you. I added, “I feel like I picked up a curse

  • in Italy. Nothing has been right since.” Rick looked right at me and said, “Maybe

  • this all ties in.” “Huh?”

  • Maybe you are being attacked by the dark forces,” he explained.

  • You went to Rome, went to the Vatican, and saw the

  • Pope, these are are all holy things. “Yes? Yes? go on.”

  • Well, maybe your move into the light is causing the dark

  • to try to stop you.” “I'm not sure I follow.” Rick went on

  • to explain. “Whenever we go to Mexico to do our mission

  • work, something bad happens,” “Me, my wife,

  • other doctors, and other volunteers, are planning

  • to go to some truly impoverished areas and donate our time,

  • medicine, and practice to help people there. It's a good

  • cause. Yet every time we plan it, something happens. One time, I

  • fell off a ladder one week before going. Another time a woman

  • was denied entry into Mexico because her papers weren't

  • in order. It just seems like when you go to the light, sometimes

  • the dark comes after you.”

  • I didn't agree with his assessment. I'd say a part of us was showing its ugly head.

  • When Rick fell off the ladder, it was the part of him that resisted

  • the good another part of him wanted to do. He attracted the

  • experience. It's the same with me. As I grew closer

  • to completing my book, I almost sabotaged my own efforts to

  • make it a success. No evil force was out to get me. It was simply

  • a part of me that resisted my intention.

  • In short, I had to get clear. I had to find out why a part of

  • me was resisting what I wanted to actually attract. I did that,

  • too, or else you would not be listening to this recording now.

  • But back to the conversation with Dr. Barrett. “How do we reinforce ourselves so the light

  • wins?” I asked him. Rick said

  • You have to tell yourself that nothing will stop you, that

  • you won't give up, that you won't give in,”

  • Sometimes you just have to turn it over to God or the Universe

  • and say, 'I don't see the way.'” And there's the secret: You maintain your

  • overall goal and you move toward it, always being sensitive

  • to something better being offered, but you are not attached

  • to the outcome, either.

  • As Deepak Chopra wrote in his book, The Spontaneous Fulfillment

  • of Desire, “Intention is not simply a whim. It requires attention,

  • and it also requires detachment. Once you've created the

  • intention mindfully, you must be able to detach from the outcome,

  • and let the universe handle the details of fulfillment.”

Here's a secret that may surprise you: when you

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