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Jonathan’s Method

Since I worked with Jonathan Jacobs for more than 10 years, seeing him almost weekly, I have a good idea of his method for creating results. As you know by now, he was able to help me, and others, achieve miracles. I think his three-step method is worth a closer look. Here’s a typical session with Jonathan:

1. We meet, and he asks me what I want. This is the “setting the intention” stage. Once you decide on your outcome, the rest almost falls into place. So, Jonathan always began by focusing on your desire. What do you want?

1. We then focus on what is in the way of achieving my desire. Obviously, this is the “getting clear” stage of the process. Jonathan used his verbal skills to help me recognize what was blocking me from my success. What’s in the way of your success?

1. We then channel energy to the intention. In other words, since we had a target, and we had identified and cleared everything blocking the pathway to manifesting it, we now basically sent energy to the goal through us. How can you receive energy or increase your energy to help you achieve success?

As you can probably see, Jonathan used feeling in his last step to help magnetize the desire. That’s how you use the Attractor Factor. In other words, he helped me bring in energy through my body, with the idea that it would help manifest my intention.

I’ll try to explain this by using my Chi Kung education.

Ancient Chinese Secrets

Chi Kung, or Qi Gong, is an ancient Chinese healing art. It resembles Tai Chi in that it uses slow movements, body awareness, and the intentional channeling of internal energy to produce results. Chi Kung is used to heal, rebuild, improve energy, and circulation, and achieve and maintain a healthy body and mind.

You can use a simple Chi Kung type of exercise to pull energy into your body, aiming it to attracting your goal. It looks like this:

1. Decide on what you want.

2. Get clear of anything in the way of having the goal.

3. Bring energy into your body while holding your intention in mind.

This is easier than it may first appear. All you have to do is breathe. As you breathe in, imagine the air is energy. See it travel into your body and to the achievement of your desire.

Much of Chi Kung relies on you using your mind while you breathe and move your body. That’s what I’m asking you to do here. In your mind, see your goal. Maybe you see it already accomplished. Maybe you can’t see the goal, but you know on some level what it looks like when it’s complete. Go there. Use your mind to experience your intention.

As you breathe, imagine the air is energy going to that mental experience. See the energy fueling it, making it live. Just pretend your energy is magic that will breathe life into your intention.

Let go. You don’t need to do much more. And as you’ll see in the next section on the final step in the Attractor Factor formula, letting go is very important.

Burning Desire

When I was in Australia in May 1999, I learned that many seeds don’t open up and grow unless they are first burned.

In the human body, you open your seeds of desires with the heat of emotion. Whenever you feel love or fear, two very strong emotions, you are turning up the heat. That heat reaches your deeper mind and opens the seed, the image, of what you want. How you do that is through feeling.

The point of this step is that you must joyfully feel the energy of the thing you want to do, be, or have. As Joseph Murphy wrote in his little book, How to Attract Money,“The feeling of wealth produces wealth.” Or as William E. Towne wrote in 1920, “A thought is powerful only when it is backed by feeling. Feeling gives thought its reactive-ness. To merely make an affirmation of what you desire, without faith or feeling, will accomplish little.” And Judge Thomas Troward wrote in his book, The Hidden Power, “Our thought as feeling is the magnet which draws to us those conditions which accurately correspond to itself.” Feel the joy of having what you want—feel it right now—and you will begin to attract it to you and you to it.

Take this moment to script something you want to be, do, or have. Remember to write this as if the intention has come into reality and you feel fantastic about it. Since you can paint this scene any way you like it, infuse it with feeling and detail and above all, have fun!

CHAPTER 16: Step Five: The Ultimate Secret

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 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, Step Five: Let Go.

The Ego’s Love

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 called, “The Inner Game of Writing.” It was modeled after the work of Tim Gallwey, who wrote The Inner Game of Tennis and co-authored several other “inner game” books. 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.

Tough to swallow? Then let me tell you a story . . .

Lost Secrets Miracle

When I was working on one of my earlier books, The Seven Lost Secrets of Success, I was obsessed. I spent two years of my life on a mission to pay homage to Bruce Barton, a man who influenced our country but somehow fell through the cracks of history.

One day, I received a call from a medical doctor in west Texas. He wanted to hire me to ghostwrite a book for him. Although I was reluctant, going to see him felt like the right thing to do. I flew there, visited with him, negotiated a contract, and flew back to Houston with a large check in my hands, a nonrefundable retainer to hire me to write his book.

Weeks passed. Then months. During this time I spent most of my energy working on my Barton book. I rarely worked on the doc’s book, and never heard from him. I finally decided I should fly up to see him, and that I should present some material to him. So I made a flight reservation and started writing his book. But an odd thing happened. Whenever I called the doctor’s office, no one answered the phone. This went on for days. Then, a day before my flight was to leave, someone answered the phone. It was the doctor’s business manager.

“Bill, this is Joe Vitale,” I began.

“Hi Joe.” His voice sounded sheepish.

“What’s going on? No one has answered the phone there for days.”

“Well, there’s been a change in plans.”

“What?”

Bill mumbled something. I asked him to repeat it. I couldn’t believe what I heard.

“The doc’s in jail,” he said.

To say I was stunned would be to lie. I was shocked. Speechless.

“The doc’s in jail!?!” I blurted. “Bill, what’s going on?”

“Well, he violated his parole.”

Again, I was shocked.

“You mean he’s been in jail before?!”

“Well, he sent a bomb to his ex-wife and he was caught and sent to prison,” Bill explained. “He was allowed to come out and be a doctor again but he couldn’t play with guns or bombs anymore.” “Don’t tell me,” I said.

“Yeah, they found bombs in his desk.”

It took me a while to recover from this event. But I want you to notice the miracle here. When I signed a contract with the doctor, I was given a large sum of money. Nonrefundable money. Money that enabled me to work on my Barton book. And then, when the doctor went to jail, I was free from his contract. I didn’t have to write his book at all. Even trying to give his money back, which I wasn’t obligated to do, was pointless. The doctor was gone.

Somehow God or the Universe or the Divine (or whatever you want to call the invisible powers that be) set the stage for this grand event. Could I have orchestrated such an event? It’s highly unlikely. How would I have written the ad?

“Doctor wanted: Must be ex-con, want to write a book, and be ready to go back to jail in six months so I can keep his money.”

I don’t think so.

Your Partner Needs Clear, Too

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.

Jonathan sees this happen all the time. When two doctors in Seattle couldn’t agree on office space they needed, they went to Jonathan. After one session they were clear. Within 24 hours, they found the space they needed, and signed a lease for it.

I saw the same thing happen when my late ex-wife and I wanted to buy a house together many years ago (while we were still married, of course). If you are trying to manifest something that involves another person, both of you have to be clear before you’ll manifest the event. I had worked on myself to buy the house I wanted. But things still weren’t working out. Finally, my ex-wife went to see Jonathan. She cleared up some old beliefs she had about self-worth and money. The very next day, the real estate people called. Three days later, we moved into the house. And this was after nearly 12 months of delays!

Keep in mind that you can’t blame anyone else if you aren’t getting the results you want in a relationship. Remember, the outer is a reflection of your inner. Your partner is just showcasing something you believe. Change the belief in you and the outer will change.

Would you like an example from the world of business?

Change the Inner to Change the Outer

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.

“Joe, 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.”

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). From those two steps, he was led to calling me. 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. Although he didn’t know it, “letting go” is a key step in the Attractor Factor process. He was intuitively following it.

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?”

“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.”

“Then 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? Maybe so. But as I’ve pointed out throughout this book, the energy you give out attracts and creates the results you get. Change your inner energy and you change your results.

And for the record, I later saw Dan in Chicago, where he told me that due to the new brochure I’d written for him, his August seminar sold out in June.

My Nightingale-Conant Miracle

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.

If you’ve never seen the famous Nightingale-Conant giant catalog of audiotapes on business, motivation, self-help, relationships, health, and spirituality, reach over to your phone right now and call 1-800-525-9000. Or visit their site at www.nightingale.com. Request the catalog. It’s free and well worth browsing.

I had 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: Writing what I hoped were inspiring and informative books.

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. He was a fan of Barnum’s and loved my book, There’s a Customer Born Every Minute. I answered all of his questions, glad to help.

Then, one day I received a shock. The man sent me e-mail saying, “If you ever want your material considered by Nightingale-Conant, let me know. I’m their Marketing Project Manager.” You can’t imagine my surprise. Or my delight.

I immediately Fed-Exed all of my books, my video, and my home study course (six audiotapes and a workbook) to my new friend at Nightingale-Conant. He didn’t like anything I sent. Instead, he loved everything I sent. And right then and there he began the long process of selling Nightingale-Conant on me.

He became my guardian angel.

At Christmastime, he took down the star from the top of the company Christmas tree and replaced it with a photo of me.

He took pictures of me and placed them throughout the offices of Nightingale-Conant, including the men’s and women’s bathrooms.

After 11 months of calls, faxes, many Fed-Exes, and lots of photos of me, I am proud to announce that Nightingale-Conant is carrying its first product by me. It’s called The Power of Outrageous Marketing. It has been a best-seller for them for about 10 years now.

And last year the same company hired me to record The Missing Secret. I found my contact from the previous program, let him help me negotiate a good deal for this second program, and was so impressed that I hired him. He’s now my vice-president of marketing!

This amazing story illustrates many lessons:

• The power of a dream (I held my vision of what I wanted for years).

• The networking potential of the Internet (My Nightingale-Conant contact found me at my web site).

• The miracle that comes from having someone who believes in you. (My contact believes in me to a staggering degree, and told me so over and over again for 11 months.) • 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 for—and get—your own dreams.

And here’s something else to think about:

“Thy Will Be Done”

According to research done at Spindrift Foundation on the power of prayer, a “Thy will be done” prayer gets more than twice as many results as a specific “give 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, There’s a Customer Born Every Minute, I went to the famous showman’s grave in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I had a moving experience there, which I wrote about in my book. But what I want to share with you here is what I saw written on 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 better,” and you will be letting the universe know that “Thy will be done” is 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.”

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.

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.

Let me explain this with a story . . .

The Swan

Terri Levine is a world-famous coach, best-selling author, and dear friend of mine. Early in 2004, she was contacted by FOX television studios about becoming the coach for one of their new shows. Terri would be seen weekly by a national television audience. Her name would become famous. She wanted to be selected as the coach, and as her marketing consultant, I wanted it for her, as well.

After weeks of interviews, e-mail exchanges, and hints from the network leading Terri to believe she was going to be the coach for the show, she got a sad call one day. She was turned down. The executives at FOX had decided to go a different route and use a different coach.

Terri was upset. You have to understand that Terri is one of the most positive people I know. She is upbeat, bubbly, cheery, and always looking for the positive in every situation. But the news of her rejection crushed her. Nothing I could say made her feel better. In time, she let go of the experience, but she would always feel disappointed.

Then, months later, the new FOX show Terri had been considered for was aired. It was about average to homely women who were transformed with plastic surgery, counseling, and coaching. Terri saw the show and was repulsed by it. She said, “It doesn’t stand for anything I believe in or would want to be associated with. I’m relieved I wasn’t chosen to be on it.” I sent Terri an e-mail that day that she so loved, she told me she was keeping it in her “Wisdom Folder.” I had written:

“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.”

The Secret of TIISG

I’m riveted by 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.

His 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 best-selling author. I overheard Mark talking to a man who had just gone through hell due to the Federal Trade Commission. Mark listened to the man’s sad story and then said, “Turn it into something good.” This was 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.” 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.

The other day Nerissa, my love, released her first e-book at www.freevideoediting.com She had a small mistake on her site. When I went to promote her site, I used the mistake as a way to get attention for her e-book. I could have said, “Correct your site.” Instead I sent out an e-mail that said, “There is a mistake on her site. If you can spot it, I’ll give you a gift.” This caused people to be curious, a powerful motivator. It drove traffic to her site. Sales jumped.

What I, Barnum, Joyner, and Hill are doing is the same 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 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, as 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.

Just remember TIISG.

What is bothering you right now that you can turn into something good?

It’s All Good

I attended Bob Proctor’s three-day course called, “The Science of Getting Rich” in Denver during June 1999. It was a mind-expanding experience. I urge you to take the course live if at all possible or at least to invest in the home-study course. There are so many things you’ll get out of the material that where you are now will seem like poverty after you absorb the materials and become wealthy.

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 might 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 you do?

Ever since my book, Spiritual Marketing, became a number one best-seller at Amazon, and then the first edition of The Attractor Factor went on to beat other best-selling titles, including the latest Harry Potter books, people have been writing me. Most of the time people are just praising the book. Sometimes, people have questions about the five-step process in the book for creating wealth from the inside out. By far the most common question is about Step Five, the one called “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?”

What I didn’t fully explain in that book is that 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. You can even see me in the movie The Secret urging you to take action because “the universe likes speed.” But the magic answer to the question of what action to do next is this:

You want to take what I call “Inspired 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. 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, by accident, 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 a 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 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. We lived in it for 10 years, and Marian lived in it right till her passing in 2004.

And all because I took Inspired Action!

What are you being nudged to do from within?

Watch the Signals

Once you state your intention and work the other steps in the Attractor Factor process, 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 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. Today, I’m a well-known author, speaker, Internet celebrity, and so much more. All because I took Inspired Action.

Infinite Mind

Here’s another example: While writing this book a dear friend paid us an unscheduled visit. You have to realize that this is highly unusual. We live in the hill country outside of Austin, Texas. We are not easy to get to. And we don’t usually appreciate people dropping in unannounced. After all, we work at home and would prefer not to be interrupted. I could be doing a radio show by phone, or Nerissa might be editing a video project. Our home is usually buzzing with activity.

But our friend called at the right time, saying she was in the area, so we told her to come over. The conversation was mostly about energy, remote viewing, mind over matter, and other such esoteric talk. 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 this seemed odd. The conversation directly applied to some of the principles in The Attractor Factor. And the book seemed like a must-have for my research.

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 to help me better communicate the Attractor Factor process to you.

And all this from an innocent event that others might have dismissed!

The Red Flags Theory

Years ago I was going to co-author a book called The Red Flags Theory. It’s the theory that as you go through life, there are signs to go forward, pause, or even stop and retreat. They are a little like center lane bumps on the highway telling you to get back into your lane. I call them green, yellow, and red flags.

The key is to pay attention to the clues, or flags, and act on them. When you do, life seems to flow at a smooth rate. When you don’t, you hit jolting bumps, scary rapids, and/or unforgiving walls.

I was telling some friends about my red flags theory over lunch. One of them had gotten himself into a tangled business relationship. As I explained that before he got into the tangle there were probably yellow flags to alert him of problems ahead, he asked for an example.

I remembered that decades ago I took on a client who ended up being a nightmare. I finally had to fire him, return his money, and wish him well. It was a very unpleasant experience. When I reflected on why I signed on with him in the first place, I realized that there were yellow flags on the field from the first day I met him but I didn’t pay full attention to them.

Those yellow flags were things like an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach; noticing an odd statement or odd behavior; feeling a tiny shudder when he said something about someone else that seemed negative or inappropriate. I didn’t pay close attention to those yellow flags because this client was paying me a great deal of money, and I needed it (or thought I did) at the time.

So I let the promise of big money help me ignore or rationalize the warning flags.

But yellow flags turn into red flags if you don’t do something about them. Ultimately I had to end my relationship with that client.

As I told this story to my friends, they nodded. They realized there were hints, clues, and flags all along the way, in every relationship, coming in every moment.

The point is to awaken, be responsible, and act on them.

A yellow flag doesn’t mean stop; it means explore the caution. If you can’t resolve it or shake it, you might have to get out of that game.

Here’s another example:

Donny Deutsch recently interviewed Donald Trump on his CNBC show, The Big Idea. In it The Donald said he once got the flu when he was about to close a deal to buy a newspaper. Donald explained that he never gets sick, but he got terribly sick on the day of the deal. He took it as a sign not to go through with it. As it turned out, it was the right decision. Being a newspaper publisher is not The Donald; being a real estate tycoon is.

The flu was a red flag to stop.

I have no idea if Donald Trump received yellow flags before the day of the deal, but I bet he did. You don’t get a red flag unless you’ve ignored all the yellow ones.

And that’s the point: Be alert to the yellow flags.

Of course, green flags are the good signs that say this is the way to go. But if you don’t act, you may get yellow and then red flags on those deals, as well. Often I won’t get a green flag (or any flag) until after I’ve taken action.

This is a little like being at a football game. There’s no reason to toss a flag on the field before the game begins. But once it starts, look for the flags. Same in life. I’ve often begun something because it felt right. After I took action, the game is afoot. From that point on I have to pay attention, and act, on all signs.

Also, as new information becomes available and relationships grow, new flags may also appear. Life isn’t static. The game isn’t over. This is why you have to stay awake in every moment.

As I’ve said here, there, and even on Larry King’s TV show, the great goal of life is to awaken. Flags help you tune in to this moment; and this moment is all there is.

Here’s one final example:

Because I’m traveling more these days, I decided to get a laptop connect card so I could use my laptop virtually anywhere to connect to the Internet. I went to my current phone service provider but he couldn’t determine what card I needed for my particular laptop.

Yellow flag.

I told him I would return with my laptop in hand so he could look at it and give me the right connect card. I returned, he took one look, and said he didn’t have the card I needed, even though my card is a standard one and should be in stock.

Yellow flag.

He went on to say I would have to go to a larger city, probably Austin or San Antonio, to get the card I wanted. Since I had no plans to go to either city, and needed the card today for a trip I’m making tomorrow, I passed on his suggestion.

Note that these yellow flags don’t mean I shouldn’t get a laptop connect card; they simply mean (so far) not to get one with my current phone service provider.

I sat in the car and made a few phone calls to local stores of competing phone service providers, seeing who had the card I needed. After three calls (notice I’m taking action) I found a friendly woman who assured me she had the card in stock.

Green flag.

She told me her name is Chelsea, which is the name of one of our cats.

Green flag.

I went over to her store, went inside, and was greeted by the friendliest staff.

Green flag.

No waiting. No hassles. No deposit, or card fees, or much else.

Green flags.

And while I was there, one of my favorite waitresses of all time breezed into the store, saw me, and rushed over to give me a hug.

Green flag.

I now have the Internet connect card I need and I feel great about the experience.

Mission accomplished.

I still don’t know if I’ll ever write a book about my red flags theory, but I’m hoping this helps you remember that there are clues in every moment telling you if you’re on course.

Pay attention.

And act.

How to Do This

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 best-selling audiotape program with Nightingale-Conant.” Another was “I intend for my Spiritual Marketing book to become a number one best-seller at Amazon.” Yet another was “I intend to find a new place to eat lunch.” Write it here:

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. Write actions that seem inspired here:

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. He had been working hard on his site at www.InstantChange.com and realized from firsthand experience that there is little passive about passive income.

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 co-author in this project. Well, 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 people online if they would tell us what a day was like in their “passive” world. 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.

This process is how I created such moneymaking digital products as my online e-classes, several bestselling e-books, and even a few online promotional campaigns. I came up with the ideas and within minutes acted on them. The result: Success.

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 about “money 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?

Tend Your Garden

Many people say they don’t want to take any action, that they just want to “Let 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.

“You have an amazing garden here,” the stranger said.

“Thank you,” said the owner.

“It’s really God’s garden, isn’t it?”

“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 business-man. He “hired” 12 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 Quimby “the Advertising Therapist” in his book, New Thought or a Modern Religious Approach: The Philosophy of Health, Happiness, and Prosperity (New York: Philosophical Library, 1985): From 1847 to 1859, then, 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, etc., 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.