First off, I gotta tell ya… it’s unusual — very unusual — that we go over 2 weeks without a new post.
Yet, we figured that what we’re doing at the moment in private (picture us behind the black curtain putting the final touches on a very useful and usable new product), will make up for our lack of writing lately.
I’m going to apologize though, on behalf of Heather too, as we didn’t take the time to say “THANK YOU” to everyone who commented on our last post (“Puking Your Power Away“).
As you should know by now, we ALWAYS encourage comments that provide a level of “thought” and “passion” behind them.
While many of our readers said a lot of interesting things about the level of “manufactured naivety” that permeates the “spiritual growth” arena — the distorted view that it’s practical and serving to IGNORE anything life brings that is less than “feel good” or “uplifting” — our favorite was from Irene:
“If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Ignoring injustice, corruption, bloodshed and the suffering of others makes you a part of the problem… you are allowing it to continue… you are allowing it to be the default position.
“Positivity is a good thing, but not to the point of stupidity. It needs to be grounded in reality. Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative and “bad” things in the world. That is our reality whether we like it or not. Ignoring those things will not make them go away.
“We can do something about it, or stick our heads in the sand so we can appear “nice” and “feel good” about ourselves. It is our choice, and that choice determines what kind of human being we really are.”
Right on, Irene… well said!
We applaud your bravey in communicating one very overlooked common-sense law:
A seeker of Self can’t really go inward with honesty and clear reflection UNTIL they first own up to (view with clear lenses or “admit”) the “stuff” that’s going on in their outer world.
To put it another way, neither you, nor I or anybody else, should be diving into the swimming pool of ‘core level transformation’ until you/I/we FIRST take a shower and see the ‘dirt’ falling from our body.
It’s a subtle distinction, but well worth thinking about.
Wanting to change your perception to alter your reality is one thing, but trying to do it while ‘faking out’ your view of real-world experiences and truth is another.
But, anyway… here’s the deal: A few weeks ago we made it our quest to figure out how to experience precisely what somebody who denies life in “full color view” experiences.
So, we hit up a few of our high-level, secret government contacts and ended up getting a pair of technologically-advanced glasses.
But, not just any glasses, mind you. I’m taking about the kind that would make even make James Bond’s “Q” jealous with envy. The sorta technological wizardry that Inspector Gadget would be leery of trying out.
We were a little skittish at first, too. After all, we’ve never worn rose-colored glasses before. But, now that we tried ‘em out, we DO recommend them.
The world really does look brighter and cheerier through them. Now, come on… who doesn’t want that kind of temporary illusory power?
Well, enough talk… decide for yourself:
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Anti-resentment warning: We promise that no animals, trees, gurus, hermits or yoga instructors were harmed, or any babies or toddlers silenced, during the making of this video. In addition, no psychedelic drugs or alcoholic beverages were consumed. Any resemblance to people you may know, whether in the real world or with their heads stuck in the clouds, is completely coincidental.
Highly Recommended: Now, about the cool (and free) video resources Heather mentioned at the end of our own video above. This resouce will help you profit from your passion in entertaining and easy ways… check out Andy Jenkins, The Video Boss, here: http://lwlurl.com/video
We’ve talked about this before, but we think it’s high time we brought it up again… especially since a counterpart of ours (a personal development products marketer) just sent out the following email:
“I’m not sure if you know this about me but I try to avoid watching or reading the news as much as possible. I don’t want to give focus to that which I don’t want.
“But lately I’ve felt like I haven’t been able to escape it… it’s been right in my face.
“… Negative comment after negative comment… it’s depressing!
“But the part that really disgusts me is how the media always seem to sensationalize an unfortunate situation.
“Especially in these tough economic times I don’t think it helps the way they constantly bombard us with negative hype.”
If you’re on this person’s list, you’ll know who we’re talking about; but it really doesn’t matter WHO it is, because this is such a popular stance in the spiritual-personal growth arena.
Self-help teachers, motivational speakers, and personal development authors all spout the same mind-numbed rose-colored-glasses message repeatedly (more often, it seems, than TV runs commercials, product endorsements and marketing messages): “Avoid the news like a plague, because it’s all bad stuff!”
Yikes… what a negative and limiting way to look at the world: assuming that everything you’re going to see on the news is going to be something bad. And even more so, how sad and severely counter-productive to put out the weak-willed intention that you won’t be able to handle it!
“Ooh, I can’t watch anything negative… otherwise it will make me think and do negative things that will really screw my life up!” members of the anti-news brigade say, quaking in their boots as a friend or family member dares to turn on the TV at 6:00 or 11:00 p.m., when the daily local news is being shown.
Part of that debate, as has been highlighted by certain commenters (and also ones who responded to a review on Avatar that our colleagues, Paul and Layne Cutright, wrote) is the whole duality/non-duality issue.
Now, just by writing it that way — duality/non-duality — you can see how the very nature of the discussion is dualistic, meaning there are two sides.
People who look at life from solely a perspective of non-duality like to point out that “we’re all connected.”
That’s very true, when you’re talking about our non-physical (or spiritual) selves.
People who look at life from a solely perspective of duality say that “we’re all separate.”
And while that’s an illusion in the grand scheme of things — the big picture, or what we like to call “forest reality” — it’s very true when you’re talking about our physical selves, or “tree reality,” because while all trees are connected through dirt and air and the ethers and their vibrations, we need to look at this with some common sense.
And for all intents and purposes in their everyday life, a tree on one side of a large forest is separate from a tree on the other side.
Just as, in the mechanics of what’s important to you, in this physical life on earth, it doesn’t matter one hill of beans if you’re “connected”, in the spiritual plane, to some stranger in Japan.
So we say there’s both duality and non-duality in life, because there HAS to be.
We’ve talked about this before — many times, actually — but perhaps most succinctly in the post Heather wrote called How To Offend Yourself 100% of the Time:
And the perfection in this life comes in the perfect balance; for every yin you have a yang; for every up there’s a down, for every back there’s a front, and for every hater there’s a liker; and that never, ever changes, no matter how often you say, “We’re all connected,” because there is duality within the non-duality, and vice-versa (the opposites can’t exist without each other, so they are intimately connected). Perfection!
If you’ve ever studied physics, you know that light, similarly, has two opposite properties: it’s both waves and particles, depending on what’s required at that moment.
Isn’t it interesting that both light and life have two opposing properties?
That very fact makes them dualistic…
But it also makes them non-dualistic, since they each need the other side of the story to be complete.
Now, let’s wrap this back around to the movie, Avatar.
The non-duality lovers are either praising director James Cameron for portraying messages of non-duality, embodied by the Na’vi peoples’ ability to “plug into” animals and trees, or slamming him for portraying a dualistic world where humans are fighting Na’vi (yes, that’s right… the non-duality supporters are divided in two on this… which is intriguingly ironic in itself).
The duality lovers see the beauty in the yin and yang shown by the good vs. evil storyline, juxtaposing heartless greed against loving generosity, violent destruction against peaceful creation, death against rebirth, and so forth.
Those that can see both sides, and embrace the ironically dualistic nature of non-duality, smile at the way they weave in and out of each other, in the movie, just like in life.
And The Crowd (or The Herd) misses the fact that there’s even a debate in the first place.
(As always, we invite intelligent, thought-provoking commentary related to the context of the above post.)
Your Partners in the Quest For
Living a Life Without Limits,
If, for some unforeseen reason, you haven’t seen the movie Avatar yet — and don’t want to know any aspects of the outcome — don’t read this latest article by Heather, because it contains some “extreme nutshell” spoilers.
But if you have, or if you like diving into the grey matter of how the masses see things… you’re in for a treat…
- and –
The Wealth Vault Re-Opens:
If, for some reason, you never got a chance to secure one of the most valuable memberships available today — an easy-on-the-pocketbook membership that gives you access to unconventional cash-flow streams… passive-income opportunities and wealth-generation programs that Wall Street shuns… take notice.
We’re only going to accept another 100 Charter members, and once these last 100 Charter Memberships are gone, that’s it. Come join the club, and let’s help you begin to prosper NOW like never before…
“Wow, this is really cool,” I said to Barry. “Dr. Robert Anthony has a new program for helping people lose weight — sorry, I mean release weight — effortlessly!”
Barry snorted slightly and rolled his eyes upwards. “Wait, let me guess,” he said, grinning like a mischievous schoolboy. “Think Yourself Thin?”
Barry and I have both known Dr. Anthony for years, and we respect him and his work. He was one of the first people to give Barry a testimonial when he first launched the now intentionally-dormant Manifest Life, and he was almost a guest on my now intentionally-dormant Success Unwrapped radio show.
We love the fact that he taught thousands of people how to pull the emphasis away from shallow optimism with his book, “Beyond Positive Thinking.”
And he’s a well-revered and world-renowned hypnotherapist.
But from my description, Barry had assumed — and understandably so — that “effortless” meant losing weight without doing anything, just like so many LOA addicts feel they can simply meditate their way to fame and fortune.
On the contrary, Dr. Anthony’s revolutionary program is not about not doing… it’s about doing things, but effortlessly!
Ready to add more profits, passion and purpose to what you’re doing in 2010?
If you’re a member of our community, we’d bet $100 in Vegas that you said “yes” to that question…
And if we won the bet, then we recommend you block out 9pm EST(6pm PST) Tuesday, January 5 for a free, LIVE *webinar* that top online marketer Yanik Silver is hosting called: “Secrets of Maverick Entrepreneurs“.
If you haven’t heard of Yanik (but we’re sure you probably have), he’s what you might call a trailblazer in the internet marketing industry… a renegade businessman, or a maverick entrepreneur.
And as you know, we like teachers who march to the beat of their own drums.
He’s extremely well-respected in his field, and someone that Heather has had the pleasure of interviewing.
In Tuesday’s webinar, he’ll be introducing everyone to his own personal network of insider connections…
These individuals are a small, distinct group of self-made millionaires who make up Maverick Business Adventures. Members of the group include people you’ve heard of, and those you probably haven’t: ‘celebrity’ internet pioneers and experts, INC 500 companies, multi-national manufacturers, heads of financial institutions, renowned experts, international real estate developers and restaurateurs.
And he’s got a handful of new Mavericks scheduled to come together Tuesday to share with you their thinking on the 3 ‘Maverick Success Pillars’:
* How to make more…
* How to have more fun…
* How to give more back…
Plus he’ll interview them about how they are adapting their businesses to maximize success in 2010 (make sure you’ve got your pen and paper ready for the gems they’ll share)!
And Yanik will also be telling you his own insights on how to increase your profits, your passion and purpose. The very same rules that have made him financially independent before the age of 31, starting with a silly idea get got at 3 o’clock in the morning (funny how some of the best a-ha moments come in the dead of the night!).
The best part is, you don’t pay a dime to get on there (except for any long-distance charges, if you don’t have an unlimited calling plan).
Once you register here, you’ll get sent the private login access and telephone pin number. Don’t worry whether you have a Mac or PC, or what connection speed… it’s all good, and everyone can connect.
Since there’s zero cost for this one-time-only event, and only 300 lines available, chances are it’s going to be completely booked… that’s what happened the last time Yanik hosted a content-packed free webinar like this.
But more importantly, the attendees absolutely loved all the great strategies and ideas revealed… and you will, too. Don’t delay in grabbing your spot today.
Until we write again…
Your Partners In The Quest For
Living a Life Without Limits,
Barry came across this new blog post written by John Mylant, a trading coach that he follows. When we both read it, we felt that it highly resonated with the way we think, and what we teach (or, some would say, preach).
Yes, we’re big on congruency. We’ve dissolved business partnerships, and personal partnerships, based almost solely on this concept.
Why is it so important? Read on for John’s take… and our commentary.
One Bite At A Time by John Mylant, Private Stock Trader and Options Trading Coach
When with your friends, you often hear yourself saying stuff like, “Of course I care about my health! I take good care of myself!” Yet alone, in the middle of temptation, you convince yourself that just one more bacon-double-cheeseburger (with fries) won’t hurt. After all, it’s not like you do it EVERY day!
Look, we admit to eating junk every now and then too. But we don’t label ourselves “health nuts”. We just say that we eat “pretty good” most of the time, and we work out as often as we can.
The lesson here is, don’t apply labels or give attributes to yourself — whether that be “health coach” or “light worker” — unless you truly keep up the lifestyle all, or nearly all, of the time (in our experience, most don’t).
You are diligent in telling your eleven-year-old daughter not to ever tell lies… not ever. The phone rings…she answers. It’s ANOTHER telemarketer. “Tell them I’m not here!” you silently mouth from the other room.
We all know that telling little white lies every now and then is okay — for instance, if you’re complimenting someone to make them feel good, even though you don’t think they look quite as “ravishing” as you say. After all, you don’t want your 11-year-old daughter telling her friend that a scar on her face makes her look ugly, either, even if that’s what automatically pops into her mind at first.
But the core of what you say needs to be honest. Teach your kids to look for the good in everyone, and that way they’ll always be able to give an honest compliment.
And for yourself… “not here” is an obvious lie, but you can certainly say you’re “not available” to speak to a telemarketer if you’re busy. Even better, how about being completely honest here?… “not interested!”
“It’s only twenty minutes!” you convincingly encourage yourself as you round your time sheet up to the next even hour. After all, why do they make you fill these silly things out, anyway?
The day before U.S. Thanksgiving, we posted a video by a colleague of ours, about gratitude vs. appreciation, that got some polar opposite commentary. Some of the blog comments we didn’t approve, and other statements (written in ALL CAPS with lots of exclamation points!!!) went to our ticket desk, because the people replied to our email instead of posting on the blog.
And after having all the questionable comments passed on to us (as in, the ones from people that were simply angry because what they cherish as truth had been “attacked” in their eyes), we started to ponder the different kinds of judgments that we humans can and do make.
We sorted the reactions into piles, read the messages, felt the accusations, considered the facts, and came to a conclusion (i.e. we judged them).
Basically, we determined that there are really only two types of judging:
Judging based on what you know (cognitive consonance).
Judging based on what you think you know that has suddenly been challenged (cognitive dissonance).
Cognitive Consonance: A state of harmony and internal consistency arising from compatibility among a person’s attitudes, behavior, beliefs, and/or knowledge; mental agreement or congruency.
Cognitive Dissonance: A state of psychological tension arising from incompatibility among a person’s attitudes, behavior, beliefs, and/or knowledge, or when a choice has to be made between equally attractive or repulsive alternatives; mental disagreement or incongruity.
The latter causes the brain to self-destruct, in a sense, like the stereotypical cartoon robot spewing, “does not compute” while smoke comes out of his ears and springs pop out of his head.
The former isn’t as funny to watch, so you won’t see it in cartoons, but it would involve the robot taking in new information, processing the data, and saying, “Thank you!”
So how does all this relate to gratitude and appreciation (besides the “Thank you” bit)?…
As always, we’re here to help you “think” — to even cajole you, if needed, to really get you to KNOW how certain time-worn practices or approaches DO or DON’T add value (results) to your life.
Certainly, tomorrow (at least for our readers in the U.S.) is the day that we’re accustomed to really bringing out our gratitude tools… to be thankful, and show appreciation for what we have — and even what we’re about to get (assuming we’re stepping the use of gratitude up a notch).
Yes, there’s no doubt that gratitude is an inner feeling that keeps you connected to higher power. Surely, when Herbert Spencer uttered that “Gratitude is the Tune of the Angels,” that’s what he meant.
Yet, there is another perspective on HOW to actually employ it. It’s a slight distinction that could very well help you bring more of your desires into your life, much faster.
Drew Rozell, Ph.D, who we’ve known since 2005, tells you all about it. He’s a conscious creator, a coach and a genuine all-around good guy who, like us, doesn’t mind digging a bit beneath the surface.
We hope you enjoy his message, and enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow. Or, if you’re not in the U.S., still take the time to use the technique that Drew shows you below, even if you won’t have family members (and/or a turkey) around to try it on.
Listen In To Learn About The Problem With Gratitude:
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Will This Really Shock You?
Well, Darius and his crew say it well.
And, even though we like keeping things a tad more grounded, when it comes to “Wealth Creation” (we do believe our post Wealth Is NOT An Inside Job makes that point clear), we’re still going to tell you about:
“The New Wealth Experience”
Heck, being that a subsidiary of our company (LWLGraphics.com) created the website, we almost feel obliged to do so.
Anyway, we’re not involved in this in any way, from a content perspective. And, yes, there ARE some of the usual suspects (teachers) involved. However, since they promise to share hundreds of simple and reproducible ways to achieve wealth, checking out the calls MAY be worth your while.
A long, long time ago, I remember hearing a spiritual teacher, Vernon Howard, tell this story. He was talking about how a man and a woman met one night at a party. They introduced themselves, each supplying their reasons for attending the party.
The man smiled and asked her, “Are you looking for a nice man?”
“I think“, the woman sighed, “I’m looking for myself.”
The honest lady in this story expressed a deep yearning to find her true nature. Millions of us are looking for the same thing. Really knowing who you are is the foundation for building a richer, fuller, complete life.
As I’ve evolved in my spiritual and personal growth, I’ve come to know that my ability to use the many principles that Heather and I have talked about throughout this blog over the years are inextricably linked to how we view and handle relationships.
Because, without them (our genuine conversations and connections to each other and others), we truly couldn’t see ourselves the way we really are.
As we’ve written about several times: “We humans are such wonderful mirrors for each other.“
All the relationship teachers we know will be the first to tell you that no one was born (not even them) knowing how to create and keep a great relationship. But, as you begin to learn much more about yourself, open up your heart, and start making more conscious choices, you will begin to attract more pleasant and profitable relationships into your life.
It’s the “conscious” part that we’re tackling in our report.
As the masses take certain aspects of relationship-based personal development to some head-scratching extremes, we’re going to tackle the issue of how the cryptic term “unconscious commitment” is used to justify failure, or condemn and control somebody else.
Self-help teachers, motivational speakers, and personal development authors all spout the same mind-numbed rose-colored-glasses message repeatedly (more often, it seems, than TV runs commercials, product endorsements and marketing messages): “Avoid the news like a plague, because it’s all bad stuff!”
Okay, look… we have to address something here.
Barry and I have both known Dr. Anthony for years, and we respect him and his work. He was one of the first people to give Barry a testimonial when he first launched the now intentionally-dormant Manifest Life, and he was almost a guest on my now intentionally-dormant Success Unwrapped radio show.
If you haven’t heard of Yanik (but we’re sure you probably have), he’s what you might call a trailblazer in the internet marketing industry… a renegade businessman, or a maverick entrepreneur.
we’re still going to tell you about:
