Take Action Now!

by

Insight Publishing

KINDLE EDITION

Copyright © 2014 Insight Publishing

Published in the United States by:

Insight Publishing Company

707 West Main Street, Suite 5

Sevierville, TN 37862

800-987-7771

www.insightpublishing.com

License Notes

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations embodied in critical essay, article or review. These articles and/or review must state the correct title and contributing authors of this book by name.

Disclaimer: This book is a compilation of ideas from numerous experts who have each contributed a chapter. As such, the views expressed in each chapter are those who were interviewed and not necessarily of the interviewer or Insight Publishing

Contents

A Message from the Publisher

Chapter One: My Liquid Fish – Jimmy Mack

Chapter Two: The Forgotten Laws – Bob Proctor

Chapter Three: The Interview – Maria Nemeth

A Message from the Publisher

Taking action is what it’s all about in order to make things happen in life! I have found that as I take action on various projects, I learn and grow. I feel energized. Taking action is powerful. With each step I take, I see more and more of the bigger picture. I don’t have to know all the details about what each step will require, but when I make that first move, and as I go along, the more I know, and the more progress I make.

As I talked with the smart and successful people in this book, I learned even more about this vital subject. They discussed many success factors that make actions count and they talked about commonsense ideas about how to take those first steps.

I highly recommend this book. I think that it just may change your life!

Interviews Conducted by: David E. Wright, President

International Speakers Network

Chapter One

My Liquid Fish

Jimmy Mack

David Wright (Wright)

Jimmy Mack is a medical intuitive and spiritual life coach. He has completed a variety of healing modalities, but after a near death experience (NDE) he noticed that his ability to help and contribute to others had greatly increased.

He works/plays with clients worldwide by way of in-person appointments, phone, and Skype.

Jimmy is an ordained minister, and earned degrees in American Studies and Theology, and has a Doctor of Divinity degree. He learned about Reiki and became a Mayan Usui Reiki Master. He has studied psychometry, and psychic development. He has gone on shamanic journeys, taken remote viewing classes, and studied Ascension with the monks. Later he explored and completed levels of Access Consciousness, Theta healing as developed by Vianna Stibal, as well as levels one, two, and three of Reconnective healing made popular by Eric Pearl DC. He became a certified practitioner in Matrix Energetics with Richard Bartlett DC, NP, as well as the Yuen Method made popular by Dr. Kam Yuen.

Jimmy, welcome to Take Action Now!

Will you tell our readers about your journey and how you wound up doing this?

Jimmy Mack (Mack)

I grew up in Clearwater, Florida, in the 1970s. I attended St Paul’s Episcopal school where I became an acolyte in the Episcopal Church and thought that was it. My medical experience was rooted in Western medicine and I went to doctors for prescriptions or surgery just as everyone else I knew.

It wasn’t until the 1980s and my college years in Tampa, Florida, at USF that I hungered for classes in religion and explored spiritualist churches in the area. I took psychic development classes and attended psychic fairs and even séances. I found it all so fascinating; it would consume my spare time, my reading, and my efforts.

I wasn’t trying to prove or disapprove but to somehow try on this ethereal spiritually-filled alien “suit” so that I could continue to explore the offbeat. I wanted to answer questions that no one or any mainstream religion (that I was aware of) could possibly answer.

I knew this would be a lifelong event and quest. The more I read and experienced, the more courses I would complete. These courses, experiences, and modalities would mold me into what I would later become, for lack of a better term, a healer.

Wright

So what did you do then and what happens now?

Mack

I became like a man on fire with a thirst to help, contribute, and to heal suffering in any manner I could. I would go out of my way to help the sick and the afflicted, often with varying results. Of course, I later realized that what showed up and what was different and unusual was, in fact, meant to happen at that time. It seemed with the client the more detached I could become, the more “neutral” and the higher the chances and probability were for change to occur.

In the end, I work toward creating change more than results—I work/play/create a void toward change. It is silly to “left brain think” that an all-knowing, ever-present, powerful presence would require worship or praise or not intuitively know that we are, in fact, asking for better and the best to occur. If some disease or disorder is far to the left where there is suffering, pain, and discord, spirit surely intuitively knows that we are changing course back to the center or to the right, much as we would steer a canoe.

I have often said that the better or best “result” is like a dock that we are trying to reach by canoe. We are paddling in calm but current-filled waters in the fog on a moonlit night, but all we need to do is get to that dock. If we get to the right of the dock and tie off, we will be fine. Often it is our programs, our left brain mockery of “it can’t be done” that not only won’t let us reach the dock, but won’t allow us to realize we are in a canoe with a paddle (that represents change) in our hands.

Over time I have seen miracles occur. I have witnessed the lame walk and clients with migraines cease having them, for example. I have noticed senses like sight and hearing increase and improve and even my own eyesight vastly clinically verifiably improve. Countless clients for decades have experienced “healings” and profound changes in my presence and have witnessed miracles take place in their lives. I have no doubt that when we change our vibration only slightly, change can take place and improvements are made.

Wright

I understand that you had a near death experience. Will you tell our readers about that?

Mack

The entirety of that could take up another book, but I will give you a brief overview.

I wound up in a hospital with what I now consider food poisoning but as you all know if they search for something serious long enough, they will find it. So I was presented with getting my gallbladder out. The problem was that they   gave me too much anesthesia during my surgery and nearly killed me. I wound up with full blown clinical pneumonia. After a stint in ICU for three days, I had profound experiences including other worldly beings in my room, physically experiencing going up into portals that looked like deep inner space and the feeling that I was going up into a kaleidoscope of colors and the mist of all that is. I never saw bright light or Jesus or my sweet brother Kevin who died from a drugs and alcohol overdose decades ago.

What I saw was as real as the words you see right now and no one thought I would live, including me. I was shown things and told things that increased my healing ability a bazillion fold. It was as though I were given ethereal “cotton candy,” if you will. Now, I break some off and give it to clients in person, on the phone or over Skype. They feel lighter and I am now convinced that the little “soul ghost” inside them recognizes and responds to the movements and events that occur during a session. Their spirit recognizes my spirit and others in the room. I think it reminds them of “being home” (i.e., on the other side), so much so that they often experience sadness, joy, or even levels of bliss they cannot describe.

The goal is always to create a wind or vortex of change. The old joke is that the only thing you can rely upon for certain is death and taxes and to that I would add change. Count on change happening. You may not always like it and it is not always pleasant and what I describe as fluffy kittens and cute puppies, but change nonetheless develops us deep and creates a more expansive experience during this incarnation. It can increase the odds of our having a more dynamic life (this time around) and the option to get it so right that we don’t have to return.

I often tempt spirit and dare the field to impress me. So whether you are talking to God, Jesus, Buddha or your great granny or an angel that someone made up, I coach others to be bold in their request and then clear the paths blocking that bold event so that it can occur. I want spirit to show me a sign so that I know beyond all knowing that it could have only come from the “God stuff.”

Wright

So you pretty much play it fast and loose or shoot from the hip?

Mack

My clients could say that one of the keys in this little book is that it has taken me fifty years to realize that everything is made up—everything. Time is a construct—movies, dinners, diners, politics, religion, the social norm.

It took an inventor to make a car, an optimist to create the airplane, and a pessimist to invent the parachute. Electricity, plumbing, air conditioning and heating, and all our creature comforts were created by those who wanted to make their lives and those of others a little bit easier and line their pockets with coin in the process.

Cooking is another great made-up construct. Daily chefs and moms and television shows are inventing, experimenting, and melding ideas into pots, skillets, and recipes that no one has ever done before.

So therefore, instead of taking the proven road of death and taxes, I am going off on the right-brain trail into the unknown, the made-up, and the derivatives of what can and will work for me. I am going to create better beliefs, thoughts, deeds, events, and memories that will leave a mark—a mark left behind that others can study, find solace in, and improve their lives and the lives of those they love.

Life for me has been a continual pursuit or anticipation of what shows up, that which is unusual and different and, just as important, enjoyable. We have been so pre-conditioned to work hard and think nothing is easy that I want to say, let’s make everything easy and fun and different and enjoyable, and life will then be delicious.

Is this even possible? I think so, because I have done it. I have created a construct or reference point for everything being easier, more fun, entertaining, flowing with grace, with ease without a healing crisis, or a crisis of any kind for that matter.

Now this does not mean you will not have blocks that in some way prevent you from following me down my little bliss-filled path. It means that the door is there if you can find the handle and just open it. There is no key—it is not locked and it never was. Often we are mixed up in this fog of left-brain over- thinking and bogged down into mystery, intrigue, and my favorites to clear— deserving, worthy of, and open to receiving. These three are generally a gateway to get you what you would like to have.

I stay out of “want” because that is like a vision board that just keeps “wants” out in front on some construct. Pictures of new cars, women, men, money, “mcmansions,” or whatever, keep them just out of reach.

Now, if you have a vision board and want to take it and, in effect, collapse the energy of that board into your body as if it is passing in, around, and through you like a ghost, then I am fine with that. That can make a difference because then it’s as if the sponge-like, sticky substance that is us actually allows it to permeate into your being, right down to the core. And envisioning a “liquid fish” containing everything in your vision board might just do it.

Now, let’s say that on your vision board you have a picture of a new Cadillac. If you wound up getting a new Lincoln, or foreign luxury car wouldn’t you be just as excited? The answer is probably yes, and the point is that if you are open to that occurring with a soft focus rather than a must-have only, the probability greatly increases that, in fact, a new car will show up in a way that you would have never dreamed up. It could be considered simple and yet logical, but why would you give all of this out to the world now?

Since the liquid fish was given to me from spirit, I believe that by giving these ideas and gifts to the world, I can in some way give back to others and encourage generations to come to create profound changes in their lives. I also believe the more you will play with and experiment with this and try out different ways to do it, see it, feel it, and so on, the more exotic experiences you may have. And by that I mean what I am going to coach you to do. Do not be fooled by how simple it is just because it is new. I believe it is extremely powerful and I am hopeful it will create an ah-ha moment for you.

Wright

Don’t clients need to take courses as you did to get their heads around all this?

Mack

You need not take weekend courses, study huge books, download endless systems, studies, words, or videos and, my personal laughing favorite, meditation with a yogi in a cave for months on end. You need not meditate for twenty-five years to figure out how to do this. I have done all of those things and more already. This is the culmination of all of it melded into one thing. My dear, lifelong friend and confidant would always say, “Explain it to me like I’m nine years old!” So, here it is David.

Who hasn’t seen the fish symbol for Christians? It is everywhere from on the bumpers of cars to billboards to magazines, and so on. Who hasn’t at some point in life drawn stick figures? I have empowered for years, the symbol I am about to describe to you. I have played with it, practiced it, and tried it out on every conceivable type of person, place, thing, situation, pet, disease, disorder, phobia, fear, financial issue, weight gain or loss, sexual hang ups or trying to have more sex, and most anything else you can come up with. I have seen it work immediately and sometimes over hours, days, weeks, and months. But I have seen it make a change and have a lasting effect with people who had no hope. I have witnessed change where no one else believed there would be a change.

If you know how to use a pendulum or can use applied kinesiology and/or muscle-testing yourself, that is great. For those unfamiliar, please reference: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03410/Applied-Kinesiology.html

In order to experience applied kinesiology or muscle testing, merely stand up and face due north. Ideally it is great to be hydrated and relaxed. Standing due north, say your name out loud and it should pull you forward for yes. State, “My name is Nemo the Fish,” and it should rock you backward symbolizing a no. I like to do several “clearings” first to get you to where you are at a better place. The first statement should be “I am.” If that is a no, ask God to change it so that you can be fully present in your body. When it comes in, it should pull you gently forward to a yes or affirmative. If it is a no (backward) or if nothing is happening and you are at neutral, drink a glass of water. It can and will come in to where you are being pulled forward for yes, if you will just have patience.

My next favorite statement after you have “I am” is, “I am clear.” I used to run through a ton of negative tests and questions that would rule out hexes, curses, dark energy, vows, negative aliens, and so on. Now I just state, “I am clear,” again if you are neutral, you may not be sufficiently hydrated, so take a moment and drink a large glass of water. If your response is no, (i.e., pulling you backward), ask for God, Jesus, Angels, Buddha, or any one of a number of ascended masters to clear you and to show you by pulling you forward when you are clear.

After you have “I am clear” check the reverse of this too. You can do this by stating out loud, “I am unclear.” You may find that to be a yes or forward response and ideally it should be a no or a moving you backward motion. I have found the “I am unclear” to be the elephant in the room or the dark self or energy that is present and can be holding you back, weighing you down, and/or the root cause of your issue or challenge.

Now that you have those, you are able to have a baseline whereby you can ask the questions, make challenges, and address the negative items you want to get rid of, or positive items you want to download from the Morphic field of all that is.

Wright

How do you create what you call “basic fish”?

Mack

Basic Fish is what I describe as a stick figure you can draw with either your index finger (right-handed or left-handed, it will not matter) as if you are pointing outward and up at the sky, as though you are saying, “Hey, look at that mountain.” You can pretend to draw it right in front of you and small or larger on the wall of your due north direction, or if you are outside it can be as big as the sky.

Find something, for instance, that you want to get rid of such as, “I am my ideal weight for my height and body type.” Chances are it will test as no and/or rock you back. Then draw your fish in one smooth motion. Point outward and start at the bottom as if the point where you start is the bottom of the tail. Then aim your finger to draw a fish slowly by going up and toward and right over the top of the back, then down around the front of the fish’s mouth, then under its belly, then cut back across your line and go upward to the ceiling or the sky. This is to take that belief or issue, instance or thing off you and release it up to the heavens or the clouds.

For downloading something positive such as, “I am deserving,” start at the heavens or the top of the tail as though you are pulling down deserving out of the sky. Move your pointing finger slowly downward, then along and underneath the fish’s belly, around in front of where its mouth is, over the top of its back. Then cross your original line and act as though you are now dropping this “I am deserving” statement back into you by bringing your finger back toward you.

You should only need to do this once and it should stick. Start out small and work your way up from “I am,” to “I am deserving” to “I am worthy,” “I am open,” “I am open to receive,” “I am open to receiving ____________.” You get the idea.

The size of the fish does not matter and over time you can go faster. While it may be endless, I believe that it can change your life because I know it has changed mine and countless clients throughout years. Often I need not say anything, whether clients are on the phone, in person, or on Skype. I am merely drawing a fish with my index finger and it takes off whatever the negative state may be on them and downloads the positive state.

Even if you already muscle test or use a pendulum, try using standing muscle testing, facing north and hydrated even for five or ten minutes. Whether you are new to this or a super star healer, I think you will be surprised at your responses. Good stuff you thought you had, you don’t. Bad stuff you thought you had gotten rid of years ago, you hadn’t—it’s still there.

So play with it all and see what you can create and come up with. Practice the above until you become proficient. That could mean a day, a week, a month, or longer depending on you!

Wright

How does it work? I mean, who or what is happening?

Mack

I believe that I have done this long enough to create a “shooting star” of energy, if you will, that will take up what no longer serves you or bring into you what could be useful or positive. It’s as though we are creating a tornado effect, taking up the negative, and a soft rain to download the positive.

This is a way to access the field of all that is. I believe the field is everything and is the greater cosmos—the great beyond. It does flow in, around, and through us. It is the divine spark that connects us all and can be accessed by anyone. It has been there all along and regardless of your beliefs for or against it, it will work. Just because you don’t like computers or television doesn’t mean that if you turn it on, it won’t come on. It will come on regardless of whether you believe in it or not, and it will work whether you are in the room or not. I have seen that over time, if you play with this long enough, it will start playing with you and that’s when things get really interesting.

Wright

Why are the words so important?

Mack

The conundrum is that words can mean everything or nothing. In other words, all of these release changes, statements, or pieces can and will work, but over time you can come to a place where you can say one word or use one thought or one representation of ten or one hundred or one thousand words.

Each word has a different signature or mark. Negative words look more like allergies (ponder that) and are words like hate, which is not the same as rage, which is not the same as resentment, and so on. Your quest can be to eliminate any and as much of the negative that you can and to stir up, adhere to, and bring down as much and as many of the positive as you can for the rest of this lifetime.

For stubborn changes or erasing, I like to say, “To all that is [God, Jesus, Buddha or ____________], take this out of every sphere, direction, depth, height, and angle—all that is known and unknown, named, and unnamed.”

For stubborn downloads from “heaven” I might say something like, “Download the highest and the best version of ____________ in, around, and through me now, creating the highest and best version of this for me now. Or I might say, “On all levels, I believe, think, know, and feel, and I am ready, willing, and able, and I know when, where, how, and why to [release or download] ________________________.”

If none of this is working for you, you may be dehydrated or your energy is reversed or both, so get hydrated and ask if your energy is reversed. If it is, ask that be changed to normal now and that you are downloaded in your body with an “I am” presence now. I have seen immediate changes and I’ve seen changes that took hours, days, weeks, and months, so your results may vary, but I believe that this can create profound changes. Through applied kinesiology and standing muscle testing or using your own style of muscle testing or a pendulum, you can witness it yourself. Again, some changes take longer to release and download than others.

I believe they have unique frequencies and waves. Often clients will move side to side, which could have to do with letting go of control or abandonment issues. Others spin around a little bit as though they are using a hula hoop, while others feel tremendous pulls forward and back as if spirit is vacuuming them up! While still others feel for a minute straight that they are being pulled forward or backward as though they are stuck. A minute is a long time when you are doing something new and different, but it is often how you know that “something” is happening. Your results may vary!

Wright

“If you’ve been doing this for so long, why would you give away your best “word tracks” and your best inner knowledge of how to change events or disease or disorder or just plain bad stuff?”

Mack

My answer remains unchanged. If I can help/contribute to others and someone somewhere relays this to someone else who receives his or her heart’s desire or is magically cured of an illness or disorder, then it was worth it. Will it cause the lame to walk? I believe that it can if you find the angle, correct series of words and beliefs like lottery numbers, a spinning wheel, jackpot, or the right safe combination. If you access the divine and are intuitively given the ideal word, tracks and releases change occurs.

The longer I practiced the fish, the more intuitive I became. You need not take endless weekends or week-long classes or pay tons of money as I did over decades in order to create change. I have found it to be more likely that the change utilizing the fish is better. It has been my experience that there is a higher probability that the change will be good than if you did nothing at all or practiced more traditional methods. This can be a game-changer. It was for me and I honestly hope it will be for you.

Wright

Why does it not work for everyone and everything, immediately every time?

Mack

I do not know, but what I do know is that I have witnessed more miracles utilizing this than anything else I have watched, experienced, practiced, or learned. You can try out each tip in this book and see what works for you. I believe you will be amazed at the outcomes if you can remain as neutral as possible without feeling as though you are forcing anything or causing something to happen. As an example, you need not concentrate a whole lot to will a paper airplane to fly, but if you fold a nice one, it can take flight. How far or high it will fly may vary.

Wright

What does it work on best?

Mack

My personal experience is that it works best on mental issues such as sadness or sorrow, addictions, as well as a variety of diseases, and disorders. I have seen it create profound changes in others’ lives and that of my own. I believe the more creative you can be with this framework, the more profound your change is apt to be.

Eventually you can get to a place where you are imprinting an issue into the design of a gold liquid fish and as fast as you can see it or imagine it. Much like turning on a light, it can change and shift.

Wright

What do I do to achieve this level of belief and knowing?

Mack

I practice it daily and it seems for me to get even stronger, faster, and deeper. It is simple yet expansive and I have not seen anything that it cannot affect in a more positive way. If you play with it long enough, over time it can start playing with you and you will notice that you are becoming more in tune, more intuitive, and that more of life is starting to show up for you without your having to chase anything. In essence, you are recreating the sequences of your life differently by taking out that which no longer serves you and adding that which will enhance you and your life and that of others because you can do it for others too, much like you would say a prayer for another. You need not get their permission. That is my experience and belief. While others might say that you could affect your karma or that of the other person without asking permission to change any little nuance or piece of someone else’s life, I disagree.

If you see a car wreck and people laid out on the road injured and or bleeding, you would not stop your car, revive them, and ask, “Do you mind if I pray for you?” You would just do it and hope beyond all hope for the best to come to them now.

I have also found it best to face north like a compass. Being hydrated makes a difference, too. Some other abstract pieces you will want to check if this is or is not working for you may include: “I am over energy or reverse energy” change this by using the liquid fish and work on releasing that to no. Make certain to have positive responses to “I am” and “I am clear.” “I am unclear” should always test as no and finally, “I am running forward in life.” This has been encoded to mean body, mind, spirit, health, business, love, and so on, and/or as much as you could pack into it.

Wright

What happens now?

Mack

The Field is the morphic field of all that is. This can represent to you a beautiful beach scene, an open field or meadow or even a sky-lit night. Now imagine looking up at your favorite scene like one of those. Ideally, if you can be there in person, that’s even better. You will then be asking your fish to take up the negative into the clouds/heavens. When creating your fish for the positive, start at heaven and move toward you. This represents bringing the good down from the clouds/heaven into every aspect of your being.

Wright

What have your healing/coaching clients said about how your using this has worked for them?

Mack

I’m glad you asked that. I get upbeat e-mails daily and I will share three with you now:

“I have worked with Jimmy Mack for several years. In a short time he brought my income up to the highest it’s ever been. I love his witty, down-to-earth personality. He is very easy to talk to, always knows what I need to change/clear most, and always lifts my spirits. He is a true blessing and I can’t recommend him enough. I am now working with him on weight issues and I have no doubt that I will be one slimmer sexier chick as a result of our sessions! Thank you, Jimmy, for all you do!”—DW

“Hi, Jimmy Mack! I just wanted to give you an update:

•  Living life in the flow almost always

•  Remembering to ask for what I want—good traffic, perfect timing, clients, money, and so on

•  $81,000 worth of debt forgiven—completely erased by the bank!

•  profitable, new clients falling into my lap

•  attracting all kinds of great people

• everyone asking me what I do for a living, and my answering in a fun way

•  being respected, heard, and knowing that my intentions will come to fruition.

“The list goes on and on. I am super grateful to you for helping me in this shift. I can’t believe how different everything is! Thanks for everything.”—JP

“Hey, Jimmy, so job stuff and money are looking up! My current job on the Broad Way [sic] play that was underpaying me now is giving me $250 a week (much better than the $50 I was getting for about forty hours a week).

“I also just got hired to work for a full-year paid internship for a TV show at CBS!

“I have met someone and got tickets/invite to the red carpet event! “Still open to love and any opportunities that present themselves! “I’m thrilled with the job situations! Thank you!”—A

About the Author

Jimmy Mack is a medical intuitive and spiritual life coach. He has completed a variety of healing modalities but after a near death experience (NDE) he noticed that his ability to help and contribute to others had greatly increased.

He works/plays with clients worldwide by way of in-person appointments, phone, and Skype. Jimmy Mack is an ordained minister, has degrees in American Studies and Theology, and a Doctor of Divinity degree. He learned about Reiki and became a Mayan Usui Reiki Master. He has studied psychometry, psychic development. He has gone on shamanic journeys, taken remote viewing classes, and studied Ascension with the monks. Later, he explored and completed levels of Access Consciousness, Theta healing as developed by Vianna Stibal, as well as levels one, two, and three of reconnective healing made popular by Eric Pearl DC. He became a certified practitioner in Matrix Energetics with Richard Bartlett DC, NP, as well as the Yuen Method made popular by Dr. Kam Yuen.

Jimmy Mack

MyLiquidFish®

727-678-0557

info@jimmymackhealing.com

www.jimmymackhealing.com

Clearwater Florida

Chapter Two

The Forgotten Laws

Bob Proctor

David Wright (Wright)

Today I’m talking with Bob Proctor, featured in the blockbuster hit, The Secret. Bob Proctor is widely regarded as one of the leading masters and teachers of the Law of Attraction and has worked in the area of mind potential for more than forty years. He is the best-selling author of You Were Born Rich and has transformed the lives of millions through his books, seminars, courses, and personal coaching. He is a direct link to the modern science of success, stretching back to Andrew Carnegie the great financier and philanthropist.

Carnegie’s secrets inspired and enthused Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, which in turn inspired a whole genre of success philosophy books. Napoleon passed the baton on to Earl Nightingale who has since placed it in Bob Proctor’s capable hands.

His wide-ranging work with businesses and industries around the world extends far beyond the pep syndrome. Instead, it encompasses working with business entities and individuals to develop strategies that will assist individuals at all levels to grow, improve, and adapt to the ever-changing nature of today’s world. His company, LifeSuccess Productions, is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and operates globally.

Bob Proctor, welcome to Take Action Now.

Bob Proctor (Proctor)

Thank you very much, David. It’s my pleasure to be here.

Wright

Perhaps a quote from Doug Wead, former Special Assistant to the President of the United States, will better describe you for our readers. He said, “Zig Ziglar may be the master motivator, or Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield, master storytellers and co-authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Anthony Robbins may be the guru of personal development, but Bob Proctor is the master thinker. When it comes to systematizing life, no one can touch him.” That’s pretty heavy stuff. How did that make you feel?

Proctor

I was a little flattered with that and humbled coming from Doug. Doug is a great individual. It’s what I’ve done for the last fifty years—all my adult life. I’ve made a study of thinking and why we end up where we are or why we do what we do.

My life went through such a dramatic change at the age of twenty-six. I had  no formal education and I had no business experience. I was losing and  picking up speed. A good friend of mine, Ray Stanford, who was really the first mentor I ever had, suggested I read Think and Grow Rich. So I did and I began to study it. Everything in my world changed. My income went from $4,000 to $175,000 and then I took it to over a million. I started a cleaning business cleaning floors. I started with a bucket and a mop, cleaning one office and in less than five years we were cleaning offices in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta, London, England. It was such a dramatic shift that I wasn’t satisfied with just accepting it and enjoying it, I wanted to know why I changed because everything I had been taught indicated that what happened with me couldn’t happen. But, it did happen.

So I started to study, I wanted to find out how I changed and that led me to the mind and why we do what we do and why we don’t do many of the things we want to do and should do. It took me about nine years to figure it out. I was really looking; I was a very serious student. I came to the conclusion that the information I had learned was lacking in our educational system and, oddly enough, it’s still not taught.

So, when I finally figured it out, all I wanted to do was share it. I’m a firm believer that we don’t really enjoy something until we share it. I don’t care if it’s a new suit, a dress, a new car, or even a sunset. You want to say, “Oh my goodness, look at that,” and then you enjoy it a little more. Well, I had this information and all I wanted to do was share it, so I decided that that’s what I’d do—that’s what I’d spend the rest of my life doing. And, that’s what I’ve done.

Wright

So it’s been several years since the revolutionary movie, The Secret. It made such an impact and you were one of the key figures in that endeavor. Would you explain to our readers what the film was about?

Proctor

The film was created by Rhonda Byrne and it was such a phenomenon. Yet, there was a lot of criticism of it because it talked about the Law of Attraction. It created an awareness that there are laws that govern our universe. And, although it didn’t get into the laws in any depth, it focused on the Law of Attraction and it made people think.

The Law of Attraction is actually a secondary law, the law of vibration is the primary law and whatever vibration we are in is going to dictate what we’re going to attract. But, I still think The Secret did a phenomenal job. It’s estimated that two to three million people have been affected by that film and/or the book, worldwide. It’s been translated into just about every language.

It really woke people up and made them stop and think—why do these things happen? Why are things as they are? So I think The Secret did something that nothing else has ever done, certainly in my lifetime. I was just extremely fortunate to be asked to participate in it. Oddly enough, many people think I created it. I had nothing to do with the making of it, aside from the contribution I made.

Wright

So over the years there have been many speakers, trainers, and educators who have introduced me to the Law of Attraction theory but now I find that you believe that the Law of Attraction is incomplete, and for the first time you reveal eleven forgotten laws that finally uncover the laws’ true potential. How did this knowledge come about?

Proctor

I don’t think the Law of Attraction is incomplete. I think the Law of Attraction is a part of but inclusive of everything. The Law of Attraction is one aspect of the laws that govern life. You might be thinking, how did these laws come about? Well, I see the law as God’s modus operandi. I believe in God. I believe that there has to be a first cause, a primary cause, and I see the laws as the modus oprandi—how all work is done. You see it in all of life. The sad part is that we’re not taught this as children.

You see, I believe if you can teach a child three or four languages before he or she goes to school (many kids learn several languages before they’re five years old) we should be able to teach children some of the basic laws that are going to govern their life. But, we don’t and the laws are not part of our formal educational system, so when you start talking about the laws of the universe, people laugh at you.

I recall being on Nightline with Cynthia McFadden. Cynthia was asking me questions about The Secret and the laws. She brought in a couple of professors from one of the universities in New York to refute what I was saying. They were mocking and criticizing it and she said, “Well, what do you have to say about that?”

“They obviously don’t understand it,” I replied. “Anything we don’t understand we have a tendency to criticize or ridicule and rather than doing that, we should try to understand it. The Law of Attraction is an absolute law, energy attracts like energy. That’s why a carrot grows. Not all the energy in the Earth is in harmony with the vibration of a carrot seed, just those particles of energy that are in harmony with it are attracted to the seed. And, of course, the attraction continues. Over a period of time, governed by the law of gender, in about eighty days the carrot is ready to eat. This doesn’t happen by luck, it happens by law.”

When I began to study Earl Nightingale and his Lead the Field Program, I remember him saying that as you begin to move toward your goal, it will begin to move toward you. I really didn’t know very much at the time but I thought, “Wow, I wonder if he is right.” Well, he was right. As you move toward the goal, the goal moves toward you because you are in harmony with whatever you are attracting into your life, so it’s coming to you and you are going to it.

Wright

Will you explain to our readers the original Law of Attraction blueprint on which you based your eleven forgotten laws in an effort to uncover the true potential of the Law of Attraction?

Proctor

Well, there is a Law of Thinking. Think about it. What is thought? Thought is energy. Thought is the most potent form of energy in existence, it penetrates all time and space. Edgar Mitchell, the Captain of the Lunar Landing Module (one of the Apollo flights), was doing thought transference exercises from the other side of the moon. It was well documented.

Our thoughts are omnipresent and the thoughts that you think and internalize instantly begin to move into form because of the Law of Transmutation of Energy, which moves your thoughts into form. We should be very cognizant of what we are thinking because most people are thinking what they don’t want. I’ve heard it said that many people treat life as a deep mystery—a complex and incomprehensible problem. Mystery is just another word for ignorance, but as we start to understand it, it’s not really a mystery.

Thinking is the highest function of which we are capable. Every great leader who has ever lived has been in complete and unanimous agreement that we become what we think about. They disagree on virtually everything else, but on that one point they’re all in agreement. Solomon said, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). He’s referring to the heart of hearts— the mind. The thoughts that we entertain are going to control the vibration we’re in because it’s energy.

Our body is energy, our mind is movement. Our body is the manifestation of that movement. So as we think, we impress that energy upon the cells of our being and if they’re negative thoughts we’ll move into a negative vibration, if they’re positive and good thoughts, we move into a positive or good vibration.

As we become consciously aware of the vibration we’re in, we don’t say, “I’m consciously aware of being in a good or bad vibration.” That’s where the word “feeling” comes in. We say, “I feel good” or “I feel bad” or “I’m not feeling that good.” If we’re not feeling that well, all we have to do is adjust our thoughts and our vibration will change and we’ll feel differently. But I don’t believe that the vast majority of people have any understanding that they have such control of their life.

In his little book, As Man Thinketh, James Allen said, “A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought.” So, if we see a person acting in a certain way that is not very pleasant and they’re directing that energy toward us, when we understand we’re a thought-evolved being, we’re not going to let what the person is doing or thinking control our thoughts. Instead, we might look at people’s bad behavior and wonder why they are acting that way. Would they deliberately upset themselves if they were in control of their thoughts?

Wright

Perhaps we should state the eleven laws. Will you give us a brief overview of each one?

Proctor

There’s The Law of Supply. There’s a Law of Thought. The law of Perpetual Increase means progress and growth. We see it in everything in life and when we understand that everything in life is expanding and growing, we’ll want to get in harmony with that so our life moves in that direction.

There is the Law of Attraction. We just spent some time on that. You will attract to you whatever is in harmonious vibration with you and if you don’t like what’s coming into your life, you’d better start to see yourself receiving what you want. Most people hold the image of what they don’t want. I hope this doesn’t happen. If you go back to the great sufferer in the Bible, Job, he said, “Lo, the things I fear have come to pass it upon me” (Job 3:25). The fear is nothing but the thought you’ve internalized that you are giving emotion to. Fear is the next step from doubt and worry, but that’s a conscious exercise we get involved in and it turns into fear.

The Law of Receiving is the other half of The Law of Giving. Remember, give and it shall be given unto you, good measure and running over. In learning  how to give, we learn how to receive. One of my mentors taught that to me very well. He said that we should willingly give and graciously receive. You see, as we give, we open ourselves up to receive. This is all based on law. Emerson said that The Law of Cause and Effect was the “law of laws,” meaning that what you put out is what is going to come back.

We spoke about The Law of Increase—everything increases. Everything we give energy to grows. To quote Emerson again, he said the only thing that will grow is the thing that you give energy to. So The Law of Increase is a definite law and we are in control of what does increase in our life, what grows, and that is whatever we give energy to.

The Law of Compensation is another great law. You might hear someone way, “I don’t deserve this. Life isn’t fair. It hasn’t dealt me a fair deal and why are they getting all that and I’m not.” I personally think the law of compensation is very clear. It clearly states that what we receive in life is going to be in direct ratio to the need for what we do, our ability to do it, and the difficulty there is in replacing us. Realize that no one is indispensible but some people are very hard to replace. I think that if we just make up our mind we’re going to become very good at what we do, then things are going to start moving in the right direction.

We’ve got to have direction in our life, without it we’re lost.

I am reading Churchill Defiant: Fighting On: 1945–1955. He was a great man. Churchill was on the Queen Mary sailing from England to New York. It was just after the second world war and the ship was filled with veterans who were returning from battle, Canadians and Americans.

He was up on the bridge one night speaking to the troops over the loud speaker and he told them that what was going to happen in the future was now in their hands, their life was theirs and they could make out of it whatever they chose, but he suggested that they have a definite purpose that they follow.

He told about being on the bridge the night before and looking down and seeing all these massive, angry waves smacking against the ship and there were so many of them but the ship just kept on going.

He asked himself why was it that the waves could not stop the ship, even as violent as they were. He said, then he realized the ship had a purpose and the waves had no purpose. Some people live like the waves at sea and others like the ship. We’ve got to have a definite purpose and really throw ourselves into it and love what we’re doing. If we do that, we’ll be very well compensated.

The Law of Non-Resistance is another law. Whatever we resist persists. So, it’s best to just let it go. I think that is where forgiveness comes in so well. To forgive is to let go of completely.

I just mentioned forgiveness in The Law of Non-Resistance. Well, there actually is a Law of Forgiveness and it’s very clear—to forgive is to let go of completely, to abandon. Michael Beckwith, who also appeared in The Secret, said something one day in a seminar I was attending. He said, “When anything happens in our life, it doesn’t matter what it is, there is a three-step strategy to handling it. Number one: it is what it is, accept it. It doesn’t matter what it is, accept it. It’s either going to control you or you’ll control it. Number two: harvest the good. The more you look for it the more you’ll find. And, number three: forgive all the rest.

As we look at these laws and start to dig into them, we might change our thinking and say that these aren’t just cute sayings that have been passed down from one generation to the next—these are laws and they work every time for everyone. It doesn’t matter where you are. You can be in Singapore or Sault Ste Marie, you can be in Montreal, or anywhere—you’re going to get exactly what you attract, what you are. The law responds to your paradigm, not your wishes or wants.

The Law of Sacrifice is next. A lot of people, myself included, thought sacrifice was losing something or giving up something. In truth, it’s letting go of something of a lower nature to receive something of a higher nature. We’re merely making room for greater good in our life. Sacrifice is a very positive forward step and it’s something that we should all start to understand. It has nothing to do with losing something, it’s about gaining something.

The Law of Obedience is a matter of being obedient to the law. I think this is where discipline comes in. Discipline is, as I see it, giving yourself a command and then being able to follow it. As we become more obedient and live more in harmony with these laws we, of course, will experience greater rewards.

I like the way Raymond Holliwell talked about The Law of Success. He said, “God intended every individual to succeed. It is God’s purpose that man should become great. It is God’s will that man should not only use but enjoy every good in the universe. The law of God denies man nothing. We’re born to be rich. The powers inherent in him are inexhaustible. Each normal person is endowed with a complete set of faculties which, if properly developed and scientifically applied, will ensure success—ever-growing success.” You see, success can be and is an absolute law if we understand it.

So these are some ideas that I have worked with, that I’ve grown up with, and I’ve been teaching for more than forty years. I’ve seen some phenomenal results come from people attempting to apply them to their lives. I don’t know anyone who does it perfectly; I certainly don’t.

Wright

One of the questions I have goes back to The Law of Receiving. I’ve been here for a whole lot of years and it seems I never get better at it. In your opinion, why is it much easier to give than it is to receive for a lot of us?

Proctor

Well, I think we’re raised with the wrong idea as children. I don’t think our self-image or our self-esteem is properly established as a little child and unfortunately we grow up and we don’t get into it the way we should.

I know my own self-image has grown tremendously over fifty years but there is still room for improvement because I still find myself putting myself down. Our paradigms are very powerful. They’re genetic; they go back for generations. Many of the things you do, you don’t decide to do consciously. Consider some of the foods you eat—you didn’t consciously decide you liked them, it was decided by an ancient ancestor and it’s been passed along in genes; it’s genetic conditioning. If we paid attention, we would notice that some of the little idiosyncrasies we have can be found in our parents and grandparents. This genetic conditioning is so strong. It’s the same with why we don’t feel worthy of the good that we desire.

When working with Earl Nightingale, he shared something with me one time that I absolutely loved. He said that when you’re going after a goal, don’t ask whether you are worthy of it, ask whether it’s worthy of you because you’re going to trade your life for it.

So I think we’ve got to realize that all we have to do is open up and we’ll receive. Just ask and it’s given to us and it’s all here. We don’t have to get anything, it’s all here. It’s a matter of becoming aware of its presence. Nothing is created or destroyed.

I guess it’s part of the eternal journey that we’re on and we’re attempting to gain a better understanding. I believe, spiritually, that we’re perfect. I believe our spiritual DNA is perfect. I don’t think it requires any modification or any improvement. What we have to do is become aware of its perfection and the more aware we become, the more it’s reflected in our life.

Wright

Wesley said that we’re moving toward perfection, and you think we’ve reached perfection already and we just don’t know it?

Proctor

I believe we are a soul. I don’t think we have one, I think we are one. And, I believe the soul is perfect and the soul is forever seeking its awareness of its oneness with Spirit, with God, with that which is. So the perfection is there but we’re not aware of the perfection. So Wesley is right, but it’s an intellectual statement that we haven’t understood on a deep emotional level.

Intellectually, you may say, I believe I can do thus and so. I believe I can. And yet, your behavior would indicate that you don’t believe it at all. Well, that’s because we believe on two levels of consciousness—our conscious level of belief and our subconscious level (that’s where the paradigm is). Our paradigm is controlling our behavior. That’s where the word “Praxis” comes in. Praxis is the integration of belief with behavior. We’ve got to take some of these beliefs that we have created in our conscious mind through study, through paying a price, and then internalize those beliefs so that they become part of our everyday behavior.

Wright

Praxis?

Proctor

It’s a beautiful word.

Wright

You have defined Matrixx as an incubator, a place of growth. So, for the first time as a Secret teacher and renowned business mentor, you are personally providing six full days of your time in a small group setting to help people develop their ideas and business. How do you deliver this unbelievable information?

Proctor

We bring people together for six days and it’s pretty intense. The program goes from morning to night, and we help those who attend to understand that they are capable of executing a dream, an idea. If they come with an idea, we help them give birth to the idea, to execute the idea. If they attend and don’t have an idea in mind, we help them create one. We put them in brainstorming sessions and mastermind sessions and they get into the energy of creating something special. Typically, it’s a small class of 25–50 people.

They are together for six days. On the last two days, we bring in suppliers I use, some of whom I’ve dealt with for fifteen years. They are very trusted and wonderful suppliers and we have them attend to work with the participants.

We don’t pay the suppliers to come in; they come in on their own dime. We allow each supplier to give a ten-minute presentation on what they do and then we allow the participants an opportunity to set up individual appointments with a supplier, where they sit down for thirty minutes with suppliers of interest to them to discuss their idea. If there’s a good connection between the two, they set up a time to work together. We don’t make anything on the back end. We just bring them together. We’ve seen some wonderful work get done.

We help the participants better understand themselves and the creative process and how the creative process actually works. The creative process starts with a fantasy. It then moves to a theory where you mentally play with it for a while and ask yourself two questions: Am I able? Am I willing? If you can answer yes to both of these questions, then you can turn it into a goal. It’s at that point where we bring in the suppliers/experts to show them how to execute the goal and work with them. I believe the program is built on three Cs: Consciousness, Creativity, and Connections.

Wright

So you don’t just say go home and read a bunch of stuff, you actually introduce them to people who can help them.

Proctor

Oh no, it’s not just, “Here are a bunch of books, go home and read them.” We have students re-audit several times. We had one fellow, Joakim from Sweden. Joakim went back home and turned his idea into a multimillion dollar idea.

Now, he comes back as a facilitator and helps out with the class. He shares his experience with the people, what he did, how he learned it, got the idea, and got it going.

It’s a great environment and something I have a lot of fun with. I wanted to put something together where we got the participants to take action on their idea before they left the class. So it’s a special environment.

Wright

I can almost imagine some of the suppliers who might even come for some of the guests you have coming and mentors, as it were, in the future.

Proctor

Absolutely. It’s an environment where you make great connections and learn some great information. If you’re going to execute a big idea, you’re going to want to be associating with other thinkers who are moving in the same direction as yourself. We have a tendency to be attracted to people who are much like ourselves. And, if we don’t begin moving ahead, start thinking differently and hang around people who think differently, we’ll probably stay where we are, or worse, fall back. The paradigm always wants to hold us back.

Wright

This has been such an exciting conversation. Do you mind if I ask you one more question?

Proctor

Anything at all, David.

Wright

One of my mentors many years ago told me that if I were ever walking down a country road and saw a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, I could bet he didn’t get up there by himself. I’m just wondering who are some of the people in your background, going all the way back, who have made you the person you are?

Proctor

I love that. Well, Ray Stanford was my first mentor. He’s gone now. In fact, they’re all gone now. Ray Stanford was the person who introduced me to Think and Grow Rich and I really owe so much to him because he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and I believed in his belief in me, because I didn’t believe in me.

Then Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant. I went and worked with them and spent five years working with them. It was such a rich, rewarding experience just being around them and they were so different—they were as different as night and day in their personalities. Lloyd was a great businessman; Earl was a great philosopher, teacher, visionary. So I learned so much from both of them. I worked at their side for five years.

I was introduced to Nightingale Conant and then Val Van de Wall from Western Canada and he, in turn, introduced me to Dr. C. Harry Roder. Val and Harry were the two men who taught me about the mind. In fact, there is a psychiatrist I worked with in Florida, Dr. John Mike, and he said I taught him more about the mind in a year than he had learned in four years of medical school and five years of psychiatric training. When he said that, I thought, “Wow, what I taught him was simply what Van de Wall and Dr. Roder taught me.” They were absolutely brilliant and they took the complex subject of the mind and reduced it to something that was really simple for me to understand.

I think my effectiveness as a teacher and communicator of this type of information is largely due to the fact that I have had great teachers who communicated to me in a very simple way. I read one time where John Kennedy said he prepared his speeches so a ten-year-old could understand them; I thought, “Wow, what great advice.” That’s probably the way I communicate the information because that’s the way I received it.

Last but not least, my sixth mentor was Bill Gove. Bill Gove was the Frank Sinatra of public speaking. He was the greatest guy in the world. I was very shy but I had studied so diligently. I had such a desire to teach the material I’d learned, but I was too afraid to raise my hand to ask a question, let alone stand up in front of a crowd and speak. I remember going to hear him speak. I was in the back of the room. We were at the O’Hare Hyatt and it would have been around 1968. He was on stage and he held up his hand. He was looking out into the audience with about a thousand people in front of him. He said, “If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me. Not the me you think I should be, not the me I think my wife wants me to be, not the me I think my kids think I should be. If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me.” And, then he said, “But I’d better know who me is.” I was watching him and thinking my goodness he is so good at this. I thought, if only I could do that.

Now, on Earl Nightingale’s Attitude recording from the “Lead the Field,” there is a part where he says, “Now right here we come to a rather strange fact. We tend to minimize the things we can do, the goals we can reach, and for some equally strange reason we think other people can do things we cannot.

Understand that’s not true. You have deep reservoirs of talent and ability in you.” If you had asked me whether or not I understood that, I would have said of course I understand it. After all, I must have listened to that a thousand times. But here I was at the back of the room and I’m thinking, “If only I could do that,” and at that moment, Earl’s recording started to play in my head, “Now right we come to a rather . . .” and I thought, “That’s exactly what Earl meant.” I made up my mind that I wasn’t only get to know Bill Gove, I was going to get him to teach me what he was doing.

Bill and I were great friends for a long time, right up until he passed away. I think the last time he spoke was at an event that my company had invited him as guest speaker in Florida. It was late September and I think Bill passed away around the twelfth of December. If he had lived to January, he would have been ninety. Fortunately, we had the event professionally filmed and we’ve got his last public appearances on film. It was just weeks after that he passed away and I thought, “Wow, that footage is worth something.” So I gave it to Bill’s business partner, Steve Siebold, and Bill’s wife, Ada. He was such a phenonomenal speaker; I loved him so much. I miss him.

Wright

He was absolutely my favorite speaker, and that is saying a lot.

This has been a pleasure for me. It has been such an interesting conversation and I know the readers of this chapter are going to get a tremendous amount of information from it. I also hope they’ll follow up on what they learn.

Proctor

David, it’s been my pleasure, I have enjoyed chatting with you.

Wright

Today I have been talking with Bob Proctor. Bob is widely regarded as one of the living masters and teachers of the Law of Attraction and has worked in the area of mind potential for more than forty years. He is the bestselling author of You Were Born Rich and has transformed the lives of millions through his books, seminars, courses, and personal coaching.

Bob, thank you so much for being with us today on Take Action Now.

Proctor

My pleasure, David. Thank you for having me.

About the Author

Bob Proctor, was featured in the blockbuster hit, The Secret. Bob is widely regarded as one of the leading masters and teachers of the Law of Attraction and has worked in the area of mind potential for more than forty years. He is the best-selling author of You Were Born Rich and has transformed the lives of millions through his books, seminars, courses, and personal coaching. He is a direct link to the modern science of success, stretching back to Andrew Carnegie the great financier and philanthropist. Carnegie’s secrets inspired and enthused Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, which in turn inspired a whole genre of success philosophy books. Napoleon passed the baton on to Earl Nightingale who has since placed it in Bob Proctor’s capable hands.

Bob’s wide-ranging work with businesses and industries around the world extends far beyond the pep syndrome. Instead, it encompasses working with business entities and individuals to develop strategies that will assist individuals at all levels to grow, improve, and adapt to the ever-changing nature of today’s world. His company, LifeSuccess Productions, is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and operates globally.

Bob Proctor

LifeSuccess Productions

8900 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite D-240

Scottsdale, AZ 85255

800-871-9715

customerservice@bobproctor.com

www.bobproctor.com

Chapter Three

The Interview

Maria Nemeth

David Wright (Wright)

Today I’m talking with Maria Nemeth, PhD. Dr. Nemeth is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Master Certified Coach, and an internationally recognized speaker, author, and seminar leader. She is Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Coaching Excellence. For more than twenty years, Dr.

Nemeth has trained professional individuals using the coaching methods and skills that she has designed.

The core principles are an outgrowth of her extensive background as a clinical psychologist. Dr. Nemeth has served as a professor in the University of California system, as well as a Director of Clinical Programs, assisting alcohol and substance abuse clients. She has authored articles and three successful books including the Energy of Money, for which she was featured on Oprah. In addition to her overseeing the academy, Dr. Nemeth presents at conferences and organizations worldwide.

Dr. Nemeth, welcome to Take Action Now!

Maria Nemeth (Nemeth)

Thank you very much, and please call me Maria.

Wright

Thank you so much.

Let’s get real about success. So many people talk about how to achieve, thrive, and grow. Why are we so interested in being successful; what’s that all about?

Nemeth

Well, David, it’s a part of the human spirit to want to grow and achieve and develop. It’s in everybody. You might even say it’s a part of our DNA as human beings. We are gifted with the ability to have vision and dreams and desires. We naturally want to take those and do something with them in physical reality. So everyone wants to be successful.

What I just said is true, no matter who we are or where we live. Once people get their very basic needs taken care of, they naturally begin to look at how to grow their lives and how to take care of their families in a more prosperous way.

For real proof of this, look at Kiva. Kiva is an organization that leverages the Internet to let people lend as little as $25 to help create financial stability around the world. Because of this, others can open small businesses, and they see their dreams funded and their vision fulfilled. So this desire for success is in all of us. Incidentally, the repayment rate for these microloans exceeds 99 percent!

Wright

I’ve asked this question of literally thousands of people down through the years. The answer is always very interesting and I always learn a lot. What is your definition of success?

Nemeth

My definition of success, David, is one that might sound strange when I say it, so I’ll say it a couple of times and then I can explain what I mean if you’d like.

Success is doing what you said you would do, consistently, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace. I’ll repeat that: success is doing what you said you would do, consistently, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace.

I repeat this definition because it’s different than our usual way of looking at success. We have this notion that success means you have to run yourself to the ground, you have to burn out, you have to burn the candle at both ends—all those metaphors apply here. We think that people have to struggle in order to become successful. They think they have to beat out the competition.

I’ve interviewed and coached many successful people. They do work hard. But they don’t struggle. They take action that’s effective. They are interested in the quality of the action they take, not just the quantity. They want elegance. They are looking to be masterful at what they do. They don’t want to lead lives that are driven by unnecessary action. They want to collaborate, not compete. And because of this, they are not struggling at all!

I’ll define the four qualities of success: clarity, focus, ease, and grace. By clarity I mean becoming clear about, or aware of, what’s really important to you. It means not becoming distracted by so many different ideas that you don’t take much action on any of them. If you do become distracted, you’ll waste your energy. You won’t get anywhere. You won’t see what has real meaning and substance for you. That’s a recipe for frustration.

By focus I mean learning to focus your attention and your energy on whatever is important. There are six kinds of energy that I’ve seen people use over the years to attain their goals. There is the energy of money (the title of one of the books I wrote). Then there is the energy of time. Time and money are so interconnected for us. For example, we all know that one of the reasons people say they didn’t achieve their goals and dreams in life is the following: “I didn’t have the money or the time to do it.” I’m sure you’ve heard that plenty of times yourself.

The third form of energy is the energy of physical vitality, and that means having a relationship with your body that ensures you stay around long enough to do what you’ve come here to do in life. We are meant to have a partnership with our body rather than an adversarial relationship. Therefore we want to take care of this precious friend that allows us to play in physical reality.

The next form of energy is the energy of creativity. You can look at it this way: we all know that when we allow ourselves to take a deep breath and step back from a problem, a difficulty, or an obstacle that we begin to experience a kind of creative energy. Creative thoughts begin to come through. We all have the means within us to overcome just about any obstacle, if we allow that creative energy to flow.

The next energy is enjoyment. By that I mean being able to savor what we’re doing in the moment—to allow ourselves to be present to enjoy rather than consume our lives. I can speak for five hours about that one, David. For now I’ll just say that I’ve discovered that the main difference between people who are naturally slender and people who have difficulties with their weight is that people who are slender tend to enjoy their food. People who need to lose weight tend to consume their food. They “wolf” it down!

Then finally the energy of relationship, which is about allowing oneself to be in a network or community where everyone is both giving and receiving support. This could be a mastermind group or a professional organization.

People who are successful know they cannot accomplish what they want by doing it alone.

So, when we focus these energies, we begin to create and attain the goals that warm our hearts and nourish our spirits.

Now let’s look at “ease.” Being successful with ease in your life is about learning how to take small, sweet steps in the direction of your goals. We all have heard that saying: the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. People who are very successful in life know that you don’t jump in and do a lot and wear yourself out, but that you can begin with small, effective, efficient action. This means taking action that will get you somewhere, not action that is driven and aimless.

Finally, grace is about becoming grateful for what you have right now—for where you are right now. The definition of “grace” is that it is an unearned blessing. The experience of grace is reached by cultivating our ability to be grateful. This is the ability to find something for which to be grateful in each and every moment. This ability is very powerful. When we are grateful, it opens our heart to see the blessings that are around us. And when we do, we immediately experience grace in our hearts.

So clarity, focus, ease, and grace point the way to a life that is fulfilled and satisfied, rather than a life that is frustrated and experienced with a sense of resignation.

That’s a long-winded way of talking about this very important topic. I hope I’m making sense.

Wright

Absolutely.

You talk about “busy-holism.” Is being busy the same thing as being successful?

Nemeth

No it isn’t. The successful life is not necessarily the busy life. Busy-holism consists of cramming our lives with so much activity that when we put our heads down on our pillow at the end of the day we say to ourselves, “I know I did lots of things today, but what did I really accomplish that really got me somewhere? Did I move ahead toward any of my goals?”

I’ve studied busy-holism for years. Research on multitasking—trying to do too many things at once—has been done revealing that the brain literally begins to become less and less efficient the more things you try to do at once. You lose focus and energy. You get tired. Those are some of the symptoms of busy- holism. This shows up most clearly when we see people driving cars, talking on the phone, and eating their lunch all at once. It is a formula for a car accident. And indigestion!

Wright

Why is it so hard for people to go for a goal, even if it is one that they truly desire?

Nemeth

One of the reasons it’s hard to go for goals is because many of us don’t know the rules of the “playing field” upon which goals exist.

Let me explain. You could say that there are two domains of reality that we’ve come here to work with in our lives. One is the domain of visionary reality, where we have all our ideas and dreams and desires. These are the things that are important to us—things we want to do something about. It is extremely exciting to be in this domain. For example, I could start talking with you right now, David, about ideas I have, personally or for my business. I could talk about the places I want to travel, and the wonderful people I want to meet. You could become excited for me just listening to it all. I could probably talk forever about my ideas, and congratulate myself on what a brilliant “visionary” I am. But the truth is, everyone has ideas. Everyone is a visionary. As I said before, it’s in our DNA.

But when we actually try to put our ideas into action, we go into a domain called physical reality and in physical reality the energy is configured differently. For example, whatever we want to do in physical reality takes energy. Remember the six forms of energy I mentioned earlier? It’s that kind of energy. In fact, it takes more of that energy to begin a project than we think it will take—about ten times more. That’s true whether you want to learn a new language, open a coaching practice, write a book—everything demands lots of energy in the beginning. Like a rocket ship in liftoff that burns 90 percent of its fuel in the first three and a half minutes.

In addition, in physical reality things are always changing. For example: those of us who have developed countless business plans and critical paths know that one of the things that happens is you have your idea of how you want your business to look and grow and go. But then changes happen in physical reality—things don’t turn out the way you planned. Ever. And this is neither good nor bad. It is just what happens.

Finally, not only do things change in physical reality but change is unpredictable. You can’t forecast specifically in which direction the change will occur. I wish we could, but just like we can’t predict the weather more than a couple days out, we can’t predict how our lives or how our businesses are going to turn out, two, three even four months down the line. Because of this we have to become very resilient.

Energy, changing landscapes, and unpredictability are the three elements of any exciting game. Look at tennis, football, golf—almost any game we play. It’s all about expending energy, and dealing with change and unpredictability. That’s what captures our attention. That’s what we enjoy in a game. Why do we think our own lives are different and that we shouldn’t have this happen to us in everyday reality?

All of these conditions create what I call “Trouble at the Border.” When you take an idea from visionary reality and you begin to put it into physical reality, you hit the border. Once there, not only does it take ten times more energy, but it activates a part of our brain called the amygdala—the seat of fight, flight, or freeze. It’s the part of the brain that looks for everything that could go wrong and everything that could be dangerous.

Once activated, we begin hearing some self-limiting, internal conversations such as: “I would turn back if I were you. This is a bad idea. Whoever said you were a good businessperson?” We all have some form of that internal conversation. The Buddhists call it “monkey mind.” It stands for that aspect of the mind that is always chattering at us as it swings from doubt to worry, and back to doubt again. We all experience it as we cross the border from visionary to physical reality.

There are actually things you can do to mitigate some of the stress. But just seeing that everyone has this trouble at the border experience is comforting. You know you’re not alone.

Wright

You say that self-limiting, internal dialogues are normal. Would you tell our readers what you mean?

Nemeth

I will. The presence of monkey mind can be a sign to you that you’re doing something right, not something wrong. You are going outside of your usual comfort zone. There is nothing wrong with you, your idea, your goal, or your dream. You are doing something new, and that’s why the brain says, “Don’t do it.” Everyone goes through this point. You don’t have to fight it. You don’t have to analyze it. You don’t have to do anything with it. You don’t even have to try and make it go away.

However, there are things you can do in the midst of monkey mind. That’s what a lot of my work is about. I show people how to simply observe the monkey mind chatter, tell the truth about it, and then shift the focus of their attention to something more interesting.

Let me illustrate with a story. They interviewed that wonderful comedian George Burns, who lived to be ninety-nine years old. I think he was probably eighty-nine or ninety when they asked him this question. They asked him, “What’s it like for you to go on stage? You’ve been doing this for most of your life.” He said that at the beginning of each performance it’s terrible. Right before he goes on stage he gets nervous. See? That’s that monkey mind.

However, he said that the moment he gets on stage and puts his attention on the people who are there, it goes away. He begins to do what he loves to do. He becomes focused on something more interesting—the opportunity to entertain people.

Now, can you imagine how deprived we would have been of George Burns’ humor all these years if he had listened to those self-limiting conversations? If he’d tried to analyze them and figure out why he was having them, all along he would be missing out on the opportunity to simply do what he came here to do best, which was bring humor into people’s lives.

Wright

So what is one of the biggest success killers and how can we get around it?

Nemeth

One of the biggest success killers is promising to do too much, especially at the beginning of a project or journey toward a goal.

A quick example here: I am privileged to work with a number of people who write books. I do a lot of coaching to help people finish their manuscripts. At the beginning of this journey—and believe me, it is a journey and an adventure—writers often want to promise to write five pages a day, sometimes even ten pages a day. However, they all know intuitively that this is too much. Being a writer, I am the same way. And when you promise too much and you don’t do what you say you’re going to do consistently, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace, you become frustrated and you could stop or give up what you’re doing.

I often have authors start by writing two paragraphs a day. I remember one client who said to me, “Maria, two paragraphs a day is nothing. We’ll never get the book written.”

“John,” I said, “trust me on this: two paragraphs a day.”

The next week when I met with him he had written two paragraphs a day, consistently.

“You know what?” he said, “It was harder than I thought.”

After another week with two paragraphs a day, he went up to a page a day. After about three weeks he went up to two pages a day, and then after another three weeks, he went up to three pages a day. We held it right there at three pages a day, because as you know, David, three pages a day equals three book manuscripts a year! He ended up completing his manuscript on time, within five months, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace.

So, number one: don’t try to take a flying leap at the border and try to get through it by promising too much. You’ll get squashed. The analogy I use for this is a bit stark, but here goes. One of the reasons that people die when they jump off a bridge into water is not because they drown. It’s because they’re hitting the water with such speed that the water becomes like concrete.

However, if you enter the water slowly you can get into it with relative ease.

It’s the same with the border experience—don’t try to cram a lot of activity at the border. Pick what is the most efficient, effective, authentic action and do that every day successfully. Focus. Start out small and looking back you’ll see that you’re crossing that border with clarity, focus, ease, and grace—and a bit of elegance because you’re not exhausted. It takes more courage to engage in small, consistent action than to make a dramatic show of huge promises that fall flat.

Wright

Is it still okay to want to be successful after the age of say sixty and if so, why?

Nemeth

A lot of people ask me that question. In my Academy for Coaching Excellence, for example, we actually have a number of Baby Boomers or people who are quickly approaching Baby Boomer age who say, “I’ve lived a lot in life and now I want to go on to something new—something that contributes to others.” They come to Academy courses and seminars in order to start a whole new career.

This yearning for success and growth can be true for people who live until the age of one hundred years old. I read a story about a woman at one hundred and four who was still painting successfully. There’s a PBS special that ran recently about the athletes who compete in the Senior Olympics. I saw one tennis player who is one hundred.

We are all born with the urge to lead a fulfilled life. And we thrive when we are thoroughly and fully engaged with what we’re doing. As a matter of fact, they’ve done some longevity research in which they studied the lives of people who lived a long time and with a great sense of well-being. They found out there were three factors that led to this kind of a long life. The second and third most important factors were diet and exercise. The most important factor was engagement. This means living in a way that is connected to what you are meant to be doing—right up to the point when you leave this life. So according to that kind of a viewpoint, sixty years old is still pretty young. You may have forty creative and productive years ahead of you!

Wright

I can remember the man who started Kentucky Fried Chicken—he was seventy-five years old at the time.

So given your definition of success, what is financial success and can you give us some real examples?

Nemeth

I’ll do my best. Given my definition of success—doing what you said what you would do consistently with clarity, focus, ease, and grace—financial success is doing what you say you’re going to do, consistently with money, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace. So by this definition you might see that it doesn’t matter how much money you have; what matters is the quality of your relationship with it.

For example, I’ve worked with people who have lots of money. But they worry about it—they worry about losing it or mismanaging it, or that people are only friends with them because they have money.

One man said to me, “I come from a well-known, wealthy family. Every time that I’m introduced to someone who asks if I belong to that family, and I say “yes,” I’m worried that it changes the whole dynamic of our relationship—that they won’t like me for me, but because I have a lot of money.”

I also remember a fifty-year-old-woman who confided to me, “Every time my children call me, I’m worried that they’re not calling me because they love me but because they want me to give them more money.”

By my definition of financial success, these people had a ways to go.

Here’s an entirely different example. Many years ago I worked with a woman who was just off welfare. Sally was starting to work in a home cleaning business.

“I want to be financially successful,” Sally said, “so I’m going to create a goal to have a financial portfolio with $600 in it by the end of one year from today. I don’t even know what a financial portfolio is’ but I want to say to people at parties, “My name is Sally and I have an investment portfolio.”

So she started saving $50 a month. She had to clean an extra house, to do it. But every time she wrote a check for $50 and put it in her investment portfolio savings account, in that moment she was demonstrating being financially successful.

It doesn’t matter how much money you have. What matters is the quality of your relationship with it.

By the end of one year Sally had $600 in an investment portfolio account and she invested it.

She had by that time learned what an investment portfolio was. I saw her about a month later and she was so excited.

“Maria, I’ve learned so much!” she said. “I thought that I had to feel better about myself before I could become financially successful. But now I see that when I do what I say I’m going to do consistently with money, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace, I’m already financially successful!”

She said she’d save $100 a month next. At the end of that second year, she had put an additional $1,200 in her investment portfolio account. I saw her again  not long after that and she didn’t look like the same woman—her posture was different, her wardrobe was better, and she had started putting herself through business school. It just started with that $50 a month. Today she has a thriving business and is talking with other people about how to be financially successful, starting now, by doing what you say you’re going to do, consistently, with money, with clarity, focus, ease, and grace. Does that make sense?

Wright

Absolutely.

Is being successful the same thing as being happy? Do we have to choose between the two or can we have both?

Nemeth

You can really have both! If you are in touch with and are clear about what’s important to you, if you’re focusing your money and your energy and your attention on attaining what’s important, if you’re doing it with ease and if you are allowing yourself to be grateful: that’s a surefire recipe for happiness.

Let me say a little more about the “grace” principle of success. I said before that gratitude is the means by which we see the hand of grace in our lives. Gratitude opens your heart up to see and appreciate what’s important in life. This sets the stage for happiness.

One practice to cultivate gratitude is this: every day, make a list of three things for which you are grateful. Do it in a notebook that you keep by your bedside. It could even be a beautiful sunset or a smile of a child or maybe an unexpected check you got in the mail. Whatever they are, write them down. Do this for thirty days and at the end of thirty days read what you wrote. You will see how your life is filled with blessings. In that moment you will experience happiness.

So absolutely—this way of seeing and practicing success will guarantee you happiness. Not that we’re going to be happy all the time, because you and I know we are not happy the moment we see an obstacle. We’re not automatically happy the moment we hear monkey mind yelling in our head. But if we are willing to shift the focus of our attention to what’s important to us and take action on that, then we begin to experience first a sense of relief and then happiness.

Wright

In your writings you talk about luminosity. Exactly what is that and can you give us some examples?

Nemeth

I can, and thank you for asking. To lead a luminous life, you must have a sense that you’re doing exactly what you’re meant to be doing, right here and right now. You are thankful that you are exactly where you are. You know you’re making a difference. You’re glad you’re living your own life and nobody else’s. You see that all is well.

I’ll give you an example of something that happened recently. A dear friend became ill and was told she had months to live. Her sweetheart called me and I went to the hospital, bringing her favorite treat. Chocolate of course! We talked and joked. I told her I loved her and crawled in her hospital bed so that her sweetheart could take a picture of the two of us. She passed away a few weeks later. But her sweetheart told me she’d kept our photograph close by. He sent a copy to me. Every time I see it, it reminds me of the last time we shared. I’m not happy about how things turned out, but I’m grateful I was there so that she could know how much I love her. I’d fulfilled one of my important “Life’s Intentions:” to be a generous friend.

I just mentioned Life’s Intentions. About twenty-five years ago I began to see that when I asked people in my seminars what they wanted to contribute to life, what they wanted to be known for, I would hear the same sorts of things. This was true no matter what age or gender or occupation or culture. There were some universal themes. I took them and, over the years, developed something I call the Life’s Intentions Inventory. I’ll give you examples: to be a generous friend, to be physically fit and healthy, to be financially successful, to be a contributor to my community, to be an adventurer, to be spiritually developing, to be well traveled, to be well educated. How do some of these sound to you, David?

Wright

Sounds great.

Nemeth

When we’re taking action in life, that’s a reflection of one or more of these Life’s Intentions, and the experience we have is of gratitude. We’re happy to be doing what we’re doing in the moment. We aren’t comparing ourselves to anybody else. We see possibility, which is to say all the yeses in life instead of the noes. And in that moment of taking that specific kind of action, we experience luminosity.

Think for a moment about this. Imagine looking back on your lifetime. You’re looking back on the path of your life. As you look back, you see that the pathway goes over hills and valleys. Now imagine that no matter how wide or narrow the path is at times, there are beautiful Chinese lanterns illuminating your path. They are the kind that shed a beautiful, golden light wherever they are. Imagine a number of them lighting your pathway all through your life. No matter where the pathway leads, each one of these lanterns represents a moment of luminosity for you—a moment that you are thrilled to remember. It is a moment in which you said, “You know what, I did here what I came to do in my lifetime.” That’s luminosity.

Wright

This is intriguing. Give another example of someone fulfilling a Life’s Intention.

Nemeth

There was Keith. An important Life’s Intention for him was to be a loving family member. By the way, you can rate these Life’s Intentions from one to five, with five being the most important.

Keith said, “This Life’s Intention of being a loving family member is a five for me.”

What he next needed was a goal that, in physical reality, would be a demonstration of his Life’s Intention. When you do this, and actually reach that goal, you’re going to experience harmony, meaning, satisfaction, fulfillment— in a word, luminosity.

“My wife has wanted to have a weekend where we could be alone, without the kids. I’m going to take her on a romantic weekend to this bed and breakfast she’s always wanted to go to. I’ve been putting this off for at least a year. I mean, what am I waiting for? We can get my Mom to babysit. She’d love it! And so would we.”

He e-mailed me afterward, that it was one of the best times that they had ever spent together. A memory to savor! So you see, when you act on your important Life’s Intentions, you create a purpose-filled life. Your life is filled with luminous moments. You’re living with clarity, focus, ease, and grace.

You are successful. Is that clear?

Wright

It’s very clear.

This has been a great conversation, I have really learned a lot. I guess we mentally apply things we hear and I really appreciate you telling me personally without intending to. I’ve been busy and I’ve done a lot of things, but it’s what I have accomplished and what has moved me ahead is what’s important. What a great thought.

Nemeth

I think we teach what we need to learn, and given my energy, I have to turn to these principles again and again myself in my own life when I meet up with challenges and obstacles. It’s really all a learning ground for us, isn’t it, David? The minute any of us say we’ve arrived at the perfect pinnacle, as they used to say in the old Laugh-In television program, the fickle finger of fate tells us otherwise.

Wright

I really appreciate your taking this time with me to answer all these questions. It has been delightful meeting you on the telephone here today. I’m serious—I did learn a lot and I think our readers are going to get a tremendous amount of advice and good direction from this conversation.

Nemeth

Thank you, David. To tell you the truth, it’s an honor for me to be talking with you. I have so admired you and your work. When I heard that you wanted to speak with me, it was a real thrill.

Wright

Today we have been talking to Maria Nemeth PhD. Dr. Nemeth is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Master Certified Coach, speaker, author, and seminar leader. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy for Coaching Excellence. In addition to her overseeing the academy, she also presents at conferences and organizations worldwide and I can see why they would want her. Maria, thank you so much for being with us on Take Action Now.

Nemeth

Thank you, David.

About the Author

Maria Nemeth, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Master Certified Coach. She is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and seminar leader, and is the founder and Director of the Academy for Coaching Excellence in Sacramento, California. For more than twenty years, Dr. Nemeth has trained professionals and private individuals using the coaching methods and skills that she has designed. Her courses and workshops have been taken by thousands of people who report significant changes in their lives as a result of her teachings.

The principles Dr. Nemeth teaches are based on more than thirty years of tested personal research, developing and leading hundreds of successful seminars and workshops with state and federal agencies, in corporate settings, and coaching and counseling individuals. She has served as a professor in the University of California system, as well as a director of clinical programs assisting alcohol and substance abuse clients.

Dr. Nemeth has authored articles and three successful books, including the Energy of Money for which she was featured on Oprah. Maria’s writing works to bring about powerful results and make significant, lasting contributions. Her newest book, Mastering Life’s Energies, is written with the intent to make these principles widely available. Her work emphasizes clear communication and empowers people to take authentic action to produce extraordinary outcomes.

Maria Nemeth, PhD, MCC

Academy for Coaching Excellence

1900 Point West Way, Suite 122

916-569-0779

Maria@MariaNemeth.com

MNemeth@acecoachtraining.com

www.MariaNemeth.com

www.acecoachtraining.com