Tag: est
Non-Guru Tony Robbins
Three times.
That’s how many times I’ve watched the Netflix documentary, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, which was released on July 15, only days ago.
I’m in the movie The Secret and I haven’t watched that film three times in ten years.
Watch spellbinding Tony Robbins Film
So why am I so captivated with this film about Tony?
It’s raw but real.
Hard-hitting but healing.
Profane but profound.
I found myself crying throughout it.
I found myself having internal breakthroughs just watching it.
I found myself relating to Tony’s inspired approach to change.
The film captures Tony’s closed-door week-long event called Date with Destiny.
In some ways the event reminded me of the old Werner Erhard est program, and to today’s Landmark Forum.
This film puts you in Tony’s secret space, much like Luke Rhinehart’s The Book of est puts you in an est event.
In both cases, you can safely observe the sometimes rollicking emotions people experience.
And in both cases, you can experience transformation just by going for the ride.
All you have to do is pay attention and feel.
Oh, there are holes in the movie.
Tony says change happens in a moment.
Yet later in the film, when he’s asked how he changed, he says there was no one moment.
Tony comes across as the trigger for change and not any method or principle.
Yet if Tony is needed for change, then methods don’t exist; there is no method. It’s him.
But I’m not a critic of the film; I’m a fan.
That’s why I’ve seen it three times – so far.
I let any holes or inconsistencies slide by as I focus on the good in the movie, the breakthroughs, the insights, the energy, the sharing – all of which act as a catalyst to awaken viewers who aren’t even physically in the seminar room with the giant king gorilla.
This makes the film itself a tool for transformation.
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore told Joe Berlinger (the director of this film on Tony), “I believe it will actually save lives.”
I believe it, too.
A few more reasons why I love the film –
Tony goes past the little problems people offer and goes deeper, to the operating system under what they present.
When a 19 year old says her problem is her diet, Tony digs deeper to discover her issue is with her father, not her diet.
The movie helps prove why we all need coaching; without a trained person’s objective feedback, we will continue to blame our problems on others or on little things and entirely miss the big hidden operating system below our conscious awareness.
And I love statements such as, “You know what your biggest problem is? Thinking you shouldn’t have any.”
Tony goes on to explain that problems are gifts.
I don’t know Tony personally — we spoke at the same event in Chicago years ago, but hours apart, so we have yet to meet* — and I get nothing for endorsing this film from him or the director or anyone else.
But I urge you to watch it and let it stir your soul.
See https://www.netflix.com/title/80102204
Expect Miracles.
Ao Akua,
PS – My own television show, all fourteen episodes, is edited and in the hands of Amazon. Stay tuned for details. Meanwhile, go watch the film about Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru. It’s stirring, soulful and spellbinding.
* You can read about the event where I spoke on the same stage as Tony, Trump, and others at http://blog.mrfire.com/a-tony-robbins-first/
Member BBB 2003 - 2016
The Most Loving Man
At the risk of turning this blog into an obituary column, I have to again pay homage to another friend who just passed away.
I’m in tears as I write this.
Morty Lefkoe was the most loving man I’ve ever met.
I met him at my first TLC (Transformational Leadership Council) meeting many years ago.
We instantly connected, talking about beliefs, books, personal change and more.
Loving Morty Lefkoe
Morty had been deeply involved and influenced by est, the controversial seminar back in the 1970s.
He was friends with the founder, Werner Erhard (who was best man at Morty’s wedding), and handled the celebrity department as est grew.
He also personally studied with Ayn Rand, the author of staggering bestselling classics of literature, such as Atlas Shrugged.
Morty attended her private classes, once had a collection of her books, all signed (that today would be worth $20,000 each), and became personal friends with Rand.
He used to tell me stories about Erhard and Rand, that both fascinated and enlightened me.
I couldn’t help but think that Morty soaked up the wisdom of the giants.
Morty Lefkoe
But Morty never stopped learning or growing.
He developed his own system for change, called it the Lefkoe Method, and went on to use it to help tens of thousands of people, including me.
He wrote a book about it, too.
Morty's outstanding book
I love his book and suggest you read it.
When Morty and I would meet in person, we’d explore our thoughts about life and change, always wanting to learn from each other.
One time he asked me to write a blog post about the Law of Attraction.
He said he would write one, too.
We would then post them and then see what we each thought.
It was a great idea, and helped our readers, as well as both of us.*
Shelly and Nerissa with Morty and me
When our wives went clothes shopping, Morty and I went book shopping.
When everyone else talked about the news of the day, Morty and I talked about what really works in personal transformation.
He treated me with love and respect, and often felt like an unconditionally loving uncle, encouraging me, listening to me, and loving me.
The last time I saw him, a few months ago, he was in the hospital.
His spirits were good.
He smiled big, asked about my life and projects, and showed no signs that he was unhappy.
He wasn’t.
He talked about projects he was working on, and excited about.
He acted like he was not going to leave us.
But he did.
He passed away yesterday, on November 11, 2015.
I’ll never forget him.
He was the most loving man I ever met.
I love you, Morty.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – Morty’s thoughts are worth digging into on his blog at http://www.mortylefkoe.com and in his book. *You’ll find the blog he wrote on the Law of Attraction, with a link to the one I wrote about LOA, at http://www.mortylefkoe.com/joe-vitale-discuss-law/
Member BBB 2003 - 2016
Best Books Ever
A dear friend asked me to create a list of recommended current books to read. I loved doing it. He looked at that list and said he hadn’t read any of them, and had only heard of one of them. With that in mind, I thought you might like to see the list. Here you go…
Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Incredibly terrific. It’s “Fantastic!”
http://www.amazon.com/Total-Recall-Unbelievably-True-Story/dp/1451662440/
The Walk by Philippe Petit. Riveting. Unique. Made me hyperventilate.
http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Philippe-Petit/dp/163450500X
I, Mammal by Loretta Breuning. Enlightening. Read all of her books.
http://www.amazon.com/Mammal-Brain-Links-Status-Happiness/dp/1941959008/
The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth. Fun, funny, flippant. It will spin your writing into a spell generator. (“Spell” as in “I’ll put a spell on you!”)
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/
The Book of est by Luke Rhinehart. Hypnotic. Loved it so much I published it. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Est-Luke-Rhinehart/dp/0557306159/
Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder by Samuel Wilson Fussell. Wise, well written and deeply revealing.
http://www.amazon.com/Muscle-Confessions-Samuel-Wilson-Fussell-ebook/dp/B00TGJJ12O/
Making the American Body by Jonathan Black. Entertaining.
http://www.amazon.com/Making-American-Body-Remarkable-Passions/dp/0803243707/
Mark Twain: Man in White by Michael Shelden. Love Twain.
http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Twain-Adventure-Hardcover-January/dp/B010EWNKVE?
The Shack by William Young. Novel.
http://www.amazon.com/Shack-William-P-Young/dp/0964729245/
Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang. Hilarious and empowering.
http://www.amazon.com/Rejection-Proof-Became-Invincible-Through/dp/080414138X/
The Power of Neuroplasticity by Shad Helmstetter. Simple yet beautiful.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Neuroplasticity-Shad-Helmstetter-Ph-D/dp/1499794606/
Lincoln: Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan. Love Lincoln.
http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Biography-Writer-Fred-Kaplan/dp/0060773340/
Thomas Jefferson: Art of Power by Jon Meacham. Fascinating.
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jefferson-Power-Jon-Meacham/dp/0812979486/
Bill Veeck by Paul Dickson. The Barnum of baseball.
http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Veeck-Baseballs-Greatest-Maverick/dp/0802778305/
Chronicles by Bob Dylan. Reads like a folk song with Dylan style.
http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Bob-Dylan/dp/0743244583/
The Most Contented Man by Joseph J. Vitale. My Dad. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Most-Contented-Man-Autobiography-Joseph/dp/1512287253/
Stuntman! By Hal Needham. Lively read.
http://www.amazon.com/Stuntman-Car-Crashing-Plane-Jumping-Bone-Breaking-Death-Defying/dp/0316078999/
The Einstein of Money by Joe Carlen. Insightful.
http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Money-Timeless-Financial-Benjamin/dp/1616145579/
Not Impossible by Mick Ebeling. Inspiring.
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Impossible-Doing-What-Couldnt/dp/1476782806/
The Power of Impossible Thinking by Yoram and Cook. Life changing.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Impossible-Thinking-Transform-Business/dp/0131877283/
The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein by Ed Spielman. Astonishing.
http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Journey-Joseph-L-Greenstein/dp/1885440308/
And any book by Joe Vitale... 🙂
Ao Akua,
PS – I love books. Feel free to leave a comment telling me about your own favorites.
Member BBB 2003 - 2015
The GreatEST Self-Help Book EVER
The book I regard as the greatest self-help book ever — and the most hypnotically written one — is now available as an e-book for only $7.99 — but only for the next few days. Go here to get it: http://www.thebookofest.com
Here’s why you need to go get it right now–
There are only a handful of books that have dramatically influenced my life.
There’s The Magic of Believing and The Robert Collier Letter Book.
But number one on the list is one you may never have heard of before: The Book of est.
Here are two reasons why I love the book:
GreatEST Book EVER
First —
The book is the famous “est” experience in written form. est, or Erhard Seminar Training, was the controversial self-help movement of the 1970s.
It was intense.
Anyone who withstood the heat of the weekends was never the same again. Lives were transformed forever. You faced yourself and your story in a way that was confrontational and oh so real.
I never got to do est. I was a skeptic and a hold out. I made fun of it when I saw all the articles about it.
Truth is, I was afraid of it.
I was young and in college and unsure of everything, including myself. By the time I got around to wanting to experience est, it was gone and reincarnated into something called The Forum. I did the Forum and endorse it today. But it’s no est.
The Book of est puts you into the seminar room and gets you to feel the intensity.
You experience est.
And it’s hot.
When my late wife began to type up the book in 2004 to be republished by me and a friend, she had to keep stopping.
She said it was intense and dramatic. She died during the transcription process. But that had nothing to do with the book. It had more to do with her choices and what the book urged her to face.
Obviously, a book isn’t a drill sergeant self-help instructor yelling in your face about what isn’t working in your life.
But The Book of est comes close.
It’s safe.
It’s easy reading.
But it’s still real.
Oh so very real.
Just reading it can cause you to awaken to your own patterns. And once you see them, you can let them go.
Or not.
After all, what you get from the book is what you get.
But that’s only the first reason I love The Book of est.
Second —
The other reason I love this book is because the writing is, well, hypnotic.
It’s riveting.
Luke Rhinehart has the gift of writing dialogue and description that puts you in the seminar room with the characters experiencing est.
You FEEL it.
You are THERE.
In many ways, this was one of the first examples I ever found of what I eventually labeled as Hypnotic Writing.
While I later wrote a book called Hypnotic Writing, it was Luke Rhinehart who paved the way for me to know what it was when a true master was at work.
For me, this is one of the best written books of all time.
The author wrote some other cult classics, too. The Dice Man is a masterpiece. It’s well written, engaging, humorous, and in some ways dangerous. Just like The Book of est. But where The Dice Man is alive and well in print, The Book of est has been gone for decades.
Search on eBay or Amazon and you might find original hardcover copies going for one hundred dollars on up to a thousand dollars. I’ve paid that much for first editions, too. I collect them.
The Book of est is one of the rare life changing gems that I can’t get enough of or read enough times.
Sometimes I give the book away. Usually I don’t. I just keep it for myself, as one of the most powerful books of all time kept hidden in my own secret vault of wisdom.
The good news for you is this: Luke is now a friend of mine. We’ve corresponded, shared books, and decided to join a partnership. With the help of a mutual friend, the most powerful self-help book of all time — and the most hypnotically written one — is now available to you.
And right now, the investment to get the e-book version has been cut to only $7.99 — but only for the next few days.
All you have to do is go here right now to grab it as an instant downloadable e-book — http://www.thebookofest.com
Go get it.
I dare you.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – est was all about being real. The Book of est will challenge you as never before. How? And why is it the greatest self-help book of all time? How is it hypnotically written? Go see for yourself at — http://www.thebookofest.com
Note: If you prefer a printed copy of the book, we also made it available in paperback. Just go to Amazon to order it.
Member BBB 2003 - 2013
Secret Meeting Reveals Truth About Law of Attraction
“Can I ask you a few questions about your take on the Law of Attraction?”
I was sitting in the living room of the home of Morty Lefkoe, author, speaker, belief therapist. Morty is probably the most loving man I’ve ever met. He exudes unconditional acceptance. He radiates love. If we needed to find a living Buddha, I’d offer Morty.
He’s also brilliant. After working with and for Werner Erhard during the est days, and studying directly with Ayn Rand (author of Atlas Shrugged), he went beyond them and created his own method for exploring and releasing limiting beliefs. I know his method works. I’ve had sessions with Morty off and on for more than four years.
The Great Morty Lefkoe
But this time I’m in his San Francisco area home, talking about whatever comes up. I find it fascinating. I wish it had all been recorded. Morty’s stories about Werner Erhard (who was best man at Morty’s wedding and developed The Hunger Project with him), and of Objectivism creator and controversial novelist Ayn Rand (who wore dollar sign jewelry and smoked cigarettes with dollar sign labels) were riveting.
But now Morty wants to know what I really think about the Law of Attraction.
“The law is real but it’s misunderstood,” I begin. “Most people have a superficial understanding of it. Most everyone thinks if they sit and visualize what they want, that it will just happen. That’s wrong. That’s magical thinking. If you have any unconscious beliefs about what you want, those unconscious beliefs will cancel your conscious visualizing. You have to get clear of your mental interference before you can attract what you focus on.”
In other words, you attract what you un-consciously believe, not what you consciously state. The Law of Attraction matches your inner expectations.
For example, if you state you want to attract money, but unconsciously feel money isn’t spiritual or you don’t deserve good things, you will not see the money ideas around you. Your blinders will prevent it. You’ll then say the Law of Attraction doesn’t work. But it is working. You’re getting what you really believe. You have to get clear of those limiting unseen beliefs first.
That made sense to Morty. He’s worked with tens of thousands of people. When they finally see the beliefs that had been operating unknown to them, they can now see opportunities that were there all along. Now attracting what they want becomes easier.
But Morty had another question.
“What about the people who say you just think it and you don’t have to do anything, that it will just appear?”
“That’s simply not true,” I reply. “I do believe that when you state an intention and you are clear of any counter intentions, that the universe seems to rearrange itself to help you attract your intention. But things don’t just appear out of nowhere. Life is a co-creation. You usually have to do something. Action is crucial. Believing you just think it and it appears is a form of self delusion and self sabotage.”
“The common idea that human beings are born to suffer is nonsense. It is possible to fully acknowledge your pain and suffering, and then get rid of it in moments. How? Identify the meaning you are giving events that is causing the pain and suffering, and then dissolve the meaning, thereby dissolving the pain and suffering.” – Morty Lefkoe
Again, Morty agreed. He went on to say that he used to think the Law of Attraction was hogwash. Today he feels that you can “attract” things by allowing your mind to see opportunities and then acting on them. The more you remove any limiting beliefs that filter out what you see, the more you can see the opportunities that were probably there all along.
Still, action is needed. I said people take action or not based on their beliefs. Beliefs create reality. If people don’t have hope or faith, they won’t take action. Why would they, if they felt it wasn’t going to work out? But if they clear their doubt, their action will be natural and virtually effortless.
Morty also wanted to know what I thought about Rhonda Byrne’s statement that she never promoted her famous movie, The Secret. She simply “thought it” into success.
“I love Rhonda,” I say, and I truly do. “But she’s overlooking all the marketing she did without knowing or admitting she was doing it. For example, she had two dozen experts in her film. Almost all of them have mailing lists. I know I was the very first to promote the movie to my list. Rhonda may not have done that marketing, but she put me in that movie, and I did that marketing for her. I would never have sent my email out to promote her movie had she not told me to do so.”
Morty and I spoke a lot longer. I wish I could share it all with you. Before his beautiful wife offered us dinner, we agreed to each write a blog post about our conversation. This is mine. I haven’t seen his yet, and he hasn’t seen mine, as we are posting our articles on the same day. (This ought to be interesting.)
You can read his at http://www.mortylefkoe.com or by clicking right here.
Ao Akua,
joe
PS – Imagine money coming to you easily…Imagine buying what you want for yourself and others…Imagine helping family, friends and causes you believe in…Imagine looking at your bank account and seeing a LOT of money there…and you’re beaming with joy and feeling happy and secure…Now make it all a reality right now by going to — http://www.moneyvibrationaudio.com/
Member BBB 2003 - 2012
