Dr. Joe Vitale’s Blog

I spoke to a sold-out crowd and got a standing ovation here at the AWAI convention in DelRay Beach, Florida.

My message was about following your passion. It was well received but more than a few people came up to me later and asked the same question:

“What if I don’t know my passion?”

I’ve heard it before, of course. I usually tell people what self-help legend Dr. Robert Anthony (author of Beyond Positive Thinking) told me he says when he gets the same question:

“You’re lying,” he says. “You know what you want to do. You’re just afraid to admit it.”

Most of us don’t admit our passion because then we have to take responsibility for not pursuing it.

Being ruthlessly honest with yourself can help uncover your passion.

But what about those people who really don’t seem to know what they love to do?

How do you help them discover their passion?

I often suggest they pretend they inherited a great deal of money or won the lotto.

After you go on a spending spree, buy toys and cars, and travel around the world, what will you do?

Your answer is a clue to your passion.

I told this to one man at the conference while famous copywriter Bob Bly (author of over 70 books and a long time mentor to me) stood beside us and overheard the whole conversation.

The man said he loved gardening but didn’t see how he could make it a “profitable passion.”

I pointed out that he probably knows things about gardening that other gardeners didn’t know; that if he created a product for them, he would make money from what he loves to do.

The man dismissed the idea, saying he didn’t know more than other gardeners.

Bob Bly jumped in, saying he probably knew more than other new gardeners, and that they are his market.

“Forget trying to reach the veteran gardeners,” Bob explained. “That’s not your market. Go after the newbie gardeners.”

This is the same approach Pat O’Bryan has taken.

As he learns marketing, he turns and teaches it to the newbies behind him in class. He’s making money from his passion.

Anyone can do this.

Even you.

You may need some coaching.

You may need a class on the subject: www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=1638181

You may need to attend a live event like Pat’s next Un-Seminar www.patobryan.com/unseminar4.htm?a_aid=16d36c70&a_bid=7f41a5e1  

Or, maybe all you need is this blog post.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS — What would you do if money wasn’t a concern at all? (Be honest.)

These seven pictures are rare. They were sent to me by Elaine, a reader of this blog. The photos are of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith with the 1998 Panoz AIV Roadster he autographed and I just bought. Pictures are probably from around 2004, when Tyler himself put the Panoz up for auction. Neither the Panoz family or the man who sold me the car have ever seen these shots before. Enjoy.

No, I didn’t buy his bed.

I slept in it, though.

So did Nerissa.

Let me explain… 

Yesterday’s post about my managing to buy Steven Tyler’s 1998 Panoz AIV Roadster has brought me a lot of email and comments.  All of it is good, but one email was truly startling.

Turns out Nerissa and I slept in the same bed as Steven Tyler.

When we were in Maui a couple of years ago, we were gifted a stay at a high-end private beach mansion where celebrities paid $4,000 a night to get away from it all.

One of those celebrities was Steve Tyler.

In fact, the entire Aerosmith band stayed there, and they wrote one of their all-time best-selling albums while there.

I’m told he’s a nice guy.

Hmmmmm.

I have Steven Tyler’s race car, I stayed where he and the band wrote an entire album, and I just bought an expensive guitar and a house-rocking amp.

Is there a career change coming?

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS – I’m headed to the airport to a speaking engagement in Florida. On November 3rd I’ll be speaking in Chicago on the same stage with Donald Trump, Tony Robbins, George Foreman, Jack Canfield, and other greats. https://www.learningannex.com/realestate/realestate.taf?coursenum=ch07ex&menu=&refer=&ccode= Is life wild or what?

 Pat O’Bryan — no, that’s not him in the picture — just reminded me of an important marketing lesson.

It cost me $41,000 to relearn it.

But you can learn it for free by reading this blog post.

  I check ebay every day for key interests of mine. One of them is Panoz, the makers of my beautiful Panoz Esperante GTLM exotic sports car named Francine.

Yesterday I spotted a Panoz AIV Roadster from 1998 on auction. Panoz Roadsters are rare to begin with, as only 176 were ever made and the last ones were made in 1999.

The AIV ones are even rarer, as they were some of the first Aluminum Intensive Vehicles (AIV).

Only 72 Panoz AIV Roadsters were made in 1998, and only 7 in Sunburst Yellow.

But this particular one on ebay is even more collectible, as it was owned and raced by rock star Steven Tyler of Aerosmith (above picture).

He even autographed the car under the hood, and on the owner’s manual (writing, “Drive this way”).

I saw it about two hours before the auction was to end. I wanted it but talked myself out of it, saying I already had Francine, and she’s jealous as it is.

I emailed Pat and showed him the link to the auction.

This is where the marketing lesson began.

Pat pointed out that if he owned that car, he’d be making a big fuss over the fact that Aerosmith’s Tyler owned it and loved it.

Whoever was selling the car didn’t even put “Steven Tyler” or “Aerosmith” in the subject line at ebay. That meant only people top-level searching for “Panoz” or “AIV Roadster” would find the listing.

Big mistake.

Every good copywriter knows the subject line is the headline, and the headline is what gets people to read the rest of the story.

I suddenly realized that if I bought the car as an investment, and drove it around a little, I could later sell it as the “Rare Panoz AIV Roadster of Aerosmith and Joe Vitale.” (Believe it or not, people buy and sell “Joe Vitale” stuff on ebay every day.)

People searching for “Panoz” or “AIV Roadster” or “Aerosmith” or “Joe Vitale” would learn of the collectible vehicle, and someone would want it — bad.

I bid on the car.

I won it, too.

Let this be a lesson to you. Marketing is more than having a good product; it’s getting the attention of the target market who will want it.

And here’s a deeper marketing lesson:

People buy for emotional reasons and justify their purchase with logic.

Why did I just buy a 1998 Panoz AIV Roadster?

The emotional reason for the purchase may be that it was owned by a celebrity and that excites me. I almost bought actor James Caan’s car once for the same reason, but a Panoz hot rod is so much sexier than a Bentley. (Photo is of me giving James Caan my book,The Attractor Factor, in his Las Vegas TV show studio trailer.)

The logical justification for the Roadster is that it is an investment. I believe I can sell it for a much higher ticket later.

When you market your product or service, remember to cover both sides in your copy: the emotional as well as the intellectual.

Finally, here’s a metaphysical lesson for you:

When you are in alignment with your goals and deservingness, there is balance in your world.

For example, yesterday I bought Tyler’s Panoz AIV Roadster for $41,000 and today I received an offer to write a new book with an advance for far more than what I just spent on the car.

Way cool.

If you want more lessons about marketing and/or metaphysics from me and other speakers, consider attending Pat O’Bryan’s Un-Seminar #4 in Austin, Texas on November 9 – 11th. Details (and photos) are at www.patobryan.com/unseminar4.htm?a_aid=16d36c70&a_bid=7f41a5e1 

I won’t receive the car for weeks, so I have time to go reassure Francine that she’s the true love of my life (besides Nerissa, of course).

And then I’m buying some Aerosmith CDs. 

Ao Akua,

joe
www.mrfire.com

PS – If you want to attract a new car, too, check out www.attractanewcar.com If you want to get clear of blocks inside yourself concerning money, see www.moneybeyondbelief.com If you want personal coaching in getting past your limits and achieving your dreams, consider www.miraclescoaching.com You deserve success, you know. Even hot-rod rock-star Steven Tyler would agree on that. 🙂

PPS – You can see some rare factory videos of Panoz Roadsters being built here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2433890977080832004&hl=en And a nice article about the Panoz company in Fast Company magazine is here: www.autofieldguide.com/articles/050005.html Enjoy.

PPPS – I still want a Panoz Hybrid.

  “Feng shui – literally translated as wind and water, is an ancient Chinese scientific practice based on configuring a room to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it.”

That’s how one definition online puts it, anyway.

I have no idea if feng shui is “scientific” or not, but I’m a big believer in giving myself any edge I can get.

When I made my office here in the Texas Hill Country where I sit today, I added many little mystical things, from a cleaning device my Zero Limits coauthor Dr. Hew Len gave me, to specially engraved metal plates called yantras, to blessed malas from friends such as Debbie Ford, to a machine from India that softly chants mystical prayers in the background, to a little device called a “ghost buster” for removing negative energy, to pictures of the Hindu wealth goddess called Lakshmi, to the elephant protector Ganesh, and more.

I can’t tell you if any of it helps me in a measurable way, but I can assure you none of it hurts me.

I say if it makes you feel better, then add the candle or blessed rock or magic symbol and let the placebo effect do its magic.

Besides, what if it actually works?

So I’m pretty open minded about feng shui and any other science or magic that may help me achieve my goals.

But when my friend Victoria Schaefer said she wanted to film a television episode for Feng Shui Your Way about feng shui-ing an office in my office, I felt fear.

She said they wanted to film in a “celebrity” home.

I guess she couldn’t find a celebrity, so she asked me.

But I wasn’t very eager to say yes.

I imagined her feng shui expert, Leigh Kubin, wanting me to tear down a wall or put up huge mirrors or just moving my stuff out of reach.

No way.

This office is my scared place.

And it’s my stuff.

But Victoria assured me the tips I would hear would be subtle yet powerful.

And I needed to do it because my office is my sacred space.

Besides, it was free.

I finally agreed, thinking I would just put everything in my office back the way it was after they left.

They filmed the show yesterday. It took several hours, mostly because of technical set-up with lighting and such. The actual feng shui consultation was quick and easy.

I learned my “fame” corner is straight ahead from the door, where I currently have a guitar hanging.

I learned my “relationships” corner is where I needed a world map, to symbolize the people I want to reach.

I learned my intentions were dated and already achieved, and needed to be updated, put in written form, and placed in my “prosperity” corner.

I learned I needed new drapes over the windows, and a runner (small rug) in the door, all to keep me “out of the mouth of chi”.

We did all of that.

And more.

The difference was dramatic.

Not only is the office lighter, less cluttered, and more appealing to the eye, but it feels more calm yet powerful.

The entire office transformation was filmed, of course. You’ll be able to see the entire show, for free, in a few weeks.

But let’s make this apply to you right now. Here’s something to get you thinking about feng shui-ing your own office:

Go to the entrance of your office and stand looking in, as if you are about to walk into the room. From there note the following:

* Straight ahead of you, across the room from where you are standing, is your “fame” corner. You’ll want fire, candles, lights and maybe animals there. Don’t put a mirror there.

* Straight ahead of you and to your right, in that far right corner, is your “romance and love” corner. You’ll want pink or red things there, as well as crystals. Don’t put a cactus there.

* Straight ahead of you but on your left, in that far left corner, is your “prosperity” area. You’ll want wood, plants, treasures there. Don’t put bills there.

* As you still stand in your doorway, the corner to your immediate left is your “wisdom” area. Books, spiritual stuff, go there. Don’t put alcohol there.

* On your right, in that right corner, is your “helpful people and travel” area.  Silver boxes, electronics, angel symbols, go there. Don’t put toiletries there.

* In the very center of the room is your “health” area. Pottery, comforts, yellow things go there. Don’t put wood there.

I’m not making any of this up, and there’s far more to it.

Watch the TV show when it airs — don’t worry, I’ll remind you 🙂  — (see the PS below).

If you want to feel better as you work, and possibly increase your ability to achieve your goals more easily, consider feng shui-ing your office.

What could it hurt?

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS — Feng Shui Your Way can be viewed at www.onnetworks.com/videos/feng-shui-your-way/calling-all-helpful-people That is one of the episodes. You can click through the site to see more episodes and information about OnNetworks. If you Google Feng Shui Your Way you can find the most recent mentions of it in the national business publications. The “celebrity homes” episode I’m in should air in two weeks or less. Stay tuned.