Singer Michelle Malone playfully asked me if I ever felt like I wanted to give up.
She was setting up her equipment in my living room for her third house party in my home. I was sitting beside her, always eager to spend time with this terrific singer and songwriter.
She asked for another copy of my book, The Attractor Factor, which she likes to read in the van between gigs to stay positive and upbeat. As she held the book, she looked at me and asked the question:
“Do you have a book that everyone loves so much that they overlook your other books, making you wonder why you are writing any more?”
I told her yes, that my book on P.T. Barnum, There’s a Customer Born Every Minute, has a cult like following but a small one. I wished more people would give it a look.
Hands down the book everyone loves by me is The Attractor Factor. Second place is Zero Limits. Third is The Key. But the marketing books are way in the back of the line in popularity.
“Then why do we keep writing new stuff?” Michelle asked. “What’s the point?”
“I’m writing because I have to,” I told her. “I’m writing because I never know when I’ll write a book that will be better than The Attractor Factor and actually become the greatest thing I’ve ever written.”
Michelle smiled and agreed that we have to write because we’re here to write. And by continuting to write, we may one day give birth to something that exceeds all our previous work.
Michelle will have a new CD out in September.
I will have a new book called Expect Miracles out in September.
Why do it?
What’s the point?
When Michelle writes her music, and I write my books, and you do what you love to do, the world is like an orchestra playing the sweetest music ever heard.
Ao Akua,
Joe
www.mrfire.com
PS – Though Michelle had to sprint out of my house to perform later that night in Austin, she made time for a quick ride in my 1998 Panoz AIV Roadster, named Ladybug, formerly owned by rock star Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. She screamed and smiled big as we roared through the neighborhood. She later told me, “My hair ain’t been that tangled since my honeymoon!!!” 
🙂
Note: Photos of Michelle and me in Ladybug were taken by master photographer Rodney Bursiel of www.rodneybursiel.com (Left click on any image to enlarge it.)
7 Comments
We write – Ah there it is, WE- you inspire, Rhonda inspires, Ross inspires, but that all adds up to a WE- and the we factor is what counts. It is attractive even to those who are so “type A” that they have trouble getting to clear; they succeed, being super driven, but their clarity is skewed- clouded, by their drive- what they seem to lack dear Dr. Joe, is what your writing of late shows so much of, FUN! Man alive- I love to watch your life emerging, so the book, WE, write will be even more thrilling. AND- your experiences work! -DrD
That’s a great entry.
Hey Joe when I get my Mazda RX8 I’ll look for you on the highway ! 😈
Joe, I’m one of those “Cult Like Followers” of There’s a Customer Born Every Minute.
It’s a fantastic business building tool. It was the first book of yours that I read, and it’s extremely well researched. There’s a Customer Born Every Minute is full of practical, easy to use, timeless marketing lessons that will improve ANYONE’S business.
Your other books are also fantastic; and they all compliment your message. Attractor Factor programs the Mind – and sets the stage for Action… “Customer” is the practical application on how to attract customers.
All the best, and PLEASE KEEP WRITING!
David Rachford
http://www.cpamarketingcenter.com
Dr. Vitale, you said that you write because you HAVE to. Isn’t that the wrong message to send out into the universe? The idea that you HAVE to do something (write), when in reality you could get by without doing it.
You need food, shelter, warmth, etc.
You write because you WANT to. Which is a whole lot of different.
And I’m glad that you do. The first book of yours I ever read was There’s A Customer Born Every Minute. I absolutely loved it, and have been a devoted fan ever since.
It’d be neat maybe someday if you wrote a blog post (or perhaps, a whole book) about your relationship to magic (how you got into it, what your favorite effects are, etc). It seems to me there might be a link between magic (making what isn’t there appear to be), and the path to prosperity (making what isn’t there actually appear).
Thanks for all that you do.
Take Good Care,
Will Tupper
Great article Joe!
What’s the point of life? I’ve asked that question many times.
I was taken Hostage in a Prison Riot back in 89.
That experience totally changed and transformed my life.
I had to discover the answer of that powerful question, if was was going to continue to live.
Since then I have found that if I just focus on “getting toys” I suffer.
Getting doesn’t seem to be the point of it all.
On the other hand, when I focus on service, providing products, seminars, talks that change lives, then I “get” the toys too. The toys are fun, and are a bonus to providing service!
And I have the incredible inner joy of having changed lives.
I will never forget when my client and mate Tom, from the UK, first shared with me how “my work” was changing his life, he sent me a photo of his kids.
I have that photo on my Vision Board, reminding me of how we never can ever know the total impact we have.
Thank you Joe for being a giver, a friend, a visionary who every day makes a difference. Your sharing inspires me to share and give more.
Blessings to you mate!
Mr. Twenty Twenty
http://www.exhostage.com
Joe – I just read about your asthma attack, and right in the middle of questions like this? I myself just had an accident the week before that put me in reconstructive surgery on my leg, the same day you were in the hospital. Something is going on, man. I think it has to do with living our lives in worthy ways, instead of spending them on worthy things – at least for me. Some kind of big clearing is going on, that’s for sure.
“There’s A Customer Born Every Minute” ought to be ‘required reading’ before “The Attractor Factor.” I have both. They are both constant references on my desk.