Choices and Illusions (33 page)

report a positive result and pledge to incorporate their new tools

and learnings into their lives upon returning home. However,

when following up with these people a month later, we discover

that indeed most have not applied what they learned. There are

always reasons (excuses) for this failure. Some may say something

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like, “Well, I thought about it, and it’s just not right for my personality.” Others claim that they simply have not had the time.

Some say they tried, but it just didn’t work. For the most part, it’s all excuses. The fact is, just as I have suggested, if your inner mind (subconscious) does not believe it, you won’t do it. Remember the

“million dollar” characterization and Mr. Bill Gates? no amount

of flashing lights, brilliant mirrors, loud music, and rah-rah alone can persuade the subconscious to let go of its adaptations and

mechanisms. In other words, if you stand in front of the mirror

and say to yourself, meaningfully and deliberately, statements that the subconscious disagrees with, it is only a matter of time before the inner talk (self-talk) begins to undermine those statements.

Then in some automatic, servo-loop way, the old behaviors just

reassert themselves and that’s the end, at least for the moment, of the desired change.

With the InnerTalk technology, all we need to do is listen, and

we can play it in the background while we watch television or even

sleep. One hour a day for 30 days, and somehow something just

magically seems to change. The change can seem dramatic and

often happens even faster than expected, as you saw in the last

chapter in the comments sent to me by users of InnerTalk. The

reason for this seeming magic, and it’s not magic at all, is that the subliminal beliefs in the subconscious mind have been massaged

sufficiently to allow the stream of consciousness or self-talk to

reflect the affirmations contained on the InnerTalk program, and

voilà, change is easy. And now you can try this for yourself, for

included with this book is my InnerTalk program entitled
Unlim-

ited Personal Power.
Simply play this program in the background as you go about your day, and see for yourself the benefits of changing your self-talk. (The affirmations for this program have been

included in Appendix d).

For the record, I have often been asked why we have more than

400 titles. Are we attempting to create perfect people? I believe you and everyone else is already perfect, albeit many may be asleep or

have not fully awakened to their divine potential. no, the reason

we have as many titles as we do is to meet everyone where they are.

Indeed, one of the original driving forces behind title development 201

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

came from prison systems. Inmates wanted bodybuilding, weight

lifting, and so forth. Fine, I reasoned, and we’ll include the forgiveness set and esteem/responsibility elements in all. We did. In other words, the essential elements to taking responsibility, forgiving,

appreciating, and otherwise beginning the process of awakening

is on every single program we make, regardless of title. In fact, let me share a personal story with you, as it may shed additional light on my personal perspective.

the Buddha, edgar Cayce, and Jesus

Some years ago I was asked to speak at a prestigious gathering

of hypnotherapists, hypnotists, and psychotherapists. Every year

for several years I had spoken at this event, so of course I accepted.

The night before I arrived was the typical welcoming banquet for

all participants. After the meal an older woman, who was a staff

member of the school sponsoring the event and seated at the

head table, lit a cigarette. A man in the audience promptly stood,

walked to her table, jerked the cigarette from the woman’s hand,

scolded her loudly while suffocating the cigarette in her ashtray,

and returned to his seat wagging his finger at her all the way. She broke into tears and ran from the hall.

To protect this gentle lady’s anonymity, I’ll just call her Penny.

She was a lovely person who went the extra mile helping students

at the school, and many in the audience were either students or

graduates. She was well known by all, and in my book, she is a

wonderful woman with a golden heart who loved helping others.

I was told of this event before speaking, and I changed my

entire presentation there and then. I began with “I want you all

to imagine that the word is out, the news has traveled around the

world, and all know that the best of the best in health-care professionals are gathered here today to share and sharpen their skills.

The professionals at this august gathering are noted as the best

because their interest is genuinely in helping others. They are sensitive, caring professionals, and they know the power of their words

can create wellness as well as dis-ease. They are all aware that the 202

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oldest woman on the planet lived well into her hundreds and died

only when her doctors told her to stop smoking or die.

“Because this meeting was of such very high caliber, three

special people were on their way to attend the gathering. let’s just imagine these three people, say, Buddha, Edgar Cayce, and, if you

will, even Jesus. now, our Buddha is the Buddha of Indian origin,

not the Buddha of Chinese history, who is often portrayed as thin.

So our Buddha is plump. Cayce, the well-known mystic healer who

made literally thousands of readings while in a trance, healing

as many people, is a chain smoker. Jesus’ well-known statement,

paraphrased, says it all: ‘It’s not what you put in your mouth, but what comes out of it, that will be your undoing.’”

I continued, “So here are our three visitors. They have influ-

enced and healed the lives of more people than anyone can count,

and here is what is going to happen. One-third of you will run to

Buddha and tell him you can help him lose weight. One-third will

run to Cayce and inform him that you can help him stop smok-

ing, and, by the way, you’ll tell them both that if they do not do

something about it, it will kill them. The remaining third will no

doubt offer to assist in keeping Jesus kosher, for everyone knows

the story wherein Jesus is caught eating the wrong bread on the

Sabbath—and he was, after all, a rabbi.”

I went on following this introduction to point out how wrong

it was for Penny to have been humiliated and treated in such an

undignified manner the night before. I pointed out that judging

people, and even possibly suggesting sickness on them, in this

way was irresponsible. I received quite nice applause but was never invited back to speak.

Waking Up

The bottom line for me is not about the usual concerns regard-

ing body image and so forth. no, as a matter of fact one is much

more likely to experience dis-ease as a result of a psychological pre-disposition, including how we handle stress and so on, than from

enjoying chocolate. For me, it’s all about waking up and claiming

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

your true divine potential. Sometimes this happens one small

step at a time, as with the longest journey of lao-tzu. One success, whether it’s winning at basketball or losing weight, can lead to

building more confidence and empowering individuals to believe

in themselves. That’s why at InnerTalk the motto is, “When believ-

ing in yourself matters.” This builds quality of life, and quality of life is, after all, what we all ultimately define as a successful life.

InnerTalk . . . when believing in yourself matters.™

now, whether or not you ever use an InnerTalk program, I

challenge you to take positive steps as soon as you put this book

down. It might be easy for you to just sort of wait until tomorrow to begin to practice the simple fundamentals suggested here. Tomorrow never comes. Begin right now to take steps to actively practice forgiving and forgetting. Begin now to seek out opportunities to

do at least two good turns every day. Get some paper or buy a diary and begin to write down those little “helps” that you give to others.

Write down your feelings. When you go to bed each evening, think

about the day and record your good deeds. Take those thoughts to

bed with you. I promise that you’ll be surprised by what happens

to your sleep, dreams, health, and happiness.

Memory Landmarks

You may even discover memory landmarks that bring back

warm, fuzzy feelings. I experienced one recently with a big smile

on my face, and my wife asked what the smile was for. I told her of a clerk who had gone out of his way to help me, despite my error.

You see, the last time I had seen him was months before. On that

day he was down. His body language, facial expression, and gen-

eral demeanor spoke for him. When I stepped up to the counter, I

simply said, “Joe, what are you doing? You look younger!”

At first he looked puzzled.

“no, I’m serious, Joe. You look like you’ve taken ten years off.”

(Joe is approximately sixty.) “Even your complexion looks younger

and healthier. What are you doing?” I continued.

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Joe replied, “You really think so, doc?”

“Yes, Joe. I mean, look at yourself, you’re even standing

straighter, and that smile on your face must be telling your brain to turn up all those good neurochemicals,” I responded as I watched

Joe follow the suggestion and stand straighter with a smile.

“Well, doc, you’ve made my day,” he said. “You need to come

back more often,” he added with a rich smile and gleam in his eyes.

My lovely wife added, “So this is another of your ‘fake it till

you make it’ strategies, and Joe made it.”

Indeed, that’s where we all begin. We make the choice to smile,

engage the world with joy and awe, do our good turns, and other-

wise share the love with which we fill our hearts to overflowing.

In the beginning, we may need to fake it. Sooner or later, though,

because the brain actually does turn on positive, healthy neuro-

chemicals as a mechanical reaction to smiling, our faking takes

hold and we become what we pretend to be.

I know you get the picture, so please begin to act now. life is

a miracle and living a joy! You are a miracle and a gift, and you

repay the gift by being all that you were created to be. Soar, my

Eagle Friend.

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possible when you comprehend fully the power of your mind. It is

also important, however, to understand and appreciate the lengths

that certain groups will go to in order to turn this mind power

against you, so that your mind is in their control.

There are those who choose to focus on the positive, believing

that they already understand the dangers of marketers, and they

have already turned off their televisions. They feel comfortable,

believing they have already taken all necessary steps in choosing

to just focus on the positive. However, that really is not the smart-est approach. Yes, marketers are great mind manipulators, but so

are many other groups, such as politicians, reporters, entertainers, and movies. With more and more marketing being embedded in

movies themselves, soon advertisements could well become a thing

of the past.

And then, on top of all of this is the very fact that we humans

are herd animals. Although you may be careful of what goes into

your mind, you will have many friends and family members who

are not. These people will talk to you, and all that has happened is that the mind programming has just come via another step. The

recluse is actually very rare, but it is only by being a total recluse that you can avoid mind manipulation. not that I am advocating

a reclusive lifestyle—far from it. What I am really saying is that

it is impossible to avoid the manipulations of others, and so it is only by understanding your own mind and psychology and being

constantly vigilant that you can even begin to become your own

person. It is only by paying close attention to your own life experiences that you can begin to answer the big questions, such as Who

am I? Why am I here? and What is my purpose in life?

I have now presented you with the big picture, which includes

the following aspects:

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• Showing you how your choices may not be your own;

• demonstrating how pervasive mind manipulation

has become;

• Exposing the fact that there are many areas where

“they” have already won the battle for your mind;

• Revealing a much larger picture of the power of your