I was scared to death. Wayne Dyer was going to come on my podcast. I read about ten of his books. I watched five or six of his PBS specials.
The man has sold over 150 million books. He’s inspired millions. He’s already given 100s of interviews. What could I possibly ask him?
I watched other interviews with him. I even spoke to his daughter about him.
I wanted to be ready. I didn’t want to ask the same questions everyone else was asking.
“You have to interrupt him,” Claudia told me, “or he will keep on talking.” So probably the first thing is: I learned how to interrupt people.
Afterwards, the guy who did the audio for the podcast said to me, “That was unbelievably inspiring.” And then he quit his job.
Wayne Dyer has worn many hats. He’s been a therapist, a professor, a writer, a PBS fundraiser, to many a spiritual leader.
I have no idea what he is. I think he wore many hats because in an interesting life, you do many interesting things.
The dots don’t always have to connect.
To me he is the ultimate “Choose Yourself-er”.
He started out dirt poor, an orphan coming out of foster homes. He went to school, got his PhD, became a professor, and was so loved by his students he reached tenure by age 35, in 1975.
Do you know what tenure is? It means the school has to pay you for the rest of your life. It means you never have to worry about a job or money again. You’re set.
So what did he do then?
He quit.
He had written a book “Your Erroneous Zones” and it failed in his eyes. It had sold 5000 copies. When a book sells 5000 copies the publisher typically wipes their hands clean (they have made a tidy profit) and says, “Ok, on to the next one.”
That wasn’t good enough. He didn’t want a publisher to choose whether he was a success or not.
He quit his 100% safe job. Everyone said he was crazy and begged him not to.
He bought out the rest of the inventory of books from his publisher and put them in the trunk of his station wagon.
With his nine year old daughter sitting next to him he drove all over the country, from bookstore to bookstore, begging them to take his books.
You choose yourself one choice at a time. You choose yourself every day. You choose yourself with all of your fears and hopes mixed together and nobody knows what’s going to happen.
But if you do it with a sense of mission, a belief in your vision, what happens may not be what you expect, but you will never say, “I wonder what would have happened?”
He has sold over 100 million books since then.
Before I did the podcast I spoke about Wayne Dyer to a friend of mine who I thought would be very skeptical. My friend is the CEO of a $200 million in revenues a year company.
“Wayne Dyer is like a hero to me,” he said and I was curious why.
“Think of it this way: he’s done 10 specials raising money for PBS. He’s raised over $150 million for PBS.”
That is impressive, I said.
“Yes, but that’s not the point. PBS runs those pledge shows over and over. And PBS has higher ratings than all of the broadcast channels combined.
Think about how much airtime and free advertising Wayne Dyer got for himself by doing those shows.”
I don’t think that’s why Dyer did those shows but it’s interesting the perspective. There’s nothing wrong with raising money, inspiring millions, and also helping yourself, is what the CEO was pointing out to me.
If you go to my recent podcast list, the podcast is about two episodes ago.
Here’s 13 things Wayne Dyer told me that every day I learn from:
A) DO WORK YOU BELIEVE IN SO MUCH YOU’D GO TO JAIL FOR IT
When Your Erroneous Zones came out it was banned in all of the countries behind the Iron Curtain. So Dr. Dyer smuggled copies into Prague. That’s how much he believed in the message he was spreading.
B) LOOK AT YOUR LIFE FROM A DISTANCE
Dr. Dyer grew up in an orphanage, an incredibly hard experience and one that many people might not be able to overcome.
But difficult experiences are what sculpt the soul. Now he’s thankful, he told me, for those experiences.
C) GO TO THE PEOPLE
At the beginning of his career, someone told Dr. Dyer “The only way to reach everyone in America is by getting on a nationally syndicated TV show.”
“No matter how many times he contacted the big shows, they rejected me every time.”
So he packed his car full of books and drove across the whole country to connect with people face-to-face.
Today everyone wants to “go viral.” They want the internet to make them an overnight success. But sometimes you just need to work insanely hard and go to the people. One at a time, face-to-face.
“Viral” often is a disease you want to get rid of. But “connection” can lead to lifelong benefits.
D) “ARRANGE WHATEVER PIECES COME YOUR WAY”
He said everyone today is so eager to blame their situation on the stock market or the economy.
But whatever meager resources you have, make it work for you. Find a way to move forward.
He said that since he was 9 years old he’s never been unemployed, even if it meant he had to carry bags of groceries at the supermarket for a nickel.
The key to an enriched life is having a burning desire. Wayne says that you must “have an inner flame that no matter what goes before you it never flickers.” This desire will enable you to seize every opportunity and create the life you want to live.
Don’t let someone tell you you can’t do XYZ because there’s no money in it.
“People used to tell me ‘Don’t be a teacher, you can’t make any money doing it.’ ,” he told me.
But now he says he’s a teacher with the largest classroom and the most amount of students.
Every day, don’t try to jump into another box. Just try to think a little bit more outside of the box society has put you in.
E) ALWAYS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE
Wayne says that If something isn’t working in his life he always tells himself “It must be because I haven’t used enough determination or I haven’t been fearless enough or I haven’t been willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
He never lets himself make any excuses. Because even if there is an external explanation, he can’t control external factors. He can only control himself.
F) “LEAVE YOURSELF OPEN TO WHATEVER COMES UP”
On June 26, 2013, Wayne announced to his whole family that he was done writing books.
He explained in great detail why he felt like that chapter of his life was done.
Then on June 27th he started writing his next book! He had 100% intended to be done with books, but when he felt the urge to start writing that morning he embraced it.
Rather than resisting and forcing his own plans, he accepted what came his way and let it direct him.
G) WE ARE ‘DOOMED’ TO MAKE OUR CHOICES
There are somethings that we can’t change. Our hardwiring, our bodies, our physical limitations.
But within that framework we have the power to make choices. We choose how to use the resources we were given.
Improving (or not improving) 1% a day is not even noticeable. That’s why it’s so easy for people to say, “nothing is happening” and inadvertently cost their lives 1% a day. Focus on that 1% improvement and everything changes.
H) HOW TO FIND YOUR LIFE PURPOSE
You might be saying “OK James, a bunch of these lessons are about following your purpose, but what if I don’t know what mine is?!”
Wayne asked “What’s the difference between good and God?”
The answer is “o”. Not just ‘oh’ but ‘zero.’
So whatever makes you feel good, whatever energizes you and lights you up inside, that’s God. That’s God telling you that that’s what you are meant to be doing.
I don’t believe that anyone has one purpose in life. And I don’t like attaching any one religious philosophy to being content in life.
But I like the idea of taking that “zero” and filling it up, if only for today, with something you love.
I) “SELL YOUR CLEVERNESS AND CREATE A SENSE OF AWE.”
Life is a gift. Don’t let your ego get in the way of fully experiencing and appreciating it.
When we were kids, we laughed and asked question. When we’re adults, we cry and shout answers.
Sometimes it’s good to feel like a kid again, even at age 75.
J) “THE #1 REGRET OF THE DYING IS ‘I WISH I HAD THE COURAGE TO LIVE THE LIFE I WANTED RATHER THAN DOING WHAT OTHERS WANTED OF ME.”
It’s hard living the life you want. It requires determination and strength and wisdom and fearlessness. And those are all difficult things.
You only find the alternative waiting for you on your deathbed.
K) ENLIGHTENMENT
Not in a woo-woo, intangible way with no connection to the real world. Too many people try to scam with that word.
“Enlightenment is all about improving your relationships. Being more loving with your spouse. Being more patient with your children. The quest for enlightenment is about improving your daily life in real ways.”
L) “THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO ENLIGHTENMENT”
- Suffering: reflecting on pain in the past and learning from it;
- Being present: learning from what you’re going through right now;
- “Getting out front”: being proactive rather than reactive.
M) “THERE IS A SECRET GARDEN WITHIN US”.
No matter what happens in the world around us, no matter what happens to us, there is a place inside of you where you are 100% in control of what happens.
“Maybe you can’t control the terrible things that happen to you, but you’re in control of how you respond.”
You’re in control of your feelings and your own happiness. That’s not to say that it’s not incredibly difficult, but the point is that NO ONE ELSE has the power over your mindset. “Inside your chest, you are sovereign.”
—
I was sort of in a glow after the interview. I was excited. I felt like doing a podcast was the right thing. I wasn’t sure until then.
Maybe most of all I learned from one thing he said to me towards the end:
“Are you willing to do whatever it takes to make the thing that excites you come true. Are you fearless?”
I’ll be honest: I don’t know. Sometimes it’s very hard. Sometimes crisis hits and you can’t move.
I think that’s ok. Sometimes you have to take a rest to re-energize.
But I have a faith that his final words to me are the trick:
“Come from a place of compassion and love”.