Garbage, all of it.

[daveangeles]

Most of this is garbage. To illustrate my point, a friend was recently roped into attending a seminar on "The Secret" and manifestation specifically designed for those in the entertainment industry.

She was reluctant, because she didn't really have the money to enroll, but the organizers told her, "This isn't about the money, we're here to help."

So she signed up, opting for the payment in installment plan. Now they harrass her non-stop, telling her she needs to pay the whole thing right now, even though they claimed it was a monthly payment plan. Sure sounds like it "isn't about the money."

Other B.S.:

Esther Hicks. A bored woman in need of a viable book series claims to speak with a spiritual/non-physical "entity" that refers to itself as "Abraham" -- it wishes we would all just be happy, think positive, create abundance (at least for Ms. Hicks), and buy more of her books! Totally unconvincing sham.

I've been trying this stuff for the past year, because I figured why not -- it can't hurt. But it does hurt because instead of living frugal and working to pay off debts, invest in new business concepts at work, etc. you spend your time chasing nonsense.

Conversations With God series. Preposterous. Title says it all.

[cylon]

I don't understand the question.

[daveangeles]

My question is why do so many of you believe this nonsense?

At a subconscious level, you realize it's BS too, or you wouldn't all spend hours on here reassuring each others' problematic (to put it politely) views. You would be using the techniques to create massive wealth, prosperity, and world peace.

[cylon]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

My question is why do so many of you believe this nonsense?

At a subconscious level, you realize it's BS too, or you wouldn't all spend hours on here reassuring each others' problematic (to put it politely) views. You would be using the techniques to create massive wealth, prosperity, and world peace.

Put it behind you and go back to whatever works for you. Why make yourself miserable? No one's asking you to believe in anything. Do your own thing.

[NotesMaeve]

Do whatever works for you, man.

[RT Wolf]

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...nd-resistance/

Listen to cylon.

Here's the way I look at it:

The downside of believing in IM (which you don't need expensive classes to learn about--just the internet and a library card, and if you're into that a little piracy) is that I hold one wrong belief and waste a bunch of time and energy in my life that could be better use. Honestly, though? I already have many beliefs which are incorrect and I'm in hella good company with half the country with me (in a poll, about half the people thought that Jesus the Christ would return in the next 50 years and Armagedden would happen). And of course, if I keep trying things that "normal" and "rational" people think are bad ideas, I figure I'll end up hitting on SOMETHING that will be totally awesome, maybe IM doesn't work, but maybe the next thing does.

Upside? Thoughts create reality.

Another way I look at it is this: Nothing I've encountered having to do with IM is a BAD thing, except for the fundamental belief that it works (which you don't necessarily need, just don't be resistant to it). Be detached from the outcome--good in its own way, from my own experience pre-IM. Feel good--well, DUH! That's the point of this existance!

I find a lot of the Tao Te Ching and Toaist thought in the Abraham material, too.

Another response I liked is this:

You have a choice

To be fair,t hough, even smart people can do dumb things. I'm studying psych and I've made a small study of cognitive biases and mistakes in thinking that people make and I can point most every way that IM can be explained using errors in thinking so I reckon I'm pretty aware of these biases...except I'm still not convinced. I may not be a 100% in the believing in IM camp but I'm definitely starting to think there's something to this whole shebang. I've a bike I l lost two years ago, stolen from my basement, that I got back earlier this year without any hassle, which in Toronto is akin to winning the lottery, which really makes me think there just might be something to this whole IM thing.

In case you're wondering, this post isn't actually for the OP.

[cylon]

Good links there, I hadn't read that one from Steve (I had read paul's).

Resistance: When I started getting into IM (well, I was into manifesting when I was a teenager but walked away from it for many years) about a year ago, at first I was excited and was feeling GOOD. But along the way, when I started thinking about manifesting money/love/peace of mind/ I had some big issues with the idea that I actually DESERVED to have abundance in my life. I was feeding myself all this great stuff about accepting abundance, visualizing abundance, finding what you want, getting excited about your desires... but I finally FACED the fact that I didn't think I actually deserved to have any of that stuff to begin with! I would see myself with lots of money and all I could feel was guilt and shame.

RESISTANCE. I believe that the seed I planted when I got back into IM forced me to face all the lame stuff in my past, and be brave enough to face my self image. I've had lots of emotions, all over the scale as I've been studying this LOA stuff. I kept reading "just feel good!" (and that's really the SECRET™) but I was actually afraid of feeling good. You have to prepare yourself for this stuff.

Don't mean to ramble, I've brought this up before but I think to fully use IM or just be happy in life, you have to face that resistance in yourself before you can transmute it to something good. Thinking life is horrible and that the world is a cold, cruel place, how could that possibly put you in the state of mind you need to feel GOOD let alone start creating stuff that challenges your reality?

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

You would be using the techniques to create massive wealth, prosperity, and world peace.

Hey, be patient. In this plane of existence, time acts as a buffer. I *am* creating massive wealth and prosperity for myself; world peace is currently a little beyond the reach of my LOA powers.

I think I kinda remember you, Dave. Some time ago, you were down and out in some big city, running out of cash and desperately hoping to get your book published. Right?

You're not able to believe in the LOA because you find no evidence in your life that you're able to manifest your intentions. Whereas I am not able to disbelieve in the LOA because I find abundant evidence in my life that I am able to manifest my intentions.

Sometimes I wonder why LOA seems to work easily for some people (impaul99 is one example) whereas not at all, or with great difficulty, for some other people (Floridagal and you would be two examples). By "LOA" here, I mean the process of deliberate reality creation.

Who knows? Perhaps it has something to do with the innate differences between our brains. Some people are born with perfect pitch; some people are born with musical talent; some are gifted in mathematics; some babies are naturally bright and cheerful from birth; others sulk a lot.

And perhaps some people just have certain natural attributes which make it relatively easy for them to use LOA consciously (whatever those attributes are). And some people don't.

The other possible explanation of why LOA isn't working for you is that you were (are?) in a "down & out" kind of situation. Now according to LOA theory, you can't be in a "down and out" situation unless your thoughts got you there, in the first place. If you're in a VERY "down & out" situation, this must mean that you had strong patterns of negative thought that got you there.

And if you have a strong pattern of any kind of thought, well, it's just so much more difficult to change it.

SO, TOO BAD, DAVE. YOU'RE STUCK RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.

Hopefully, the words in capitals above will anger you. I think some anger is good for you - it will take you a few steps higher up the Emotional Guidance Scale than where you currently are.

[daveangeles]

Hahaha, what angers me is the common response that I am creating "resistance" and that somewhere I secretly don't believe I deserve to be all right financially.

Trust me, there is no resistance. I would love to have prosperity in my life and I deserve it as much as the next guy. It just isn't coming. I would do a rain dance right now if I thought it would change anything.

If it's working well for you, then I'm glad to hear that. Maybe it is just dependent on the individual. Makes sense: not everyone can be a master pianist, for example. Why assume that everyone can use LOA?

[Dan.Linehan]

@ Dave,

What is the service that you are doing for people?

[cylon]

That wasn't what I was saying, that was from my own experience. But resistance is real, you've already said you don't buy this stuff and that most people who do have something wrong with them.... yet you're still here talking about it! Aren't you resisting your previous decision to leave this line of study? And what's worse you're talking to people who (you think) are gullible and naieve. What does that say about you?

Do yourself a favor. Give up on the things that don't make you happy and never look back. Maybe LOA (even though it works for everyone all the time, irregardless of if you think you're doing it or not--you are) right now is not the path for you to be taking. If you only work on things that give you a sense of hope/purpose, you'll have a 100% success rate on living with a sense of hope and purpose.

Right now you're in the victim mindset and I don't think there's anyone, LOA or not, who would say "you should go through life acting and feeling like a victim and lashing out---that's the key to happiness".

So just take a hike dude. Quit feeling sorry for yourself.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

Most of this is garbage. To illustrate my point, a friend was recently roped into attending a seminar ...

Did they actually physically break into her home and wrap a rope around her waist and pull her into the seminar against her will?

Is your friend 18years old or over?

If they took her against her will or she's not of adult age, that is illegal and she should call the police immediately.

If not, then Lesson #1 for anyone doing any kind of personal development, LoA or not, is to take full responsibility for the decisions you make.

If she made the decision to go to the seminar, she needs to stop playing the victim that someone else made that decision for her. Even if they used fancy advertising, pretty pictures, handed out fliers with crazy promises etc. it was still her decision to go to the seminar and do this.

One of the first things I always notice with people who can't get LoA working for them is that they don't want to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. Nobody can make you do anything in life, except die. Everything else is a choice - YOUR choice.

Forget LoA. Start with that first. That's what I had to work on first a long time ago when I first got into personal development. Taking responsibility for EVERYTHING in my life.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

If it's working well for you, then I'm glad to hear that. Maybe it is just dependent on the individual. Makes sense: not everyone can be a master pianist, for example. Why assume that everyone can use LOA?

I've found it interesting to think about LOA from the perspective of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner is that Harvard professor who first propounded the idea that there are many different kinds of intelligences:

1. linguistic
2. logical / mathematical
3. visuo-spatial
4. bodily-kinesthetic
5. interpersonal
6. intrapersonal
7. musical
8. naturalist

(At one point, Gardner considered adding "spiritual" to that list, but eventually didn't - he felt that there was insufficient evidence of such an intelligence).

Anyway, a long time ago, I believed that my highest intelligences were probably logical / mathematical; and linguistic. However I did a quick-&-dirty free MI test somewhere on the Internet and it indicated that my highest intelligence is actually "intrapersonal".

"Intrapersonal" intelligence is explained as follows:

"Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to gain access to understand one's inner feelings, dreams and ideas. Intrapersonal Intelligence is personal knowledge turned inward to the self. This form of intellect entails the ability to understand one's own emotions, goals and intentions."

For obvious reasons, I kinda suspect that people with high intrapersonal intelligence will have a big natural advantage when it comes to conscious creation.

High intrapersonal intelligence makes you more attuned to your own feelings, dreams, ideas, emotions, goals and intentions. What more could a conscious creator ask for?

[Acting Like Godot]

Ummm .... the rude way of putting it is that if your intrapersonal intelligence is very low, then maybe you just aren't cut out to consciously use LOA in a big way.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

Ummm .... the rude way of putting it is that if your intrapersonal intelligence is very low, then maybe you just aren't cut out to consciously use LOA in a big way.

Only thing I would add to this is that I think it is not an intelligence that one is born with, but rather one that a person develops if they aren't too lazy to do so.

Working on this oneself is one of the hardest things to do, that is why most people don't do it. It is also socially acceptable not to have to work on yourself, except from an external point of view in terms of losing weight or something.

In fact, people who take it upon themselves to read personal development books and go to Tony Robbins seminars are the ones considered weirdo's.

[RT Wolf]

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...nd-resistance/

This is among the most important of Steve's blog entries in my experience, because it touches on a lot of issues here.

Paul, I totally agree with you. I believe that IM is an advanced topic within PD itself, because of that. Unless or until you are willing to take responsibility of things (including your emotions) enough to decide you want something else, including that you want to be happy, its hard to with IM.

Your last comment about weirdos also rings a bell with me. I'm finding a lot of resistance in figuring out this dealio in relation to other people and their impressions of me, which is not my responsibility, however, what other people think is their responsibility.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...nd-resistance/

This is among the most important of Steve's blog entries in my experience, because it touches on a lot of issues here.

Paul, I totally agree with you. I believe that IM is an advanced topic within PD itself, because of that. Unless or until you are willing to take responsibility of things (including your emotions) enough to decide you want something else, including that you want to be happy, its hard to with IM.

Your last comment about weirdos also rings a bell with me. I'm finding a lot of resistance in figuring out this dealio in relation to other people and their impressions of me, which is not my responsibility, however, what other people think is their responsibility.

If you stop worrying whether people think you're a weirdo, they automatically stop thinking you're a weirdo.

[RT Wolf]

^ Hahaha. Good point. I enjoy solving mysteries, so I think I'll let myself find the root cause of this feeling or belief, and stop worrying in the meanwhile. People can think what they like. Hell, I know I have dozens of opinions about other people which are less than worthless, good or bad, so why does it matter what other people think about me?

Also, congratz on the 1111 posts.

[Acting Like Godot]

Some quick thoughts before I go off for a party. I think that a person with higher intrapersonal intelligence is more likely:

1. to know what he really, really wants
2. to know that he is experiencing resistance, when he is experiencing resistance
3. to correctly identify his own limiting beliefs
4. to find a successful way to deal with his limiting beliefs
5. to realise it when he slips into negative emotional territory
6. to understand why he feels a particular way about anything
7. to be able to create more-concrete mental representations to himself, of his own goals ("what would it really feel like, if I were to achieve ____?")
8. to spot a negative thought when it pops up in his mind
9. to pursue what he wants to pursue, rather than what others want or expect him to pursue

... and as you can see, those are all big natural advantages when it comes to the deliberate use of LOA.

[dancer]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

Hahaha, what angers me is the common response that I am creating "resistance" and that somewhere I secretly don't believe I deserve to be all right financially.

Trust me, there is no resistance. I would love to have prosperity in my life and I deserve it as much as the next guy. It just isn't coming. I would do a rain dance right now if I thought it would change anything.

If it's working well for you, then I'm glad to hear that. Maybe it is just dependent on the individual. Makes sense: not everyone can be a master pianist, for example. Why assume that everyone can use LOA?

Dave, it doesn't sound like you have accepted what you have right now and that equates with resistance. I'm reading 'A New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle and it has explained much. I've found the book extremely provocative, and my ego has taken a severe battering, but does it make sense! Your recent posts come from your ego. Do yourself a huge favour and read 'The Power of Now' and 'A New Earth'. What do you have to lose?

[Sam988]

Originally Posted by daveangeles

My question is why do so many of you believe this nonsense?

At a subconscious level, you realize it's BS too, or you wouldn't all spend hours on here reassuring each others' problematic (to put it politely) views. You would be using the techniques to create massive wealth, prosperity, and world peace.

Well i do realize it, but on a conscious level.

The LoA is a good motivating tool to create optimism in us, but i do not consider it to be anything more than a tool to maximize my performance. Nothing mystical or supernatural or linked with an "universal mind" or whatever like that; That's just plain BS, as you said.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by dancer

Dave, it doesn't sound like you have accepted what you have right now and that equates with resistance. I'm reading 'A New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle and it has explained much. I've found the book extremely provocative, and my ego has taken a severe battering, but does it make sense! Your recent posts come from your ego. Do yourself a huge favour and read 'The Power of Now' and 'A New Earth'. What do you have to lose?

I would recommend "A New Earth" first. The Power of Now is so fricken confusing for me. I seriously think Eckhart was on something when he wrote it. It's brilliant, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't written in an easy to understand manner like "A New Earth" was. Only after I read "A New Earth" did parts of "The Power of Now" make sense to me.

It's almost like he skips around too much and doesn't answer the natural progression of questions that pop into the reader's head. Most great authors do that. They present a concept and instantly the reader begins asking himself "Yeah, but what about _________" and the author explains whatever ___________ is, and then the reader thinks "Right! That makes sense...hmmmmm... but what about ___________" and then the author addresses that. Almost like mind-reading what the reader is going to question next. It's like leading them down a path until the end conclusion and point is made.

The Power of Now didn't really do that for me. I would read, ask myself a question and then Eckhart would skip to something totally different. It's almost like reading a paragraph like this, with the natural questions one might ask in brackets:

"The moon is white, unless you're wearing blue sunglasses (why are you wearing sunglasses at night?). Chickens tend to agree more than roosters (agree to what?). This is how the universe unravels its