Before my latest book, The Attractor Factor, became a #1 bestseller at Barnes and Noble online, people told me I was nuts to try to promote a book when Harry Potter was already in the top spot.
“You don’t stand a chance,” one author wrote. “Why don’t you wait until Potter is off the list?”
After my book hit the streets, made all the lists, beat Trump, Da Vinci, and even Harry Potter, some people said, “Well, okay, but that only happened because the new Harry Potter book isn't in print yet.”
Gee. How come Potter was #1 then?
Still others suggested that perhaps the Trump and Da Vinci books were just having a really bad day.
Yeah. Riiiiiiight.
I marvel at the thinking of some people. No matter what you say or do, they stick to their excuses and stay negative, limited, and stuck. Yet they don’t see it. They think, “I’m just being objective.”
Are they?
I venture to say most of us operate from our unconscious mind. That is the predominate and most powerful operating system in us. None of us are totally aware of what we say or do. And if we’re asked to explain what we do, we have rationalizations for the most extreme behavior.
I don’t mind that people said I couldn’t knock Potter off his broom before I did it, or that people said it was easy after I did it.
What I do mind is limited thinking. Not going for the dream. Being stuck and blaming the world for it.
For example, I just read Phil Keoghan’s book, No Opportunity Wasted. It’s a page-turner about facing your fears, having faith, shedding your inhibitions, and testing your limits.
In the chapter on excuses, he lists the number one excuse for not taking action as, “I don’t have the money.”
Boy, do I hear that one a lot. People don’t realize that money isn’t always necessary. Sure, it’s handy. Yes, I love it. But no, you don’t *need* it. Keoghan says:
“Instead of focusing on the amount of money lacking in your budget, focus on what you DO have: a willing spirit, an imagination filled with bright ideas, people who care about you and can perhaps help you in some way. These are the things that will enable you to do almost anything.”
Some people realized that making my latest book a #1 bestseller despite all the odds, without an empire behind me, and without a New York or British marketing budget funding my efforts, was truly historic. After all, I’m just one guy and a computer.
I did it by having a big dream, and by having friends online who supported my efforts. They did mailings, and they offered their own bonuses. The collection at
http://www.mrfire.com/factor ended up being worth thousands of dollars. My friends did that, not me.
Of course, the negative talkers might jump on that fact and say, “See. You had friends. I don’t have any.”
That’s not true, and it misses the point. It falls back to blaming and excusing. And it doesn’t get you the success you want and deserve.
When you have a goal, listen to your heart, not the naysayers. In many ways, it’s you against the negativity of the planet. While that may seem daunting, it’s not impossible odds.
Look at me. I beat the negativity. I knocked Harry Potter off his throne, at least long enough to taste victory. I like Potter and admire his author. But I love that I was able to share some of the glory. Harry Potter can be a success and so can I. The world is big enough for all of us to win.
Including you.
What’s your dream?
And what are you going to do to achieve it — no matter what anyone else says?
The next move is yours.
Dr. Joe Vitale is the author of way too many books to list here. His latest title is The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or anything else) From the Inside Out. Find out more information by visiting
www.mrfire.com/factor.
