Your Outer World Reflects Your Inner World
Consider for a moment that this is true.
Is it crazy to think that everything you’ve experienced, everything you’re experiencing, and everything you’re going to experience is a result of what you’ve been thinking and feeling?
The thought gives me pause.
It would mean that everything I like reflects some part of me.
Likewise, it would mean everything I don’t like reflects some part of me also.
Everything I experience is a feedback mechanism, reflecting to me what I’ve been thinking and feeling.
And that reminds me to look closely at what I’ve been thinking and feeling. Because my view of the outer world is often limited. It often doesn’t look how I want it to look either.
Change is possible. But I can’t force change on the outer world. It doesn’t work that way.
What I can do is engage in inner work. Be in the discovery of what is having me see the world as I see it now. Declare completion over past events. Seek out opportunities to heal.
Trying to change others is a waste of time – they are reflecting you. You are meant to observe and be in the discovery of what part of you they are reflecting.
Forcing a change in yourself is also a waste of time. There is always an impact, and you end up adding to the baggage you’re already carrying. The question is what you’re going to do with that baggage.
You can lovingly and gently engage in inner work. This will change the outer world. But not by force. It will change because you’ve changed.
Personal Development Spend Breakdown – Over $100,000?!
In a video published yesterday, I shared that I’d spent over $100,000 on personal development:
Those numbers are quite conservative. As I thought about it, I realized I must be well beyond that figure at this point.
But I’ve noticed people like to call B.S. on this, so let me break it down for you. And I can’t emphasize this enough – all figures that follow are conservative!
Books & Kindles
I own roughly 300 personal development, leadership, marketing, entrepreneurship, and spiritual books, mostly paperbacks or hardcovers, some Kindles. Some books cost more, some cost less, and some were even gotten for free, but if I were to average it out, each book cost roughly $20.
300 titles x $20 = $6,000
Audiobooks & Audio Programs
I have not invested huge sums of money in audiobooks and audio programs, but I have spent some.
20 audiobooks x $20 = $400
4 audio programs x $40 = $160
Courses & Memberships
Courses and memberships (some of which came with personalized coaching) is one of the greatest costs I’ve incurred in growing myself. I don’t think of it as an expense so much as a necessity, mind you.
Fizzle (now ZenBusiness) – $720 (for a combined two years of membership)
James Schramko – $2,400 (for a combined two years of membership)
Landmark Worldwide – $5,450 (for seven courses or programs and three seminars)
No B.S. Letter – $1,200
I have also invested in some one-offs at Udemy and elsewhere, so the above should not be considered comprehensive.
Network Marketing
Everything in life can teach you something, and I learned a great deal about business in network marketing, where I ended up spending a good chunk of money. I can’t say I lost my shirt, but I also didn’t earn a lot of money in the business. Thus, a business education.
Products – $28,800
Training organization membership – $720
Training resources – $720
Communication tool – $720
Business Investments
Business investments also ended up teaching me a great deal about life and entrepreneurship and I would count them towards my personal growth.
Academe Design/Red Flame – $3,000
Music Entrepreneur HQ – $9,600
Undisclosed music industry tech startup – $60,000
Total Estimated Spend on Personal Development
Books & Kindles + Audiobooks & Audio Programs + Courses & Memberships + Network Marketing + Business Investments = $119,890
Let’s remember – the above figures are conservative. I have not covered everything I’ve ever invested in to grow myself, and since I’ve been investing heavily into my growth since 2009, some of the above figures would look very different (much higher) in today’s money.
Now you know.
The Surprising Truth No One Tells You About Content
In creating content, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds without ever finding your path.
Here’s the surprising truth no one tells you about content…
It’s Not About the Type of Content
We are often led to believe that content is, first and foremost, about the type of content you produce.
Blog posts, infographics, podcasts, videos. Pick one.
Picking one and sticking to it is good advice. Choosing one that’s matched to your preferences is even better. Even with a team, it can be very difficult to publish blog posts and make videos, as an example.
But you will not automatically be more successful because you publish a certain type of content…
It’s Not About the Platform
Secondly, we are told, publishing is about finding the right platform to publish to.
Facebook. Instagram. YouTube.
All things being equal, it’s a good idea to go where your audience is. And there is no mistaking that you’ve got to tailor the right kind of content to the platform you’re publishing to.
But publishing in the right place will not guarantee success. If you’re delivering the right kind of content, people will come to you.
It’s Not About When You Publish
Having figured out what type of content we want to publish and where to publish it, we start looking at when to publish it.
It’s funny because it’s mostly replacing one obsession with another.
Emails should go out between 9 AM and 12 PM EST on a Thursday. Facebook posts should be published between 8 AM and 12 PM EST on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Or whatever it is.
Look, you can find this information anywhere, and nowadays Facebook will even help you schedule your posts at a time they are more likely to be seen.
It doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as you think it does, though, because people will still tune into their favorite show at 1:00 AM on Monday if it’s the only opportunity to catch it.
The Surprising Truth – It’s About the Personality
Personality, or what marketer Russell Brunson calls a certain “attractive character” in his book, DotCom Secrets, is what creating content is all about. This is a foundation on which you can build.
People will still occasionally stumble across your content if it’s valuable and optimized, but if there’s no personality in it, it’s unlikely you will be remembered and be able to get people on your list and create long-term engagement with them.
Think about it. Oprah can draw an audience and sell to them any time she wants. You can probably think of plenty of others – Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Fallon, or otherwise.
If you were to pay attention to your own consumption habits, you’d notice that large chunks of it are based on people you know, like, and trust too.
So, what personality will you establish?
Change of Environment
A change of environment does the soul some good.
I have only been in Penticton, BC since February, but I have traveled to the coast (Vancouver, BC) three or four times already (usually for a few days). In fact, I spent this week in Maple Ridge, BC.
Penticton has yet to grow stale for me, though it certainly isn’t a large city, and it doesn’t take too long to get acquainted with it. Even so, I’ve been finding value in getting away from the status quo.
A change of environment can:
- Give you a fresh perspective.
- Inspire new ideas.
- Offer a change of pace.
- Give you the opportunity to interact with different people or visit friends or family.
- Give you the opportunity to eat different food.
- Offer the chance to see new or different sights.
- Give you time to think and reflect.
- Offer you the chance to reset your habits.
If you’re not getting away at least once every three months, consider making changing your environment a part of your quarterly routine.
Why Personalized A.I. Podcasts Will be Utter Crap
In a recent conversation with Marie Forleo, Seth Godin (love you both) said it won’t be long before there will be A.I. generated podcasts personalized to the individual:
A.I. will be so efficient at the task, says Seth, that podcasters will be made irrelevant.
I think he’s right.
But I don’t think it will be any good.
Here’s why:
Misinformation
People made a big fudging stink about disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, many not realizing that the mainstream media was one of the biggest proponents of propagating and perpetuating blatant lies.
(If you haven’t heard of controlled opposition, look it up.)
Were we dealing with a lot of bad information? Sure. Were we panicking and scared of a potentially fatal virus? Absolutely. Did we have all the facts? Not even close.
And I mean no disrespect to people who were impacted by the pandemic (realistically, though, everyone was impacted in some way, shape, or form).
But remember – we were also dealing with a man who self-appointed himself the god of “Science” and claimed he was right regardless of what you believed (and he was verifiably and quantifiably wrong many times over).
Do you really want to trust Artificial Intelligence to deliver accurate, timely, relevant information to you? Even if it knows your preferences, likes, and dislikes, guaranteed it will deliver what it wants you to hear, not what you want to hear.
Media is already the most powerful form of indoctrination there is. Custom, personalized content stemming from the same branch? That’s brainwashing.
Lack of Creativity
We’re still NOT dealing with sentience. And I wonder why people are constantly glossing over this fact. We’re quite loose with our interpretation of “Artificial Intelligence” currently.
So-called “A.I.” is an article compiler, voice generator, image masher, etc. It’s not self-aware, and it’s not creative. It can’t think for itself. It can’t bring you fresh, innovative, life-transforming insights. All it can do is draw upon the information that’s already out there, which might give the impression or illusion of being valuable or transformative.
That might be fine for the daily news, which we know is the best propaganda and fearmongering machine available, but I don’t even like the idea of A.I. pretending to know things and interacting with it as though this were true. All it’s doing is taking from other people’s blogs and papers, summarizing them, and passing them off as its own.
I find other people’s content useful because it brings fresh perspectives to the table. There are many things I would have had trouble learning, such as the pentatonic scale, if I didn’t have a tribe of mentors.
Boredom
I have no reason whatsoever to read or listen to A.I.-generated content. I’d rather throw a pickle at the neighbor’s fence (at least that way I might laugh, and laughing is good for you).
I don’t care how well-written the article is; I don’t care how enthusiastic the voice is. If it wasn’t created by a living, breathing, human being with real emotions and a soul, it’s all a counterfeit experience. And I did not sign up for a counterfeit life.
With so much A.I.-generated content, the internet will become a very boring, stale, pointless place. No one will make things, because they will be crowded out by A.I., which can generate moderate (and that’s being generous) quality content at a faster rate than a human being.
It’s too bad – I rather enjoyed this thing we had going with the internet. Now I have a better idea what the search engine guys were so excited about at the ground floor…
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, I know most people won’t exercise this degree of critical thinking in choosing what they listen to.
So, if Seth is right, human-hosted podcasts will be made redundant regardless of my opinion. It doesn’t change the fact that it will be crap.
Neville Goddard Law of Assumption
Welcome, fellow seeker…
You may have noticed Neville Goddard and his “Law of Assumption” rising in the zeitgeist right now.
There’s a reason for everything, including the increasing attraction to the topic at this very moment.
The Law of Assumption is a powerful Neville Goddard Law of Attraction technique, but without setting the right foundation, it will not work.
So, read on, and discover the power of Goddard’s Law of Assumption…
Article Highlights
- Most Neville Goddard interpreters have mistaken assumptions about the Law of Assumption that make it not work.
- True positive thinking isn’t about selecting only positive events to the exclusion of negative ones. It’s about acknowledging what’s here right now.
- The Law of Assumption and the Law of Attraction are not in conflict. The Law of Assumption can be thought of as a Law of Attraction technique.
- Most people only focus on their feelings, but they must also focus on their identity to get what they want.
Neville Goddard Law of Assumption: What is it?
Many will simply state that Goddard’s Law of Assumption is for attracting good things into your life. This is mistaken already…
It’s not about attracting “good” things specifically. It’s about attracting what you want by assuming its existence and manifestation.
It may seem like a small distinction, but if you don’t know that we, as human beings, are the ones assigning the labels of “good” or “bad” to every event or situation in life then your efforts to make the Law of Assumption work for you will be greatly diminished and impacted.
Many interpreters will also say the Law of Assumption is about assuming that what you want is within your grasp. This is also mistaken…
It’s not about assuming it’s within your grasp. It’s about assuming it has no other choice but to show up.
You will take a completely different attitude to the manifestation process if you assume it will show up because there will be no effort exerted in trying or forcing its creation. Things rarely work, or simply take a very long time to manifest in the familiar “trying and forcing cycle” we apply to almost everything, especially if we’re coming from a space of need.
Things rarely work, or simply take a very long time to manifest in the familiar “trying and forcing cycle” we apply to almost everything, especially if we’re coming from a space of need. Click To TweetAccording to Goddard himself, for assumption to work in the manifesting process, you must see your wishes as already being fulfilled. You must be able to imagine what you want vividly and feel as though you already have it. The feeling is what matters most because it crowds out all unproductive thoughts.
How to Use the Law of Assumption
Remember, there are no positive or negative outcomes. We are the ones labeling the outcomes as such.
When you understand this, your perception of people, circumstances, and events will change:
- How do you know that when you’ve lost your job, you’re not being given the freedom to start your own business, which you’ve always wanted?
- How do you know that when you’ve failed to attract Cindy into your life, Jessica wouldn’t be a better match for you?
- Are you sure that going broke isn’t the first step to becoming wealthy?
Assuming you’re always on the right path makes it so.
Famous rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur Jay-Z said:
Things in life happen for you, not to you.
Life is always happening for you, not to you. Assume this to be true, and you will begin to see that potentially challenging, difficult, and devastating situations may only be leading you to your ultimate destiny and fulfillment in life.
You don’t need more positive thinking to make the Law of Assumption work. Rather, it’s first about seeing things as they are.
But we do need to touch on this idea of “positive thinking,” so let’s get to it…
Are There Benefits to Positive Thinking?
Yes. Daylite has compiled an array of studies and research showing the positive effects of positive thinking in an article titled 6 Ways Positive Thinking Can Increase Productivity.
Some even believe that the Law of Assumption is nothing more than positive thinking and a mental reframing technique. Certainly, it can be beneficial in that regard.
But positive thinking – at least the way most people think about it – is not the same as the Law of Assumption. Many people think positive thinking is bottling up feelings, trying to make things work, and forcing themselves into thinking everything is working out for them.
Remember what I said earlier about trying and forcing? It has a way of making things that work not work.
That is not true positive thinking. True positive thinking isn’t about discarding what you don’t like. It’s about acknowledging everything that’s already here.
True positive thinking isn’t about discarding what you don’t like. It’s about acknowledging everything that’s already here. Click To TweetNeville Goddard Law of Attraction vs. Law of Assumption
Is there a difference between the Law of Attraction and the Law of Assumption?
Goddard surely knew the ins and outs of the Law of Attraction, an idea, a truth, that has been passed down through the centuries, if not millennia, if only in different forms.
While the Law of Attraction is always at work, inevitably certain techniques work better for different people.
The Law of Assumption is a technique, not a replacement for the Law of Attraction. And the technique is that by assuming that something will happen, you can call it into existence.
Assuming means, because you know it will happen, you don’t need to obsess over the lack of it. It will come into existence because you’re feeling as though it’s already there.
Assuming means, because you know it will happen, you don’t need to obsess over the lack of it. It will come into existence because you’re feeling as though it’s already there. Click To TweetBut there is still one problem to address, especially if we are to make this Neville Goddard manifesting technique work.
Chicken or the Egg: Identity or Feelings First?
The Law of Attraction is about tapping into the power of your imagination and feelings. And so is the Law of Assumption.
But if all we do is feel as though we have what we want and do nothing to prepare for the manifestation, we are mostly kidding ourselves.
In manifestation, identity comes first. Who would you be, and what would you do if you were the kind of person that had X…
X could be a Lamborghini, financial freedom, or a soulmate.
Shifting your identity and taking congruent actions sets the stage for the manifestation to occur.
For instance, if you were looking to manifest money or wealth, you would take steps in that direction – pick up a penny off the ground, set up a blog, offer to help your neighbor mow their lawn… and so on. If you follow your feelings, you will know when the actions are in alignment with your desires, because the actions will be pleasurable.
Neville Goddard Law of Assumption Books & Resources
Neville Lancelot Goddard was a prolific author, and most of his works are great if not exceptional. Many third parties have summarized, philosophized, and excerpted his work, but I recommend going straight to the source for the full meal deal. Here are several Neville Goddard books that pack a punch:
(The preceding are affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a commission on your purchases, at no additional cost to you. I am reader-supported. Thanks for supporting the creation of content like this.)
You may also find the following videos helpful:
Final Thoughts
Thank you, traveler, for coming on this journey with me.
Reflect on what you’ve discovered today. It may not all sink in immediately, but if you study it, think about it, and journal about it, breakthroughs will be on their way.
I will see you again soon.
A Day in the Life of David Andrew Wiebe, Updated
A couple of years ago, I was asked what my daily routine was like.
And things have changed quite a bit since January 2021! Sometimes I can’t keep track of all the amazing things in my life that happen in a week let alone three years.
So, it feels as good a time as any to offer an update on how I’m spending my time. Let’s get to it!
8:40 AM: Meditation
This is more an ideal than reality right now, but meditation is in my schedule first thing in the morning. Some days I keep to it, most days I don’t. More likely I’m at 7-Eleven buying an energy drink.
9:00 AM – 11:45 AM: Writing & Content Work
Not much has changed here.
I do have the occasional call or meeting during these hours, but certainly not on a Monday.
As much as possible, I use these hours for focused work, usually client work.
11:45 AM: Workout
I keep to this routine three to four times per week.
Two days are dedicated to cardio/full body, two days are dedicated to weightlifting/strength training.
12:15 PM: Committed Colleague Call
I check in with my Committed Colleague four to five times per week, sometimes for 15 minutes, but it often goes longer.
We share breakdowns and breakthroughs, what we’re out to accomplish that day, and create a possibility for the day.
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch
There’s some extra margin built into my schedule as my call with my Committed Colleague may go long. If the call is short, I can shower and get lunch during this time. Otherwise, just lunch.
1:30 – 5:30 PM: Writing & Content Work
I will usually wrap up client assignments during this time block, and begin working on my next blog post, podcast episode, book, presentation, or course.
5:30 PM: Meeting
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I have a half hour meeting beginning at 5:30 PM.
There typically aren’t any meetings on Monday, Thursday, or Friday during this time, but I may have a coaching call.
I also have a monthly meeting on Monday from 4:45 to 6:00 PM.
6:00 PM: Supper
A big man has got to eat, you know! 😉
6:30 PM – 9 PM: Writing, Meeting, or Training Session
On Monday, it’s typical that I’ll still be writing during these hours.
On Tuesday, I’m usually training program participants.
On a Wednesday, I have a team meeting.
On a Thursday, I’ll be writing.
Twice per month on Fridays, I have meetings lasting from 7:00 to 9:45 PM. Most other Fridays I have a one-hour meeting from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, so on those occasions, outside of meeting time, I’m also writing.
Weekends
I get to relax for the most part! I’ve earned it.
Nowadays, I often go for drives, walk along the beach, find something to eat, maybe smoke the occasional cigar…
I’m looking at adding fishing into the equation.
Final Thoughts
Did I ever expect to be writing, coaching, training, and spending as much time as I am in calls and meetings as I am today?
Nope!
But writing and communication are my access to all wealth.
Coaching and training are my access to fulfillment.
Calls and meetings are my access to community and connection.
Everything one could hope for or want is in my life. It’s abundant. And I’m grateful.
It’s Just That Easy
But it rarely is.
It might be easy for us.
But you can’t assume it will be easy for your customers, clients, students, participants, or subscribers.
What’s obvious to you isn’t always obvious to others.
I know. As marketers, it’s our job to sell everyone on the idea that our tactics, strategies, methods, and approaches are easy. Framing is critical.
But is what we’re selling quantifiably easy?
If someone can confidently write 3,000-word blog posts, they’ve got a part of the process down.
But if you came in and added three steps to the research process that potentially added four weeks to the development of the content, you can’t call that easy. Simple, maybe. But not easy.
You can tell people what to do in no uncertain terms. But if gathering four leaders with two assistants each is not part of their know-how, you should not assume they understand the “how” well enough to deliver on the requirements.
When most people can’t perform the job as expected, it means something is missing in the training. It could be empowerment. It could be the process. It could be examples that illuminate the path. Whatever it is, can you honestly say you’ve set up your people for success? If not, there’s room left for improvement.
Critically, nothing is just that easy. Things become easier over time, as you do them repeatedly. But until then, it’s a lot of banging one’s head against the wall.
Will it be Easier When You Get There?
So, you want a successful music career. Or you want to build a business. Or you want to earn your financial freedom.
These are worthy and commendable goals and there’s a reason why we want them.
But it’s easy to make bad assumptions about what things will be like when you finally attain your goals.
Your assumption might be that things will get a lot easier when you finally reach your goals. You might think that income will be generated on autopilot, dog trainers will look after your dogs, and maids will ensure your house is always clean and pristine.
You may even get all those things.
But will it be easier when you get there?
If you have a larger bank account, you’ve got to learn to be more responsible with your financial resources, not less. Otherwise, your elevated lifestyle will catch up with you.
If you build a successful business, even if you manage to make yourself mostly irrelevant in the operations, you will still have executives, managers, and employees to oversee. You will need to keep an eye on your team to ensure things are done to specification and with integrity, for the company to maintain and grow (if that’s the goal).
If you have investments, you will need to check in with them periodically. If you have a successful artistic career, you will need to release new material and tour it. No matter the success, you will likely need to operate with increased vigilance and discipline, and on balance, you won’t be much happier than you are today, if at all.
A safer assumption, then, is that things won’t be any easier than they are today. If anything, you will have greater responsibility. You probably won’t be much happier. And you will still be busy, just with other things.
If you’re going to start with the end in mind, then become the kind of person that can take on and handle more today. Because there is a version of you that accomplished all the loftiest goals. That version of you, though, is an expanded version of you, not a diminished version.
If you’re going to start with the end in mind, then become the kind of person that can take on and handle more today. Click To TweetOn Problem-Solving
If you’re going to develop any skill as an independent artist, entrepreneur, creative, or anything, make it problem-solving.
Problem-solving isn’t taught in school. The only place I ever received any training in it was in network marketing (and it was worth it).
Why does it matter?
Well, the difference problem-solving skills can make for you, your life, and your career is nearly incalculable.
Things always come up in life. Flat tires. Unexpected bills. Relationships going sideways. Breakdowns of various shades and colors.
Most of us, at best, have thought of one or two ways of solving a problem, and if we were honest with ourselves, we’d see that the few solutions we’ve devised aren’t very effective.
For the most part, we should reserve the word “problem” for our competition, and stick to “challenges” for ourselves, but for the intents and purposes of this post, we’ll let “problem” stand.
Anyway, can you see how having one or two poorly crafted solutions to any problem is a position of compromise?
For instance, if you’re one unexpected bill away from declaring bankruptcy, you’re in a much direr situation than you even realize.
At the risk of triggering you, I need to point out that spending no time thinking about all possible solutions is intellectual laziness.
The reason it’s intellectual laziness is that it’s an indication you haven’t spent much time practicing realistic thinking in your thinking, reflection, and journaling time. That is, of course, if you’re spending any time thinking, reflecting, or journaling at all.
It’s good to adopt a positive mindset. After all, positive thinking improves your overall performance.
But if you’re not also looking at everything that could possibly go wrong with your plans, you’re being unreasonably sanguine about life and the situations it can present you with.
I’ve had flat tires (naturally), fridges and furnaces break down, people ghost me for seemingly innocuous reasons, and much, much more. It’s surprising the disruption and headaches these seemingly simple “problems” can cause in life.
But suffering is always optional. Because there’s something you can do about the situation.
Suffering is always optional. Because there’s something you can do about the situation. Click To TweetSeveral years ago, I remember having a car window that went off the track. I knew that I could bring my car to a mechanic. But a little bit of research quickly revealed that the repair could be costly. The car was already 10 years old. I didn’t think the repair was going to be worth the cost. So, I bought a roll of duct tape and taped the window shut.
My business coach, at the time, said to me “That’s super entrepreneurial.”
This turned out to be the ideal solution because, as I recall, three out of four windows eventually all went off track. Then, the car engine took a turn for the worse and the poor Volkswagen broke down completely.
I’m not advocating doing what I did, taping car windows, especially given that authorities might not always look your way with a forgiving eye.
But I could have wasted a ton of money maintaining and repairing a car that was clearly on its last legs. Instead, I chose to handle the challenges with simplicity and ease, putting out a fire and moving on with my priorities.
To summarize, unfortunately, I must use a phrase that’s both a cliché and a rather ambiguous expression – think outside the box.
In every problem or challenge, look for every opportunity for resolution, not just one. It sounds intellectually exhausting, but to the contrary, I have found identifying and implementing unconventional solutions exhilarating.
The alternative is submitting to the “at the first sign of things going wrong, rob a bank” mentality glorified by films like Fun with Dick and Jane, and to me, that’s intellectual laziness of the tallest order. Not to mention, there’s a very good chance such an act would land you in jail.
Looking for more help with problem-solving? Get the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook NOW because when it’s gone, it’s gone.