Creating Opportunities for Yourself! - February 2012

Bestselling author Wayne Dyer shares his thoughts on manifesting your dreams, even in these tough times

Wayne Dyer is someone that many look to for advice. As a bestselling author of more than 30 books and an international speaker, he dishes out words of wisdom to millions. But his life hasn't been a cakewalk.

“When I was young my brother David and I were farmed off to foster homes, and I spent time in orphanages,” he said. “My father abandoned us. Here’s the most important person in my life and I never met him.”

While he has faced his fair share of challenges, you won’t find Dyer dwelling on it, which is what led to his many successes. So what would he say is the key to staying optimistic in such a troubled economy?

“You have to create opportunities for yourself,” said Dyer. “I shoveled snow, or delivered papers because I wanted some spending money but nobody would give it to me. A lot of people have a sense-of-entitlement mentality that somebody else ought to do these things for them. People are mad at the government for not getting jobs for them. I don’t understand why it’s the government’s responsibility. Jobs are disappearing because the world is changing. If you live in a town and the factory is closed, you can’t just sit there and hope that factory comes back. You might have to move. You have to adjust to the world that you live in.”

Here are some of Dyer’s tips for manifesting your dreams.

Don't be greedy

“We only need so much to survive, but this world we live in tells us we need more stuff to be happy,” Dyer said. “We’re inundated with our televisions, the Internet and advertising that says in order to be happy you have to have these things. When you say, ‘Gimme, gimme, gimme,’ you will always be in short supply. But if you ask, ‘How may I serve?’ things will come to you. You attract who you are.”

Forgive the unforgivable

Even though Dyer never met his father, he still managed to forgive him after he died. “I went to his grave site and I was able to forgive him and get rid of my rage and anger,” he said. “Until you are able to do that with anyone in your life—whether it's family or a friend, or someone you work with—you can't move forward and bring true joy into your life.”

Be grateful

"Real success comes through service and gratitude,” Dyer said. “I don't have a vision board with a new Mercedes or a new watch. I wake up each day and ask, ‘What can I give?’ The first thing I do every single morning is I say, ‘Thank you,’ and I pick a letter up, or sometimes I call somebody. And I try to give back. I ask, ‘How may I serve somebody?’ ”

Check your ego at the door

“The ego makes us think we are separate from each other and therefore special. But we are not,” Dyer said. “So if you go through your day thinking you are better than someone else, or more worthy of success, you completely disconnect from source. You are competing and thinking you are special. And this prevents you from bringing in your greatest gifts.”

Remember that anything is possible

Now battling “and winning” his own fight against leukemia, Dyer says he is beating the odds by focusing on the positive, and getting inspiration from others.

“There is a woman named Anita Moorjani who had terminal cancer,” he said. “Nobody has ever come back from cancer at this stage. She had 24 tumors the size of lemons throughout her entire body. She was in a coma for four and a half weeks. She was technically dead. Yet she woke up and she has completely healed. No doctors can explain it. It's the most incredible miracle I have ever witnessed in my life. So you have to ignore the naysayers and those who say something isn't possible or it can't happen.”

By Jen Weigel, Chicago Tribune

Wayne's Bio: WAYNE W. DYER, PH.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self development. He is the author of more than 30 books, has created numerous audio and video programs, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows. Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans. Despite his childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, Dr. Dyer has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same. When he's not traveling the globe delivering his uplifting message, Wayne is writing from his home in Maui.