On the Back Roads

Is This The Youngest Fan Of The Secret?

2007-10-04T20:25:00.000Z

My daughter's a big fan of the movie The Secret. Last time we were in Borders, she asked for a copy of the book.

I said, "Sure."

Well tonight she started to read it. But as you can see she fell asleep.

I'm wondering if she's the youngest fan of The Secret?

What's the magic word to transform your affirmations?

2007-06-27T16:10:00.000Z

You know how it is.

You get an email promoting a product, check out its website, click on the Order Now button, download it, and then...

And then it sits on your hard drive gathering dust for months. Somehow you never quite get round to looking at it.

A couple of days ago I found on my iPod an audio product I'd bought months ago and never listened to.

I'm now kicking myself. I wish I'd listened to it the moment I bought it. It's amazing.

I don't have time to tell you all about it but here's just one example of how cool this audio is. It revealed a simple word that's transformed my affirmations.

What's the word?

Choose.

That's it. That simple. Here's how it works.

An affirmation I used is 'I earn $10,000 a month.' But a little voice in the back of mind would say 'Liar! Liar! Pants on fire! No you don't.'

After listening to that audio I changed my affirmation to 'I choose to earn $10,000 a month.' Now the little voice is silent and big silly grin spreads across my face.

It's like magic.

Try it with one of your affirmations. Do it now.

Feel the difference? Amazing isn't it.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

P.S. I wonder what products you've got gathering dust on your hard drive that could change your life.

P.P.S. I bet you're wondering what I was listening to on my iPod. It was Joe Vitale's recording of Dr Robery Anthony's Beyond Positive Thinking. I don't see it online anymore but you can get a copy of the paperback book in Barnes & Noble.

Confession of a Book Addict

2007-04-21T13:55:00.000Z

I admit it. I'm a book addict. I've a study covered from floor to ceiling with shelves packed with books. And there's piles of books on the floor.

The shelves in Barnes & Nobel are almost empty after my vacation in Florida.

Here's what I bought. It's a weird mix of self-help and marketing books.

Simpleology - The Simple Science of Getting What You Want by Mark Joyner

Affilitate Millions - Make a Fortune Using Search Marketing on Google and Beyond by Anthony Borelli and Greg Holden

The Science of Getting Rich - Wallace D. Wattles

The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau

The Science of Success by James Arthur Ray

What the Bleep Do We Know? by William Arntz, Betsy Chase, and Mark Vicente

The Gift by Shad Helmstetter

Think Yourself Rich by Joseph Murphy

Why You're Dumb, Sick & Broke... And How To Get Smart, Healthy, and Rich by Randy Gage

Beyond Positive Thinking by Dr Robert Anthony

The Type-Z Guide to Success by Marc Allen

and when I got home from vacation Amazon had delivered

The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History by Joe Vitale

Adventures Within by Joe Vitale

Phew! Luckily I'm on a speed reading course on Wednesday!

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

I've Moved to Celebration, Florida - In My Mind, At Least

2007-04-16T18:55:00.000Z

Back in '99, I visited the town of Celebration, Florida. It was love at first site.

You've probably heard of it -- it's the town that Disney built.

Well, for the last eight years, I've lived in Celebration -- in my mind, at least.

I've drunk coffee by the lake. I've met chatted with friends on my front porch. I've played with my daughter in the fountains. I've walked hand in hand with my wife down moonlit streets.

In reality, I've got a Celebration t-shirt, a Celebration baseball cap, a Celebration keyring, a Celebration fridge magnet, a Celebration mug. I've got pictures of Celebration on a cork board in my kitchen.

Each one is a symbol. Each one is a message to the universe that I live in Celebration.

And one day, I'll walk up the steps and unlock the front door of a wonderful home in Celebration -- for real.

What's your dream? And what can you get that will symbolise it?

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Avis and the Law of Attraction

2007-04-04T22:44:00.000Z

I'm back in Florida on another family vacation. And the law of attraction has followed me across the Atlantic.

I'd booked a car with Avis and asked if I could get a Jeep. The guy on the other end of the phone said he couldn't guarantee it but he'd do his best. I simply stated an intention for a Jeep or something better.

When I turned up to pick up the car I was told I was getting a Ford Explorer. Half-an-hour later the Explorer still hadn't turned up. The guy behind the desk apologised and upgraded the car to a Dodge Durango.

I hadn't a clue what this was but when it turned up I was stunned. It's huge. Althought I hadn't got a Jeep as I'd intended I'd definately attracted 'something better.'

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Does reading Joe Vitale cause DVT?

2007-04-01T16:59:00.000Z

Yesterday I spent nine hours with my backside glued to an airplane seat.

Why?

Because I picked up Joe Vitale's latest bestseller Buying Trances. And I couldn't put it down.

I barely moved. I barely ate. For nine straight hours.

Never mind a buying trance - I was in a reading trance.

We all sell something - even if it's selling your kids on tidying their rooms - so you'll want to get your hands on Buying Trances.Go to Amazon and get it now!

What Has John Lennon To Say About The Law Of Attraction?

2007-03-09T20:01:00.000Z

Ever since The Secret hit the headlines, there's been a backlash.

Critics are clambering over each other to debunk it. They're saying it's simply self-help snake oil.

The Secret supporters are fighting back. And the battle is being waged on prime time TV.

You know something? I really couldn't care less. I'm with John Lennon -- 'Whatever gets you through the night 'salright, 'salright.'

For me it's the law of attraction.

And the only critic I need to convince is the little demon that sits on my shoulder whispering 'It's just a coincidence. Oh sure, it seems to work on the small stuff but wait till you try it on the big stuff. Then you'll see.'

But every time something weird happens - like finding rare books in a hotel room in Austin, Texas - the demon grows weaker. In time, it'll disappear in puff of sulphurous smoke.

So if the law of attraction is what gets you through the night, ignore the critics on the TV and in the newspapers, and start focusing on your own little demon, your own inner critic.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

P.S. To read how people just like you use the law of attraction to get them through the night, check out my ebook Inspired Attraction.

Images from the Unseminar

2007-02-21T14:03:00.000Z

Here's some pictures from the Unseminar. I hear the camera adds ten pounds. I must've had at least three cameras pointing at me. Although strangely it hasn't affected Pat and Joe.

And here's some general shots of Vintage Villas and Lake Travis. Makes me long to be back there.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Adventures at the Unseminar Part Four

2007-02-20T20:26:00.000Z

At the end of the Unseminar I hung around a little lost. I didn't want it to end. But it did.

Before I left, I told Pat O'Bryan 'Next time it'll be me up there' I said, pointing at the podium. And Pat simply said 'Tell me when you're ready, dude.'

Here's the memories from Sunday.

Laughing like hell at Nathan Anderson's My Cubicle video.

Bill Hibbler's infinite patience with the technically challenged.

Joe Vitale getting misty at the memory of his long-gone but never-forgotten cat.

Craig Perrine with his the answer's 'Scotch' now what's the question approach to Q&A.

I can't express how life changing the Unseminar has been for me without getting teary eyed. So I won't.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Adventures at the Unseminar Part Three

2007-02-18T13:20:00.000Z

Yesterday's memories of the Unseminar rise in my mind like the sun above the low Texas hills.

Smiling when the flame of possibility sparked in someone's eye during Bill Hibbler's mastermind session.

Squirming through Craig Perrine's inner game presentation as I realised all the reasons why I can't and why I haven't are simply BS.

Nodding in agreement with Amy Grant when she revealed her success method. But then thinking 'Okay, so you know this stuff but what are you doing with it."

Getting my head around Pat O'Bryan's unframing technique.

Laughing at Alan Abel's amazing stories of hoaxes and humbugs. But being close to tears as it struck me that here was a man in his 80s who'd lived every day of his life following his bliss. And I simply hadn't.

Discovering from Joe Vitale that I was the first member of the public to view his latest movie Humbug about the hoax Joe'd pulled with Alan Abel to promote The Attractor Factor.

I can't wait to see what today will bring.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Adventures at the Unseminar Part Two

2007-02-17T12:03:00.000Z

It's 6:05 in Austin, Texas. It's cold and dark and I'm wide-awake.

My mind's a mini-tornado - whirling with memories from the first day of the Unseminar. Here's just a few.

Smoking cigars and drinking malt whisky with Craig Perrine and the guys on the balcony as the sunset over Lake Travis.

Shooting the breeze with Pat O'Bryan and Kevin O'Rourke until well after midnight.

Laughing my ass off at Cindy Cashman's trailer for her space wedding.

Being embarassingly star-struck with Joe Vitale.

Listening to Bill Hibbler's cool stories about life on the road in the music business.

I'm sure there's more to tell but I'll leave that for another post when I'm less punchy.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Adventures at the Unseminar Part One

2007-02-16T14:24:00.000Z

Within five minutes of arriving at Vintage Villas - the location for Pat O'Bryan's Unseminar 3 - the weirdness began.

Here's what happened.

24 hours earlier as I packed my bags to fly half-way across the world, I grabbed a copy of The Robert Collier Letter Book to read on the plane. It's a book on writing sales letters written back in 1937 by undoubtedly the best copywriter of all time.

On the plane, after a wonderful meal of smoked salmon salad followed by fillet mignon - business class is amazing! - I took out The Robert Collier Letter Book and flicked through the pages.

One of the sales letters Collier wrote was for the Harvard Classics - a five foot bookshelf of classical works of literature. Sitting in the plane, I recalled when I first read this book I'd thought it would be cool to get my hands on the original Harvard Classics.

Soon I put the book back in my bag and watched the snow covered fields of Maine and New England.

After a three hour delay at Dulles, and a three and a half hour flight to Austin, I arrived after midnight at Vintage Villas. I found the key to my room in a treasure box in the lobby.

In my room, I dumped my bags and checked out the facilities. When I opened the armoire I found the TV. And stuck at the side of the TV I noticed three old books.

I wriggled them out and looked at their spines. I was stunned. Standing in a hotel room in Austin, Texas. I was holding in my hands three books from the Harvard Classics collection. The very books I'd read about in The Robert Collier Letter Book. The very books I thought would be cool to 'get my hands on'.

And I had.

Well it's time for the Unseminar to begin. I'll let you know if any more weirdness occurs.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

2007-01-31T19:37:00.000Z

How far would you travel to answer your most burning question?

A mile? A hundred miles? A thousand miles?

How about 4,687 miles?

In February, I'm flying 4,687 miles to attend Pat O'Bryan's Unseminar 3 -- Edinburgh to London to Washington to Austin. Half-way across the world in search of an answer to one simple question.

It's a fill-in-the-blanks question -- "Who the heck am I to _____?"

"Who the heck am I to write an ebook?"
"Who the heck am I to send out an email to my subscribers?"
"Who the heck am I to publish a newsletter?"

It's a simple question but it took months to discover.

Like searching for fossils in rocks, I slowly chipped away at all my fears and excuses -- all the reasons why I couldn't or shouldn't.

And at the centre of each rock I found the same old fossil -- the same limiting question "Who the heck am I?"

Was that it? Was that the source of all my problems? Had I really traced back all my negative emotions to that one question?

I thought it'd be something deep and meaningful. Something complex and unique.

But it wasn't. It's a simple, straightforward question.

Maybe if you start chipping away at your rocks -- your limiting beliefs -- you'll discover a similar question.

And once you have that question, how far will you travel to answer it?

I'm hoping to find the answer to my question 4,687 miles away in Austin, Texas.

I'll let you know if I do.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

The Power of High Quality Questions

2006-12-03T17:25:00.001Z

In Inspired Attraction, my latest ebook, Dr John F Demartini's contribution is entitled 'High Quality Questions Lead to a High Quality Life.'

And only today I've had an experience that shows how true this is.

Here's what happened.

I got an email from a professional copywriter who wanted a copy of Inspired Attraction along with the $260 worth of free bonuses. But he didn't want to pay for them.

Instead he suggested I trade him the ebooks. He'd rework my Inspired Attraction website and make it more professional and I'd give him the ebooks.

I said yes.

The result is he's got a copy of Inspired Attraction and I've got a professional looking website. We both win.

And how did this come about? Because he asked himself a high quality question.

Instead of asking a low quality question 'How can I afford to buy Inspired Attraction?' he asked a high quality question 'What can I offer in fair exchange for a copy of Inspired Attraction?'

Asking high quality questions is amazingly powerful and sparks into life the law of attraction.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

P.S. To check out the new look site, or to get your hands on a copy of Inspired Attraction, visit www.inspiredattraction.com

Life Lessons in New England - Part Two

2006-10-29T15:25:00.000Z

Sadly my New England vacation is fading to a dim and distant memory. But do I recall my visit to Salem, MA. It's known around the world, not for its maritime traditions, but for the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

At the Salem Witch Musuem, I watched a remarkably restrained history of the trials. But what was more surprising was a fair and balanced presentation on modern-day witches.

I know a fair amount about witchcraft. Once upon a time I played with the idea of writing a novel about witches in the 21st century. But it was one of those 'big digs' I decided to abandon.

The presentation reminded me of the core belief of modern-day witches: 'And if it harms none, do what you will.'

What if we all lived by that? What changes would we make in our lives? Would we give up our 9 to 5 job and travel the world? Start that internet business we've always dreamed off? Move across the country and start a new life?

But why don't we? What would our partner do? What would our parents say? What would our friends and neighbours think?

Are these really valid reasons?

Take a page out of a witch's spell book. And if it harms none, do what you will.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Life Lessons in New England - Part One

2006-10-16T23:47:00.000Z

After a few hectic weeks on the road with my day job, I reckoned it was time for a family vacation - and where better than New England in the Fall.

We arrived at Logan International on Saturday, picked up the hire car, and headed into the night in search of our hotel.

But first we had to get out of Boston.

For more than a decade, Boston's been at the center of the largest highway project in America - the Big Dig. We'd visited Boston back in '97 and the Big Dig was underway. Now it's 2006 and it's still going on.

We snaked through the city following yellow diversion signs. As we drove, it occured to me that many of us have our own 'big digs' - projects that seemed a good idea at the time but have dragged on unfinished for years.

Maybe it's the boat you've been building in the basement. Maybe it's the half-written novel lying discarded in your desk drawer. Whatever it is, it's sapping your energy.

Isn't it time you made a decision? Either finish it or forget it.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

The Secret to Riches

2006-08-26T09:58:00.000Z

This week I got an email from the folks at The Secret. They'd created a powerful visualisation tool to help me to attract riches into your life.

I love The Secret so I rushed over to the site and checked it out.

It's an amazing short video of clips from The Secret cut with powerful affirmations. I immediately downloaded it and put it on my iPod Video.

For the last couple of days I've been watching it as I commute. One of the affirmations is 'I am receiving unexpected checks in the mail.'

Well, guess what happened this morning!

My wife received a letter from the employers of my wife's aunt who had recently died. Her aunt had nominated my wife to receive any benefits from her pension scheme in the event of the aunt's death.

An unexpected check for more than $14,000 is in the mail!

If I were you I'd rush to download this powerful video and watch it whenever you can.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

p.s. If you've got an trouble with the video, its probably because you need Quicktime.

Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts

2006-08-07T19:28:00.000Z

Near the end of the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, an eerie voice warns ‘beware of hitchhiking ghosts.’

And, of course, the doom buggy rolls along and passes three ghosts hitching a ride. As one of the ghosts appears in the doom buggy, the eerie voice chuckles ‘…and a ghost will follow you home.’

How many hitchhiking ghosts follow you home each day?

I’ll share with you a couple of mine.

Each time I see a business man with a Blackberry, one of my hitchhiking ghosts starts to moan in my ear. ‘You should have a Blackberry. If you were successful, you’d have one. Imagine how good it would feel to sit in Starbucks and pick up your email on a Blackberry. You’d really look professional. People would be so impressed.’

And only yesterday, waiting to cross the road, I admired a brand new S-Type Jaguar idling at the traffic lights. The driver was around my age with his wife in the passenger seat. As the lights changed, and the Jaguar glided by, I noticed two young children in the backseat.

Another of my hitchhiking ghosts appeared. 'Why don't you have a Jaguar? Why aren't you earning enough to let your family ride in comfort. You know you're really failing.'

In the past I ran from these hitchhiking ghosts. I'd hide under the sheets and hope they'd disappear.

But now I welcome them. My ghosts reveal to me not what I want to have but what I want to be.

I don't want to have a Blackberry. But I want to be more professional.
I don't want to have an S-Type Jaguar - I don't even drive. But I want to be a better provider for my family.

It's time to go ghost hunting and discover what your hitchhiking ghosts reveal about you.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

How an Early Morning Meeting Revealed the Power of Beyond Manifestation

2006-07-04T19:10:00.000Z

For the last week I've been listening to Joe Vitale's Beyond Manifestation. It's real 'back roads' stuff.

In it, Joe encourages his audience to state an intention and to simply follow inspiration. Only yesterday I got a real live demonstration of the power of this approach.

In the morning I had a meeting in the city. I arrived in the city early, went to Starbucks, and sat sipping my chai tea latte looking up at Edinburgh castle.

After draining my mug, I headed for the local bookstore only to find it closed. I checked my wristwatch - an hour to go. I reckoned it was time to head off for the meeting.

But I had no idea how to get to this meeting. I'd never visited the office before and all I knew was the name of the street and roughly where it was in the city. I'd not looked at a map and I'd not asked for directions.

As I don't drive, I set off on foot to find the office. I left the heart of the city and headed for where I thought the office was located.

I came to an area of the city known as Dean Village. Here the road crossed a river over a stone bridge. But rather than follow the road my instinct told me to take a narrow cobbled lane that led down.

I left the Georgian townhouses behind and found myself walking beside stone cottages and 18th century tenements. It was wonderful. I felt I'd gone back in time.

When the path split, I simply followed the most interesting path. I passed a gorgeous red sandstone building with a turret. I crossed a narrow footbridge over the river. I passed courtyards strung with washing lines.

The path climbed and I left behind the cobbled lanes and old houses. It led me on to a narrow street with mews on one side and an old, tree-lined graveyard on the other.

I kept to the street and soon it came to a crossroads with a large road. And what sat on one corner of this crossroads? The office where I was attending the meeting.

I was blown away! Only a few hours earlier, riding the bus into the city, I'd been listening to Joe Vitale talk about setting an intention and following inspiration. And here I was demonstrating the power of following Joe's approach.

I'd set an intention - to find the office - and I'd followed inspiration - simply taking the path that looked the most interesting.

I think there's a message there. I'll leave you to work it out for yourselves.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin