There are a lot of success “gurus” out there, and in spite of what some of my readers have said, I have to admit I don’t really see myself as one of them.
Having traveled the seminar circuit, and having written two award-winning and three best-selling books, I’ve been lumped in the category of speakers who “have it all together”—which is laughable to me.
I am an ordinary person who tries her best to do the right things, but who still makes mistakes just like anyone else—if not more so. Perhaps one difference between me and other people is that I’ve made a project out of publicly sharing the lessons I’ve learned (and have yet to learn) along the way.
(Thank you for coming along on my journey—it’s nice to have your company!)
So what’s the difference between me and the other “gurus”?
Well, one difference has to do with my perspective on human empowerment.
While some gurus teach that you are the ultimate master of your own life, and that you can have, do, and be whatever you want, and that you deserve to have everything life has to offer—my take on it is similar, but it’s different enough that I think it’s worth bringing up.
Some gurus will tell you that you deserve it all.
That’s reasonable, but realize this: They tell you that so you’ll overcome the common mindset that you don’t deserve abundance.
In that light, it’s a good philosophy. But it’s incomplete.
Yes, we must overcome the feeling that we are unworthy or undeserving of success—but the flip side of that is NOT that we are entitled to it, or automatically deserving of anything.
The antidote for feeling unworthy or undeserving (from my perspective, at least) is to believe that the gap between who I am, and my potential, can be bridged when I lean on the power of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Frankly, I “deserve” nothing because I fall so short of living the principles perfectly. But gratefully, I’ve also learned that I don’t have to be perfect to enjoy the blessings, I just need to recognize my shortcomings, acknowledge them, and rely on Him to make up the difference.
Think about it: if we’re really talking about Universal Law, and if it’s as absolute as the term “law” would indicate, then you would have to maintain a perfectly positive, expectant attitude ALL the time or the law of attraction wouldn’t work. Period.
Yet, while nobody keeps their thoughts perfectly (and I mean perfectly) positive at all times, goals are still achieved; victories are still won.
How do you explain that?
I explain it this way: God has provided a way for the demands of the law to be satisfied, but it requires honest effort to be obedient to the law, while I do my best to bounce back into right thinking as soon as I can, and having humility—humility which is demonstrated by acknowledging the role of, and my need for, a higher power in the delivery process, and hoping that God will make up the difference where I fall short when I trust him. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?)
It takes faith to believe that my Creator can and will help—but that’s the price I pay. The price is not to achieve perfect, unfailing obedience to all the laws of success every moment of every day. The price I pay is to do my best, and then have faith in God that he’ll line things up for me, anyway.
The key is unwavering faith.
Not unwavering faith in oneself, not unwavering faith in the laws (because that would mean nothing but predictable failure, from imperfect obedience to an absolute law), but rather: unwavering faith in God.
Related: Trick, or Treat?
So, do you subscribe to the philosophy that you ALONE are powerful enough to make your life the way you want it? It IS a better philosophy than believing that you are powerless to change anything—
But faith in yourself alone can only get you so far. Faith in a divine Creator takes you the rest of the way. In many ways, it can be harder to do, but when you get into the groove of it, it’s definitely the easier of the two options.
Some gurus will tell you that you’re the creator of ALL that comes to you. I see myself as a CO-creator with God. It’s a partnership. Yes, I am capable of original thought, and I am even capable of creating circumstances in my life with some independence.
But I’ve also learned (the hard way) that when I take the independent approach and get what I want, I find out that it may not have been the wisest thing to ask for.
(Be careful what you pray for, as they say—because you might just get it.)
Yes, I’ve seen astonishing results from applying the laws of success and utilizing the power of intention. But I’ve seen even better results when I first make the effort to determine whether my desire is in alignment with God’s divine plan. When I know with certainty that I am in alignment, it’s infinitely easier to have the faith required while I wait for the necessary elements to line up.
You might wonder, “What if what God wants for me is less wonderful than what I want for myself?”
I feel assured that we cannot possibly imagine the unbelievable rewards that are available for us; rewards that are beyond our comprehension.
We’re like the child who wants nothing more than the plastic toy in the store window, while our parents know that the joy will be short-lived, and that life has much deeper joys to be experienced.
So it is with us. Trust that the object of your desire may be, relatively speaking, childish in comparison to the rewards that are available to us. Check with the parent to see, “Is this something that will bring me ALL the happiness I’m capable of experiencing?”
True, you can use the laws of success to get what you want, apparently without God, sometimes with amazing ease. And using the laws in alignment with God’s purposes often puts you first through tougher challenges than by going independent…
That’s because He’s a good parent.
He’s smart enough to let you first grow into the person capable of appreciating and completely utilizing the reward when it finally comes.
Don’t begrudge the challenge that shows up when you set a goal. Embrace it with gratitude because it’s there to shape you into the person who will be able to fully appreciate the reward you seek.
Haven’t you heard that you don’t attract what you want, you attract what you are? How else do you think you change who you ARE, without opportunities to grow through opposition?
Yes, I am the captain of my soul; I am a creative being, capable of original thought, and able to build a better life for myself—no matter who I am, or where I come from.
But without God I am nothing.
Before you get all up in arms about that, think about it: I don’t dictate whether I have the breath of life in me today or not; it could literally be gone in an instant. (Try attracting another breath with your positive attitude when God shuts off the power fueling your life.)
You may not already have everything you want, but you HAVE been granted another breath, at least. How much say did you have in that matter?
It’s a gift worth acknowledging. I look at all I receive as a gift, even when I’ve worked my tail off for it.
So in summary, I am constantly reminded by my weaknesses how dependent I am on that higher power for strength. I rely on unseen help for the guidance I need, which leads me to the necessary resources to accomplish the goals I have. Call it the law of attraction, call it guidance, call it your subconscious, call it whatever you want. The point is, there’s something bigger than all of us that helps us along.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been successful at achieving a goal with an attitude that I “deserved” it or was “entitled” to it. I think this is the reason why:
Sometimes when one of my own children comes to me with a request, and s/he approaches me with an entitlement mentality, I am more inclined to deny the request. (What makes me think a cocky expectation of a goal achieved is what will impress my Creator?)
Related: God or Science – Who Pushes the Apple?
But when my child comes to me with gratitude for what they already have, and make the request for something additional, sometimes I’ll test them with, “What if I say no?”
If their response is, “That would be okay…” then I usually freely deliver.
When their response is anything resembling a tantrum, I hold it back. I can’t reward the ingratitude. Even if I want them to have it, I can’t deliver, lest they conclude it was their tantrum that did the trick.
It’s all just food for thought:
How are YOU asking Life for what you want? With an entitlement mentality, a tantrum, or with gratitude?
Are you going to be able to find peace of mind if it never comes? I think you’ll find that sometimes it only finally arrives after you’ve learned to live in genuine peace and happiness without it. My newest book, Portal to Genius (free) helps you understand this better in a story form.
Wow, that post was longer than I intended. Sorry about that.
If you want to travel this journey with me, I can help you better if you’ll read The Jackrabbit Factor. (It’s free.)
- Rare Faith Free class tomorrow (replay available) - April 25, 2024
- Rare Faith What we do to ourselves - April 19, 2024
- Rare Faith Waiting for the other shoe to drop - April 15, 2024
26 Responses
Leslie
I Love your perspective in this post. This is exactly how I feel about what we are learning. Thanks for such a well thought out explaination.
Jeff
Leslie your faith and positive attitude really resonates with me but I have this issue, not just with you but all abundance gurus. Why does it require copious amounts of money to learn these “secrets”? I know there is a better life for me and my children and endeavour to keep positive and work towards it but when your looking for more “tools” for the toolbox and they cost so much when your already struggling financially, it just seems to make the journey that much harder. Anyway keep up the good work.
Regards Angie
Hi Angie,
Boy, do I know how you feel. I tell a story in one of my videos about a time when I felt the same way and what I did to “spite” the seminar speakers. But I’m not sure what of the things I offer you feel “costs so much”… maybe it’s relative.
My husband and I spent more than $150,000 over ten years to learn what I needed to know… took out a second mortgage, sold heirlooms, whatever it took. It’s education, and you’ll pay several thousand dollars at least to get a college degree, with no guarantee that you’ll even get a job that pays you back for the investment. Nobody balks at that. Whether it’s a college degree, or principles of prosperity (which has a better guarantee than a college degree), someone has to gather, organize, and present the information, and it costs money to do that. I’ve spent thousands and thousands of hours building systems that deliver this information to a world-wide audience, tens of thousands of dollars in developers fees, and I still provide all three of my books for free, and over 200 articles and podcasts where almost everything I’ve created is being gathered and loaded. If a person wants a more structured training experience, I offer my Fundamentals Ecourse for just the cost of dinner and a movie with your spouse. If a person wants a more guided and thorough training, I offer my Mastery Program for less than the typical cost of a University course. If a person wants a LIVE, in person weekend experience, I offer the life-changing Genius Bootcamp for less than a typical used car payment.
Over the years, we spent money we didn’t have on education, because we knew it was the key to our future. We bought seminar tickets for hundreds of dollars when we had little more in the fridge than condiments. We traveled across country on credit cards to learn from “gurus” only to show up at the airport and have no room left on the card to rent a car – which was going to be our hotel room for three days as well. That’s how badly we wanted to know and understand what we’re sharing with you for free through our blog and book. If those tools don’t do it for you, we have those more advanced training programs I mentioned for a little higher. If you ever come to a live event, you’ll pay more, and get a whole different kind of experience.
You’ll pay a price one way or another – and I promise it’s much cheaper and less painful to learn from other people’s experiences and mistakes than to let life teach you first-hand.
I encourage you to shop around. See what other gurus are teaching, and what they charge. Explore everything we have to offer, and compare the value for yourself. If you still feel we ask too much, then I promise, life will supply all the lessons you need for free.
I wish you all the best in your studies!
Warm regards,
Leslie
Great post Leslie. Helps (me at least) keep things in perspective. I get so “busy” sometimes (OK, most of the time) I think I am in charge of everything. Gratitiude is huge, and I need to be more grateful.
Thank you. 🙂
Thank you for this article, Leslie. Your reference to the act of breathing is a poignant remark to make. There are many things in life we take as automatic ‘givens’ – breathing is one of them, when essentially it is one of the most special and simple gifts of all. As you say, we are disillusioned if we think we have any real control or power over it. From my perspective, we are here to be with God, not to act in separation as if big know-it-all’s. It is better to live in God’s purpose than go it alone.
Thank you for this insight, Leslie. I have been struggling with trying to come to grips with how the whole law of attraction thing fits (or doesn’t) with religious beliefs. I feel very uncomfortable with all these self-help gurus telling that we are gods (and then quoting Ps 82:6 completely out of conext in support of their views.
Leslie –
Well stated. Whenever I’ve listened to an expert and the focus is always your deserve this or that, I feel uneasy. When I focus on how I can do what God’s wants me to and how I can work together with Him to create something my level of belief and faith is intensified.
Thanks so much for this post. I can relate to where you’re coming from.
Best wishes,
Matt
Wow! This was exactly what I needed. Thank you. I’ve been struggling for a couple weeks now with frustration over getting up at 3 am for a paper route I’ve been doing for over 6 months now. I’m so tired and I never get a day off to look forward to. I just haven’t been able to pull myself out of it. My attitude has been along the lines of whiny and demanding, like “If I had more success right now, I could quit and get some sleep!” I haven’t been very good about praying either because I fall asleep before I even remember. You have inspired me to do better.
I do try to make the early morning drive time positive by listening to things like the “Portal To Genius” teleseminars, “The 19 Rules Of Prosperity,” “The Power Of Positive Thinking,” etc. As soon as I find my “Book Of Mormon” cd’s, I’ll start listening to that too.
I love your perspective about God. It rings absolutely true to me.
I totally agree with what you said. With God all things are possible, without Him it’s a lot of hard work. Not that we don’t have to work with Him, but there’s something different about it. Knowing we are in partnership with Him changes it all. We cannot fail. Allowing Him into our lives and then following what He has in store for us is what brings us to our real purpose/passion in life. I love that you understand that, Leslie. Thank you for being different that the others and acknowledging where the power truly lies.
hi there, my wife and i really, really love your book. i honestly believe that this (along with God) is going to change our lives for the better. i am assuming you know what it is like to have your backs against the wall, having tried every single thing you know to do to get ahead in this life. at sixty it is just a little late to go back to college and have a 'do-over' as they say. we are at our wit's end. God has to help us because what we have been doing for over 38 yrs. has not been very fruitful! so, i am going to start today and write down my goals, my dreams and visualize them (as descriptive as i can be). we know we can do this! we have been off of that path for just about a year now…..tired of chasing those sandwiches and know that there are rabbits for us. for years we did not think that we were deserving of them…but no longer. we did not think that we were smart enough…but no longer. did not think we were educated enough…but no longer. we will do this.
mike and donette
Hi Blaine,
I cover that in the Mindset Mastery course, and I believe in the Hidden Treasures book (it's been a while since I've read my own book – sorry), but I will consider creating a blog post on that topic for the next ezine. Thanks for the really great question!
Leslie
Peter and Leslie – Sorry I gave the impression that I had not yet purchased the FTMF course! I am about half way through it, having bought the "paper" version for myself and hubby! Great stuff, but I've been rather slow at working through it… partly because of my discomfort with the aforementioned issues… plus getting diverted with the "lo here" and "lo there" of various other opportunities and spinning my wheels accordingly. With the additional insights this thread has provided, methinks I need to get back at the FTMF materials with this new perspective. Once again, thank you!
Wow. What a wonderful post. Thank you, Leslie. (You're right, you're really not a "guru" — you've left that plane behind.)
Could you please flesh out "determining whether your desire is in alignment with God's plan" Thank you!
Blaine Lentz
Dear Lees2palmyra,
Although this is not a form site as such, I felt compelled to add another post.
You are 100% where I was for such a long time. For me, I simply replaced the words "Universe" with "God" or "My Heavenly Father".
As to goal setting and the like, I agree with Leslie, you really need to take the FTMF course. It has totally changed my outlook on goal setting and my entire thought process. Feel free to email me if you wish to chat more. Thank you again Leslie!!!
Great post, Leslie! Our "finite" perspective can create limited results in our lives. Instead, becoming a co-creator, as you stated, allows us to be a partner in creating our lives with one who has an "infinite" perspective.
At the same time, we must focus on doing what we can to make the blessings in store for us occur. To hear a further perspective on this, listen to http://www.fireyourfinancialadviser.com/blog/?p=191.
FTMF, while not religion-specific, definitely brings in the principles you revere as truth. I'm sure you'd feel right at home in it.
THANK YOU LESLIE! Your post has answered – or at least helped to answer – some issues I have had with the whole "put it out to the universe" concept! It seems so arrogant to me to set a goal and expect the "universe" to fulfill it when I KNOW I have a Heavenly Father who wants me to have joy and fulfillment in life, but who also has His own timetable and infinitely greater knowledge and wisdom regarding what is best for me. I have been struggling with how to synthesize the two apparently different concepts. If the "Laws" are TRUTH, then they are part of our Heavenly Father's plan – but how do I blend the goal setting with prayer and acknowledgement that all that is good comes from HIM, not "the Universe"? I don't suppose you have a "FTMF for the LDS soul" course? (and feel free to modify this comment as you see fit!)
A lot of questions I have been having just got answered- How grateful I am- thank you!
Bravo, Leslie ! Well said.
carolyn murphy
Hi Leslie,
Congratulations for such a wonderful and heartfelt post. You have very clearly defined what it means to live in accordance with God's will in your life. As I have read elsewhere, you are living The Uncommon Life and certainly are operating in your "Sweetspot". Thank you for your leadership.