Whenever my business line rings, I often joke and say, “I’d better get that. It might be Oprah.” Words are truly so powerful in creating reality. Last spring my phone rang and listed on the caller ID was “Harpo Productions”! The caller introduced himself and said he worked for “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. He asked if I had a moment to talk.
I chuckled and said, “Would anyone ever say ‘no’ to you!”
That kicked off an hour long conversation about a happiness show on which he was working. Ironically, after the many, many, many, many pitches that various publicists and I have sent to Oprah’s producers over the last several years, he found me through an article I wrote for iVillage.com. Go figure!
The show he was researching was to be taped and aired live the following week. He asked me to send a copy of my book, The Goddess of Happiness, and the next day we spoke again for another hour. He said that they (whoever “they” were) loved my book and asked if I could send another three copies along with my first book, Vita’s Will. By the third consecutive day of talking with him about this show, I started thinking I might actually get on. So then of course, I start planning what to wear! Forget about what I’d be saying—I needed to look fabulous! On the fifth day, he told me it looked very promising. He even went over the logistics of flying me out the following week.
Throughout that week, I tried to remain unattached to the whole process and outcome. Even though my adrenaline was on overdrive, and I couldn’t think about anything else, I realized I had learned to surrender to the flow of life over the last few years. I was excited about the opportunity, but if it didn’t happen, so be it. I was happy before I got the call, and I knew I’d still be happy whether I got on the show or not. On Saturday morning, he called to tell me the show had taken a different direction, and I wouldn’t be needed. I wondered how many times he had to deliver that same message to other potential guests.
I thanked him and jokingly said, “Well, I guess it’s an honor just to be called.” And, life went on.
I don’t know why the Universe opened that door for me ever so slightly for a peek inside only to shut it before I could walk in. I figured it just wasn’t meant to be…not then anyway. I had learned enough from various authors that getting on the show was not always the ticket to fame and fortune. For that to happen, you need to be on it for more than just a few minutes, AND Oprah needs to love the book and say she loves it over and over again!
A week after that door closed a different one opened. I’ll tell you about that one some other time!
4/15/08
When Oprah Calls
4/2/08
Keep Moving Downstream
In the last couple of years, I’ve had the pleasure of discovering the works of Esther and Jerry Hicks. Their books, CDs and workshops are based on information that Esther has received from a group of spiritual beings called “Abraham”, which she has been downloading for over twenty years. Whether or not you believe in people’s ability to gather information from the spiritual realm really doesn’t matter. What Esther and Jerry have to say is powerful and life-changing no matter where it’s coming from. In fact, the best-selling DVD titled, “The Secret” was originally based on Esther and Jerry’s work.
When I attended one of the “Abraham-Hicks” workshops, one of the analogies that Esther used really resonated with me. It’s about going with the natural flow of life, or in her words, “moving downstream”. If you envision life as a river, and you’re in a boat on that river, imagine how much easier your life would be if you actually traveled downstream in the same direction and speed as the water…all the time. Often in life, we are fighting the river with our thoughts and actions. For example, if you’re still blaming your parents for your miserable life, that would be an “upstream” thought. If you’re trying so hard to achieve a goal but getting nowhere, that’s upstream as well. Anything you do or say other than putting your oars in the boat and enjoying the ride will take you upstream emotionally and physically.
If this sounds the least bit intriguing to you, I encourage you to read some of Esther and Jerry’s best-selling books or order their CDs. I would especially recommend the following books: Ask and It Is Given, The Law of Attraction, and The Astonishing Power of Emotions (in that order). You can find out more about their work at www.abraham-hicks.com.
