NetCafeLive

January 21, 1999

Dr. Wayne Dyer, affectionately known as the 'father of motivation,' is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. The author of 17 books, he is well remembered for his best-seller, 'Your Erroneous Zones,' and other self-help classics. He holds a Doctorate in counseling psychology, and lectures worldwide to groups numbering in the thousands.

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FlowCCC: Welcome! NetCafeLive brought to you by The Talk City Network (tm) and Borders.Com (tm) Welcomes you to chat with self-empowerment author . Dr. Wayne Dyer . Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately known as the "father of motivation," and is the author of 17 books, including the best-seller, "Your Erroneous Zones." And now without further ado Welcome Dr. Dyer! To start things off, what first drew you to the field of psychology?

WayneDyer: I've never really felt I was in that field. I was a schoolteacher. I bagged groceries. I delivered pizza. I always just specialized in common sense. I realize later, as a school counselor, that people could change, but the things I was learning weren't helping. "Your Erroneous Zones" was my first effort, based on a common sense approach on changing your life, a book on how to manage your emotions and to take responsibility for everything in your life. That you were the sum total of all the changes in your life.There were three aspects in this; first, to identify behavior that was self-defeating. Second, discover the payoffs for continuing them.why you would do it. Third, to help people to come up with alternatives to defeat those behaviors. Identify, payoffs, change. It could be done quickly, rather than long term.

Possum Says: Your approach has changed a lot over the years since "Erroneous Zones" was first published - what have been the major triggers for these changes?

WayneDyer: Good question! I wrote about this in "Manifest Your Destiny" a few years ago. Carl Jung said there were four stages we go through as adults. These he called Archetypes. The lowest is the archetype of the Athlete. The primary emphasis is on our body, how strong, how it appears. The second one is that of the Warrior, the stage when we go out into the world to conquer, to collect, to compare, to evaluate who we are. Based on what you have, what you do, what others think of you. My earlier books represented my helping people to become better Warriors and Athletes. Nothing wrong with that, but it's no longer where I am. Third stage is the Archetype of the Statesman. We stop asking what we get out of it, but rather, what do YOU want.how may I serve you? My later books were all those that reflected that type. The fourth and ultimate stage is that of the Spirit.This is when we reach a place that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience but rather spiritual beings having a human experience. I now reflect that who I am is not this body I am trapped in, that it is not my true self. So, I think these archetypes he talked about are what I have gone through. I have always written from my heart, rather from my head, and my life has just unfolded this way. Thus, the shift in my writing.

Cccheer Says: You are considered the "Father of Motivation" with many best-selling books motivating us all. What motivated you to be in the field of self-improvement?

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