Ever since hearing of the passing of Dr. Wayne Dyer last Sunday I have mulled over ways to write about him that haven’t already been said. The easy way would be to list my top 10 or 50 of his best quotes. Yes, there are hundreds of them. But a quick search on Google shows that dozens of other writers have already done that. So gradually I realized that if I was to write anything new about Wayne Dyer, it had to be my own unique perspective on what he added to my life. And chances are good that his words and wisdom have touched others in a similar way. With that in mind, here are five ways the work of Wayne Dyer will forever be part of my life.
Number One: Unending Growth
First and foremost I credit Wayne Dyer for always learning, growing and then sharing with others what he experienced along the way. In contrast with so many other people who wrote about him, I did not read his famous Your Erroneous Zones until after I had first read, Pulling Your Own Strings and Gifts From Eykis a Story of Self Discovery early on. Then I read You’ll See It When You Believe It, Real Magic and so many more. What made Dyer so incredibly powerful was that he only started with Your Erroneous Zones, then kept reaching forward to what captured his imagination, passion and interests every stop along the way.
One of his more recent, Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life; Living the Wisdom of the Tao was an example of his willingness to explore other philosophies. He didn’t just write about the Tao, he took an entire year to live the Tao to the best of his abilities and then shared his experience with us all. Dyer was exceptional as an author and speaker because he never allowed the moniker of “self-help author” to limit his exploration. He appeared not to care how others judged his messages as long as he continued to push the boundaries of his own personal and spiritual growth.
Number Two: Generous Collaboration
I read a lot of authors in the self-empowerment genre and more than any of them, I believe that Wayne Dyer was a leader in collaboration. Likely because of his insatiable appetite for learning, as well as his commitment to personal and spiritual growth, Dyer was constantly doing books and audio programs with others in related fields. A few of the more notable collaborations were programs he did with Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and Louise Hay. Not only did he appear delighted to learn and team up with others, in subsequent books and presentations he would share those newly acquired ideas as passionately as his own. He also appeared equally generous with his time and encouragement, as he did recently with new authors like Anita Moorjani, author of Dying To Be Me.
And although Dyer’s message has been of a spiritual nature for most of his career, by his own admission he did not believe he taught from a religious perspective. After being welcomed into a variety of non-traditional churches and conferences throughout the years, Dyer wrote, “I’m excited to be considered a spiritual teacher. This is new for me, since I have pretty much eschewed any specific religion. I see myself as a global person without any interest in excluding anyone.”
Again, using all ideas he found personally empowering, Dyer repeatedly and freely shared ideas from all religions, philosophies, backgrounds and beliefs. When asked how a person who was not religious could use his message he said, “It has nothing to do with religion. I’m talking about a source of energy that lives within each of us.”
Number Three: A Fearless Author And Speaker
Dyer admitted that after writing Your Erroneous Zones his publisher and agent pressured him to continue along that same mainstream genre saying he would lose a fortune and be foolish to do otherwise. Instead he insisted on writing You’ll See It When You Believe It, a book about, “…my fascination with the idea that individuals are capable of achieving a kind of God-realization if they change the way they think.” He was so committed to writing a book about his growing spiritual understanding that he turned down other lucrative offers and wrote it without any advance guarantee. He followed up by writing, “I am undaunted. I know what I want to write about, and I feel the presence of something Divine whispering to me that I’ve made the right choice.”
Dyer was undeterred in believing that, “You come into this world with a dharma, a life purpose, choices to make—how do you know when you are doing what you are here to do? You feel good. How do you know which path to take? Choose based on your excitement, how it makes you feel. You feel good when you are doing what you are here to do.”
Number Four: Down To Earth And Human
Perhaps what made Wayne Dyer so very popular was that while he was a passionate and engaging speaker and author, he was also very human. He never appeared to be better than others and constantly provided examples of his own personal journey to demonstrate his points. Dyer often recalled his troubled childhood in foster care and his hatred of the father that abandoned him and his family at a young age. Yet, by using some of the most painful moments in his history (like his youth, divorces and health issues), he showed how we might rise above them and move on to a place of peace and empowerment.
Plus, in spite of all his challenges Dyer was an eternal optimist. He shared, “When you call my cell phone, you’ll hear this message: ‘This is Wayne Dyer, and I want to feel good! If your message is intended to do anything other than that, then you’ve got the wrong number.’”
Number Five: He Was Wise
So much of what I’ve learned from Wayne Dyer is deeply a part of me. I believe that’s because he was able to take Universal ideas and put them into everyday common language that resonates with so many of us. A few of those timeless and profound statements made by him that will stay with me forever are:
“Don’t die with the music inside of you.”
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
“You’ll see it when you believe it.”
“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out, because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside.”
“You are a human being, not a human doing.”
“You are an infinite spiritual being having a temporary human experience.” Or “You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
I don’t just hear these messages in Dyer’s voice—I hear them in my own. And isn’t that a true statement of the influence he’s had in my life? While he left far more quotes of distinction, anyone who fully embraces these six could not help but be transformed.
I never met Wayne Dyer in person. Although I heard him speak live several times, read many of his books and listened to dozens of his audio presentations, I only knew him from his work. But what a powerful legacy he leaves behind. As an optimist convinced in the eternal nature of reality, wherever he is I’m convinced he’s still singing and will continue with these five attributes as he explores his next adventure. Perhaps it is SMART for us all to do the same.
Flickr Photo Credit: Angela Marie Henriette
RIP Wayne Dyer. An amazing man with amazing stories. And now others are carrying same message. I found the real meaning and origin of Dyer’s scurvy elephant story, about his honest and heartfelt view of his life’s struggle.Tears to my eyes. This will bring a major shift in awareness, too.
https://lakishajj.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/wayne-dyer-and-the-real-scurvy-elephant/
Heyya.. I just fall in love with this beautiful and fitting tribute, Kathy. Dyer contributed so much loving wisdom to the planet.I loved Wayne Dyer as you did, Kathy, and wrote about his passing as well. You did a beautiful job of capturing his essence.Certainly a loss to the world and to positive philosophy as a whole! You are right in saying that he can live on through our reshaping of his thoughts,Moreover,I’m thrilled that I’m finally getting emailed notifications of your posts again.. 🙂
Hi Sherin! Yes I’m guessing that Wayne Dyer was inspiring to many readers too. Thankfully his ideas and thoughts will live on through his work. And I’m glad you are getting the posts again too. I switched to having Mail Chimp do my email notifications and I think it is working much better. Thanks for letting me know. ~Kahty
Wayne Dyer has been my favourite self help author for the last 8 years or so and I was shocked and devastated when I heard of his death! I have 11 of his books but I actually have not got around to reading Intention yet and there’s still his latest “I Can See Clearly Now” which I haven’t bought yet.
I’ll have to hold off a while as it would just make me sad to try and read them now. He seemed invincible, I really thought he’d be around for many more years yet 🙁 Too many good people passing away – Gerry Hicks, Debbie Ford and now Wayne. So sad.
Hi Felicity! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts about Wayne. I do agree that it is regrettable that we won’t be able to see these great teachers again in person, but I’d almost bet that they would tell us from their “non-physical perspective” that they are not far away or in a bad state whatsoever. I think what happens when someone passes (IMHO) is that we are sad because we miss the idea of having them around to mentor us, when the truth is their work lives on and we can access that now just about as much as we ever could. I’ve been listening to a LOT of Abraham lately and the very strong message I get from them is that the next step is a positive one with nothing to regret. While I’m not quite ready to be happy about it 🙂 I’m doing my best to see the good. ~Kathy
I loved his humanity. A flawed human being not afraid to show those flaws. A brilliant man with wisdom to share. All the contradictions there, out in the open. If only we were all so confident in ourselves!
Hi Carol! Yes, that’s a really nice way to put it. Wayne showed us his humanity on several levels and never tried to hide it. May his example continue to inspire us! ~Kathy
Kathy, What a beautiful tribute to an amazing man.
Hi Nancy! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and leaving a comment. Wayne Dyer touched so many of us, I’m almost more surprised when I learn someone didn’t know his work than for those millions of us who did. ~Kathy
Thank you for this wonderful post. I was amazed at how closely your thoughts mirrored mine about Dr. Dyer taking us with him on his path of growth. I posted a comment on Facebook to that effect – as he grew, we grew. I am amazed at how many authors/teachers we share – Dyer, Abraham-Hicks, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, even Victor Frankl! I look forward to reading your posts.
If he’d read your blog, he would have been so honored to know he’d had such an influence on even one life. Thanks for sharing. Brenda
Hi Brenda! Thank you….and actually, perhaps in some way he has!!! ~Kathy
A lovely tribute, and how special that you actually met him in person. Nice to meet you. ~Paula #MidLifeLuv
Hi Paula! No unfortunately I never did meet him personally. But I did get to hear him live and that helped me appreciate him even more as a teacher with much to share. Thanks for stopping by! ~Kathy
A lovely tribute Kathy! His quotes I will readily say that he has the best because they resonate authenticity!
Hi Haralee! You are so right. I don’t doubt for a second that he completely believed everything he shared with us…and as you said that was a big part of his popularity! ~Kathy
For some reason, I’ve never liked the term “self-help” for books. It seems to me that so many books with that label don’t have much depth and many don’t offer anything new or helpful. I don’t normally gravitate to that section in the bookstore. Wayne Dyer’s books were different… they really were inspiring and actually useful and actionable. You wrote a very nice tribute to a great author and a great man.
My absolute favorite of the quotes you listed: “Don’t die with the music inside of you.”
Hi Janis! Thanks for pointing out the “self-help” idea. I purposely used it in the title because after reading about a dozen of tributes about his passing in the larger mainstream publications I was struck by how many of them called him a “self-help author and speaker”. And while he was actually so much more than that in my opinion–he didn’t really care! And that made me realize that the labels others use to describe us actually define them more than us. The truth is that Wayne Dyer had a big effect on millions of people–call it whatever you want, that doesn’t change. Let’s never let the “mainstream” decide who and what we are as authors! ~Kathy
By the way, I’m thrilled that I’m finally getting emailed notifications of your posts again!
Hi Janis! Yay! It’s still working! I’m happy too! ~Kathy
I had only read the one book of his. It’s a shame that I didn’t realize how many terrific books he had written while he was alive. I’ve added quite a few to my reading list!
Hi Rena! Wayne was an amazingly energetic man. He wrote everything from children’s books to blog posts to short books to long. Of course then he also did a ton of video (like all the ones he did for PBS raising almost a quarter of a BILLION dollars for PBS but also his own movie http://www.drwaynedyer.com/the-shift-movie There are also dozens of Youtube videos. Even if you didn’t like his message, he should inspire any writer for how he spread his message. You have lots of places to go if you want more. ~Kathy
This is beautiful, Kathy. Dr. Dyer was such a mentor for me, and one thing that’s comforted me this week is exactly this: “I don’t just hear these messages in Dyer’s voice—I hear them in my own.”
Thank you for posting this!
Hi Susan! I’ll bet there is so much more in my thinking (and it sounds like yours as well!) where we say something without even realizing where we first heard it. Wayne was so prolific I wouldn’t be surprised if I channel him now and then! 🙂 What about you? ~Kathy
Oh, I think I do! And I KNOW you do! 🙂
http://www.susanmarymalone.com/how-do-you-live-with-fear/
hahahaha….so maybe we ought to get together and really let the words fly! Are you going to BAM in April! That could be fun.
I’m in for that! Not going to BAM but maybe we’ll be at the same place sometime (that sounds like a good intention :), and see the fun we can have!
This is a beautiful and fitting tribute, Kathy. Dyer contributed so much loving wisdom to the planet. Such a tremendous loss for us all.
Hi Nancy! Thank you. May be all make even a tiny fraction of the contribution he made! ~Kathy
What a wonderful tribute, Kathy. Thank you for this recap on this man’s amazing message. I love the quotes you shared. I remember the first time I heard “You are a human being, not a human doing.” It really gave me pause. I saw him on PBS and loved his motivational speeches. I will change my phone message to ‘follow your heart’…love this post.
Hi Lisa! Yes, isn’t that one of the best phone messages we could have? I have often thought it even if I never did it. He had so many great quotes too…I probably should have asked all of you who were familiar with him to add your own. Next time! ~Kathy
I have a bookshelf that holds the books that helped me move forward in my life . A number of Wayne Dyers’ works sit on that shelf. It’s an amazing ability to write the words that can resonate with so many.
Hi Jane! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on Wayne. Yes, I would think any writer would be in awe from some of his examples as a writer. How he managed to make “The Erroneous Zones” a best seller is just the beginning of an amazing career in believing in his own message. Even if a person didn’t care for what he had to say, there is no doubting he was a force to be reckoned. with! It sounds like we will both miss him! ~Kathy
great post Kathy – I had read several quotes of his but had no idea how prolific he had been and how much of an impact he had made on people. Certainly a loss to the world and to positive philosophy as a whole! You are right in saying that he can live on through our reshaping of his thoughts ~ Leanne
Hi Leanne! Yes Wayne was a machine and very prolific! You could tell especially if you watched him do a talk that he absolutely LOVED what he was doing! He was an excellent speaker — which I think I actually enjoyed more than reading his books. The ripple of his work will continue on for years to come. ~Kathy
I credit Wayne Dyer with helping to jumpstart my midlife spiritual search. Loved his work and I too was fortunate to see and hear him speak in person. He will be missed but his work will live on.
Hi Lisa! I wonder how many of us could credit Wayne Dyer with something similar? I’ll bet a lot of us have similar memories–shoot didn’t everyone in the U.S. see him on PBS at one time or another? It will be interesting to see if someone else steps into his place to move things forward? ~Kathy
I loved Wayne Dyer as you did, Kathy, and wrote about his passing as well. You did a beautiful job of capturing his essence.
I want to read some of his books that I missed and perhaps re-read the ones I have. They are yellow and tattered but who cares? His message is crystal clear.
I will miss him, always. In all ways. In a perfect world he’d live another 20 years. Who knows what else he would have discovered for himself and then passed his wisdom onto us. Rest in peace, oh, wise and wonderful man. We loved you.
Hi Cathy! Yes, I could tell you were a fan from YOUR blog post and it helped inspire me to write one of my own. I’ve been thinking about him all week and even listened to a couple of recent talks he did and was reminded of what a gift he offered to so many of us! Just like with the women’s movement, it’s easy to take for granted all the progress we’ve made through the years and act as if it’s always been that way. But before Wayne Dyer, self-help and the consciousness movement was just a “fringe” way of looking at positive thinking. It is now so much a way of our thinking that, love it or hate it, it is everywhere and a part of race-consciousness. I continue to be inspired by his fearlessness and energy to speak about whatever it was he felt guided to write and share. Let’s be the same okay? ~Kathy