“I want to be the next Wayne Dyer”
I used to say that to just about everyone when I was in my 20’s and 30’s. I devoured every book and audio Wayne published – dog-earring and listening to them hundreds of times.
This man, this legend, helped me see that there was more to life than meets the eye. He inspired me to BE and BECOME so much more than I had been allowing myself to be. I would often recite Wayne’s points and jokes – even his mannerisms – in talks I gave, or with my students. Yet I could never quite carry that aura of “all knowing sage” which he held with such ease.
As I got older I understood more of what he was talking about, changing what I said from “I want to be the next Wayne Dyer” to “I want to be the next Rhys Thomas.”
Big shift.
Of course, there was a caveat: I wanted to help other see their inherent sacredness like Wayne Dyer had done for millions of people.
At some point I realized that I was never going to be the world class speaker that Wayne was. Still, I found my own on stage speaking style, and while my “style” might make a pro like Wayne cringe, it’s still fun for me, letting me share my message with humor and humility.
I only saw Wayne Dyer once on stage in Boston and had the opportunity to talk to him on the break. He shared a story about his work with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, and how Gretzky used his psychic talent to be as good as he was… I will never forget his face telling me that story because he validated for me, the first time, experiences I had had as a competitive athlete.
I even sent Wayne my first attempt at a book manuscript in my 40’s. He kindly returned it to me with one of his own books as a gift, along with note saying he really couldn’t be reading other people manuscripts but wished me luck with it.
At the Rhys Thomas Institute I still use one of Wayne’s earliest works as the very first step into my 3 year Life Mastery Training program. His “How to Be a No Limit Person” audio, by Nightingale Conant, isn’t only essential Dyer, it’s essential for life.
Wayne Dyer even provided us with a perfect tribute for his passing. On one of his audios he quoted a eulogy. All I remember are parts but it was something like, “I want it to be said of me when I die that, First of all he was marvelously alive, and in a world lost in a sea of mediocrity we owe him a great gratitude for awakening us and teaching life to throb to a swifter and faster beat in each of us.”
He did far more than that.
I wrote my bestselling book, Discover Your Purpose from a seed planted many years ago by Wayne Dyer. I don’t remember the exact words, but the mean was clear: The most important thing you must have to live a fulfilled and authentic life is a sense of purpose. He was right.
God bless your soul Wayne Dyer, you have blessed so many by embodying your life purpose with such clarity, courage and grace. I feel your loss on the planet already, yet I’m eased in the knowing that your legacy will live on for generations.
In peace,
