Bob Proctor: sensible uncle vs. sensationalist salesman

The snake oil skeptometer goes through the roof at the merest mention of The Secret and the ‘law of attraction’ – see previous post – however, this here article by celeb psychic Greg Riley in the free paper An Alternative Voice, repeats some pretty sound advice from one of The Secret’s ‘Master Teachers’.

Bob Proctor (I’m guessing ‘Bob Proctor’ isn’t his real name – it sound suspiciously safe and dependable, unless you’ve got colon cancer) is a wealth mentor and personal development guru. Given that Greg Riley is a graduate of Bob Proctor’s Life Success Program, I feel like this shouldn’t be sound advice, but I’m prepared to roll over meekly and concede when something I investigate seems genuinely helpful. I’ve edited the points down to a line each.

Law of Attraction in everyday life

1. What other people think of us is none of our business.
2. Every day, visualise the same stretch objective [personal development speak for ‘ambition’] coming true.
3. Life is a balance of mind, body and spirit. Establish what is important to you in each category.
4. Set goals every six months.
5. Create a gratitude card and look at it five times a day.
6. Create a vision board of what you would like your life to be and look at it each day. Meditate each night on your dream and imagine you are already in that situation.
7. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and make life changes.
8. Take action.

I like these pointers because they’re basically about taking the time to assess and focus, instead of turning up the white noise in your brain by way of mindless telly, internet, consumerism and chemicals, and then realising you’re all out of time.
Number 1’s something your mother ought to tell you, instead of “they’re just jealous”. Numbers 2 and 6 – visualising – works a bit: sometimes I like to walk down the street as though I’ve just had great sex, and pretty much everyone smiles at me. Number 3, about mind, body and spirit, is even worth plotting out on paper, writing down your values in each area. If you haven’t already tried it, do list your values – it’s astounding the first time you discover you have some, particularly when you find you’re unfathomably moral about one issue and then completely amoral about the very next. Number 5 might just stop your next whinge in your throat. Number 7, going out on a limb, should be a no-brainer. I relish curve balls and rolling with the punches: okay, you’ve cut me off at that pass; now I’m going to take another road, quite possibly the low one. Number 8 – take action – ought to silence any of life’s armchair critics and complainers.

As well as The Secret, Bob hawks ‘The 11 Forgotten Laws’ – of which the law of attraction is just one. The others are the laws of: thinking, supply, receiving, increase, compensation, non-resistance, forgiveness, sacrifice, obedience and success. Just as Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, attests vaguely that ‘the law of attraction’ has been known by and kept schtum by philosophers, artists and the wealthy throughout history, so also were the forgotten laws – but now they can be yours.
Put ‘Bob Proctor’ into Google and ‘bob proctor fraud’ and ‘bob proctor scam’ will be suggested. In a completely wily move, one pro-Bob website has the url of www.bobproctorscam.org. You may enter it a skeptic and come out completely converted – suck it and see.