Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer is one of my top favorite books; concise, yet full of wisdom. That’s why I was so excited when I heard that Serena Dyer, Dr. Dyer’s daughter and one of my radio show guests, had written a book based on the ten secrets in Dr. Dyer’s book.
Why read a book about a book? Because every author offers a unique perspective that enriches the original message. This is what Dr. Dyer did when he wrote his interpretation of the Tao Te Ching: Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao. In Serena’s case, she offers the perspective of a daughter who was raised following the principles in Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace.
Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You: My Experience Growing Up with Spiritual Parents is a book I couldn’t put down because of three main reasons:
First, the book’s structure allows Serena to respond to the teachings her father laid out in his book, but Dr. Dyer also adds his reaction at the end of each chapter. The two perspectives helped me internalize the core messages in the book.
Second, the many stories included in Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You made Serena’s reflections much more powerful. Bestselling author Cheryl Richardson taught me that the best way to teach something is by telling a story, and Serena proved she is a master storyteller.
Third, the writing exudes authenticity. It can be difficult to admit that we have flaws and fall prey to the ego from time to time, especially when we have been raised by spiritual parents such as Marcelene and Wayne Dyer. However, Serena is brave to admit that she has made mistakes in the past and sometimes moves away from the state of pure love she wishes to reach.
I believe we’re all a work in progress, and what matters is to become aware of those times when we remove ourselves from who we really are (love and joy) and not only learn from the experience, but quickly shift direction.
The ten chapters in the book follow the structure of Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace:
Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing. Serena says that in her home, “nothing was taboo (…) We talked about ghosts, time travel, outer space, and other dimensions.”
Become inspired to explore different ideas, different places, and listen to people from different backgrounds than yours. You’ll enrich your life experience and have fun in the process.
You can’t give away what you don’t have. We can’t react with anger, criticism or hatred if love takes up most of the space in our heart, and conversely, we can’t give love away if we’re filled with negative emotions.
In Serena’s family, “gossip and negative talk weren’t encouraged.” You can choose not only to raise your children this way, but to become aware of what you give away and decide whether it matches the kind of person you want to be.
Embrace silence. Serena’s mother experienced a miraculously pain-free delivery when she had her first child, in large part because of her dedication to silent meditation.
Try spending more time in silence, alone. Silence will become a welcome oasis in your life rather than something awkward or scary.
Give up your personal history. “If we’re still living in our past experiences, we aren’t getting the lessons they are meant to teach us,” Serena writes.
Even though letting go of the past can be difficult to do, especially when we’ve been hurt deeply, it’s our only way to freedom.
Decide to release your past hurts starting today.
You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it. A couple of days ago, I was trying to figure out how to share my message with more people on social media, but couldn’t find an answer.
I eventually realized I needed to stop focusing on what I might have been doing wrong. I stepped away from the problem, and when I saw it with different eyes, I found the solution.
As Serena writes, “The problem is not really the problem, as confusing as that sounds, the problem is the way we think about the problem.”
Dare to break your old patterns of thinking to overcome challenges.
There are no justified resentments. “Blame” was a word that the Dyer children were never allowed to use. The reason is simple: Taking responsibility for whatever shows up in our life is the only way to assume control for what happens next.
Refuse to wait for circumstances to change or for someone to behave differently to reach the state of joy you know you deserve.
Treat yourself as if you already are what you’d like to be. This is one of the most powerful tenets that guides me. How does this principle work? It’s a matter of energy alignment.
If you train your subconscious mind to see itself as already possessing what you want, you will think and behave in ways that will allow you to get what you want.
As Dr. Dyer always says and Serena reinstates, we don’t get what we want, we get what we are.
Who do you want to become? Align your thoughts and actions with your desires.
Treasure your divinity. This book reminds us that a spark of God is inside each one of us, and if we are constantly aware of this, we’ll tend to think and act in ways that reflect the divine love within us.
Serena introduces the analogy of God as the ocean, and each one of us as a cup of water from that ocean.
Become one with the ocean of God to treasure and experience your magnificence in its full splendor.
Wisdom is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you. This chapter talks about the importance of avoiding thoughts that produce negative emotions, and refers to the muscle testing studies done by Dr. David Hawkins.
Your body will tell you whether you’re aligned with a positive or negative thought. Surge of energy? Continue focusing on the thought. Tightness in the stomach? Time to divert your attention to something different.
I left the most significant message for last:
Don’t die with your music still in you. This book reminded me to follow my calling regardless of what those around me say or do.
Do what inspires you! As Serena writes, “making the choice not to die with our music inside of us can be gut-wrenchingly hard, but it’s so worth it.”
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.