The Interview.
Damien Senn: Steve, you've been a director of Alternatives (one of the most renowned personal development organisations in the world) for nearly 8 years now. How has this experience affected your life?
Steve Nobel: I experience Alternatives as an amazing oasis in the heart of London. The information, inspiration and wisdom that can be found there is phenomenal. Alternatives has exposed me to a whole universe of cutting edge ideas and information as well as a fantastic network of authors, presenters and people interested in personal development and contemporary spirituality. It is an inspirational and creative place to work. This is because partly we are in the business of turning dreams into reality. I would definitely say that Alternatives has altered the way I see and understand the world and has helped me craft a very different life.
Damien Senn: You've just released your latest book called 'the Prosperity Game'. What inspired you to write it?
Steve Nobel: My journey of moving from struggle and scarcity consciousness into more flow and prosperity consciousness. For many years I felt lost in the world of chasing money to make ends meet and in the hope I could continue to purchase the things I wanted. What I really wanted was happiness, freedom and ongoing achievement and what I found was misery, lack and a constriction of possibility.
The Prosperity Game came out of my desire to write about the things that helped me in my journey. I wanted to write in such a way as to bridge the different worlds of work, money and success with the realms of personal development, NLP and practical spirituality. The book was written from a state of passion. I was on fire during the time I wrote it. Nothing could stop me getting up early in the morning to write.
Damien Senn: What does being prosperous mean to you?
Steve Nobel: Having experienced a life of anxiety about money and a lack of real meaning in my life I now define prosperity as something quite different to many people. To me scarcity is a way of thinking and being that produces fear, lack and a constriction of possibility. Scarcity comes from a state of consciousness that has no sense of enduring values. I believe every problem in the world comes from scarcity whether that is a scarcity of money, work, time, opportunity, or of compassion, peace, goodwill, happiness, play or purpose.
I experience prosperity as a whole different mindset. Prosperity is born from a more enduring set of values than chasing money. To me prosperity is a deep connection and conversation with life that produces expanding joy. Now I define prosperity as a weaving together of certain core elements: (adventure + freedom) + (fulfilment + happiness) + (vision + success). I look for these elements to be present in the ways I earn money, in the ways I inhabit the world of work, in my relationships, and in the dreams I seek to birth in the world.
Damien Senn: How is prosperity a game?
Steve Nobel: NLP would say that scarcity and prosperity are words that describe activities not things. They are not we can put up onto a table and examine. They cannot be adjusted or fixed like machines. We are not handed a certain quota of either at birth. They are the internal activities we do consciously or unconsciously from moment to moment that lead to certain activities and consequences. Scarcity and prosperity first manifest through our attitudes, beliefs, habits, thoughts, and feelings, before they appear through our choices, and actions or the words that comes out of our mouths. Scarcity and prosperity are simply self-perpetuating games we choose to play.
Life itself is a game. Like all games life has certain rules. Unlike most games the game of life does not have to be about winners and losers. I believe that life is a game that is not meant to be played too seriously. It is a game that is meant to be fun. It is also meant to be something that makes us grow. Too many people play life far too seriously. This is evident when it comes to issues around work and money. People who are too serious are heavy to be around. Heavy things tend to sink. Play is a lighter way to live. Being playful does not mean irresponsible. Making money can be fun. Work can be fun. When we enjoy what we are doing then we are more likely to perform better and have better results. In his book Getting Rich your own Way financial consultant Srully Blotnick made a study of over one thousand wealthy men and women. He dispelled the popular myth that money comes to a person by doing the things they most least want to do. The study found that the most successful people were doing things and work that they loved.
The Buddha said: “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” It is the same with prosperity. This statement could just as easily apply to love, peace or prosperity. There is no way to prosperity. Prosperity is the way. When we play with this kind of consciousness then we will see and experience a prosperous world.
Damien Senn: Is it possible to be prosperous and have little money?
Steve Nobel: I know people who are wealthy and miserable. I also know people who are poor and happy. I also know people who are wealthy and happy. My preference is for the latter. Expanding our inner and outer horizons is what the prosperity game is all about.
Money is a wonderful resource, yet it is not the most important resource available to us. Money cannot purchase internal resources such as imagination, creativity, innovation, intuition, clarity and a sense of direction or belonging. There are some circumstances where having too much money can be an obstacle for a while. This seems to be the case where it comes to the birthing of an idea or project. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and there are many examples of successful projects that came about with very little money at all. It is quite likely in many of these cases that money would have prevented the people involved from being quite so innovative. Take Cirque du Soleil for example. Back in 1982 they were a motley troupe of jugglers, acrobats, stiltwalkers, and musicians. Because they had little money the troupe had to rely on originality and theatrical innovation and through using outrageous costumes, original music, and clever performers it was a rousing success. Cirque Du Soleil is now a multi-million dollar business whose shows have been seen by over 37 million people all over the world.
Damien Senn: In your book you state that we resist being prosperous. How is this so?
Steve Nobel: I have found that nothing can stop a person with a compelling and achievable dream unless that person has some form of internal resistance. It seems to be a part of the way we are currently conditioned that we all tend (in the West), in varying degrees, to resist prosperity. Resistance could also be called self-blocking, self-delay, self-sabotage or self-undermining. Making resistance conscious is an essential step to being prosperous. Resistance can occur when different parts of us want different things. We may yearn for freedom and at the same time need safety. We may deeply desire more play and adventure, yet fear what other people might think. We might desire a more compelling future, yet believe that we will merely repeat a rather disappointing past. A therapist friend of mine told me a story about a very unhappy client. After three years of therapy the client did not seem to be progressing at all. In frustration the therapist asked her if she could ever remember a time when she had no problems. She answered “Yes, a few years ago I had no problems for a couple of weeks.”
The therapist friend asked her what happened. She replied: “I couldn’t handle it!”
There are many people talking about manifesting and creating a compelling future and approach the subject from the stance of high ‘octane inspiration.’ The thinking goes that all resistance can be overcome by just applying inspirational thinking. The trouble is that unless the internal resistance is understood and released this method can only seem to work as long as the high octane inspiration is being fed into a person’s psyche. This is the challenge many face after doing high inspirational personal development courses. The magic wears off because the inspiration is no longer present to overwhelm the person’s resistance. Knowing our resistance is an important factor in moving ahead into a compelling future. When we transform our resistance we no longer feel like a car with the handbrake on. Releasing the handbrake means that less effort is required to move the car forward.
Damien Senn: Have you always had a clear sense of what it means to be prosperous or is it an awareness that you have developed and cultivated over time?
Steve Nobel: For most of my life I had no idea what prosperity meant. For many years I tended to look through the judgmental lens of rich or poor. This was because I was born in a family riddled with poverty consciousness. By the time I was a teenager I had a master’s degree in struggle and scarcity from the University of Life. I once heard a wise teacher say that we are initiated into power often through experiences of utter powerlessness. I think the same is true for prosperity. We are initiated into prosperity through scarcity consciousness. I believe that without tasting the sting of fear we cannot really know courage. Without knowing the feel of aloneness we cannot know the value of true friendship. Without knowing lack we cannot really understand or appreciate the experience of fulfillment and possibility. Prosperity for me is a relatively new conversation and way of being. Prosperity feels like an old friend I am slowly becoming acquainted with after many years of separation. It feels a bit like re-entering the Garden of Eden after a long period of being lost in the wilderness.
Damien Senn: Your book has received some exceptional testimonials from some very well respected people within the personal development movement. How does it feel to receive this kind of acknowledgement for your work?
Steve Nobel: I have been deeply touched by the generosity of people. Some well known authors have taken the time to read and endorse the manuscript. I am particularly grateful to Robert Holden, founder of The Happiness Project and author of Success Intelligence, Nick Williams founder of The Heart at Work Project and author of The Work We Were Born to Do, and Davide De Angelis, creator of The Secret of the Money Shamans. It is my hope that this early feedback is an indication of the book’s successful future.
Damien Senn: What one idea could help us live more prosperously?
Steve Nobel: I believe that the most important realisation is that we are the source of our prosperity. This means adopting a mindset that does not see prosperity as existing in our salary or our bank account or any other person or organisation. The degree to which we believe that prosperity lies outside ourselves is the degree to which we stay locked in scarcity consciousness. Prosperity consciousness sees that prosperity is first an inner possibility before it becomes an outer probability. We are the creators of our destinies. We attract or repel wealth. Many people hear this and say that is not true. Some people are just lucky and others unlucky. Psychologist Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Project, carried out a 10-year study into luck. He researched over a thousand volunteers and examined their personality differences on a number of different levels. He found that lucky people expect to be happy and successful, and see bad luck as being short lived. Lucky people tend to persevere in pursuit of their dreams or goals, and can turn misfortune into good fortune. They tend to enjoy meeting and connecting with people, and are more likely to initiate conversations and build long-lasting relationships. They create strong networks and thus optimise their chances of lucky encounters. Wiseman’s research points to luck being something we generate ourselves.
Damien Senn: What one practical step can people take to become more prosperous?
Steve Nobel: I would say consciously develop a vast imagination; one that can dream the possible, the probable and even the seemingly impossible. Imagination is the most important tool we have for conscious creation. It has long been known that the creative power of imagination has an important role in the achievement of success in any field. What we imagine with faith and feelings comes into being. A lack of understanding of the power of the imagination is responsible for much suffering, difficulty and failure. Visualizing an object or a situation, and repeating often this mental image, has the power to attract the desired object or situation into our lives. Understanding how to use the imagination correctly can open the door to wealth and success. This has been proved by many different studies. For instance, Yale University surveyed a number of their graduates in the 1950s, and again 20 years later. Its research showed that 3% were worth more in terms of wealth than the other 97%. The 3% also had better relationships and were healthier than the larger group. The research discovered that the difference between the groups was not based on gender, parental wealth, career choice, ethnicity or any other such factors. The difference was that the smaller group had started out with a clearly defined vision of where they wanted to go. They could see the future they wanted to inhabit. Vision is all important if we are to break through the gravitational pull of our resistance.
Damien Senn: You have been exposed to some amazing teachers over the course of your life. Which one has been most influential?
Steve Nobel: The most inspirational teachers have been: the mythologist Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces who taught me about the power of stories and myth and the importance of living a heroic life; David Whyte, corporate poet and author of Crossing the Unknown Sea who showed me the improbable is possible and that life is a great adventure; Nick Williams, author of The Work We Were Born To Do, who has shown me that work does not have to be a slog and that money is never the real issue in our lives. Michael Breen who opened my understanding of the power of NLP, coaching and thinking non-conventionally.
The most magical teachers have been: Gill Edwards, author of Living Magically who taught me that the universe is more magical than I ever realised; American witch Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance, who helped me experience and understand the tremendous power of ritual for reshaping our reality. The wisdom of channeled beings such as Seth, Lazaris, Orin and Daben have blown open my thinking about the nature of reality, and about what is possible in this world.
Some of the most amazing teachers have been seminar leaders in personal development courses. I have gone through many different seminar processes over the last 15 years. For instance the ISA seminar taught me that my word is law in my universe. Landmark Forum taught me the power of completion. Insight Seminars helped me regain my faith in the process of life. Essence taught me about the power of acceptance and compassion. The Mankind Project helped me heal my wounded masculine and reconnect to the world in a more empowered way.
Damien Senn: In the book you say that the universe conspires to help us live more prosperously. What do you mean by this?
Steve Nobel: Beyond the conscious and unconscious resources we awaken when we step into creating a more compelling life there are also higher resources that begin to be activated when we take the journey. Synchronicities or meaningful coincidences start to occur. We meet the right person at the right time. We find the right book or teacher that is a signpost for the next phase. We step into the right opportunity that changes our whole direction. I believe that there is a Higher Intelligence at work in the universe. Call it God, Tao, Buddha mind, Christ Consciousness whatever you wish; there is a power and intelligence at work that is far greater than the sum of our individual or collective consciousness. Mystics, shamans and witches know this power. It is immanent in the world we live in. It is also the transcendent spirit. This higher intelligence is not the distant landlord figure as portrayed by Christianity. We are not separate from this intelligence. This is the heresy that keeps us playing small and safe in life. The way to access this power is not through begging or pleading but by knowing that we are the source of our prosperity. Then we take responsibility for our individual power, which opens the channel for a greater source to pour through us. When we open to this power and commit to making a positive difference in the world then the same power that shines through the radiance of the sun, and holds the stars in their orbits becomes available to us. This intelligence is a limitless flow of light, love and wisdom. Working with this intelligence is about experience and not belief. Belief is a door through which we can access this intelligence but belief is not the way. Experience is the way. When experience is the way we are not fooling ourselves. I have found that abundance is the creative nature of this intelligence.
Damien Senn: Do you think anyone can live an inspired life?
Steve Nobel: Many people who have experienced very challenging upbringings have gone on to live inspirational lives. It seems that nothing can stop the human spirit once the decision has been taken to go beyond mediocrity. I have met many people who argue convincingly why they cannot live an inspired life. I have found that people who argue for their limitations are left with those limitations. People who strive for their dreams are unstoppable. Anyone can choose to live an inspired life. The price we pay for living at the cutting edge of inspiration is that life ceases to be predictable and safe. Inspiration leads us into the unknown. This takes courage and a certain amount of faith in ourselves and the process of life. I have found that in such a place opportunities and miracles can and do happen.
Damien Senn: Do you have any new creative projects on the horizon?
Steve Nobel: I am currently co-creating an exciting project with author Davide de Angelis. We are creating some audio packages on money that will be available soon. We are also planning to start a success/networking group in London in the coming months. I have just completed a free ten week e-learning course called Prosperity Consciousness: A Hero’s Journey. I am planning to write some more e-learning courses in the near future. I am running workshops this in London and Glastonbury and possibly Bulgaria. For anyone interested there is also a teleseminar coming up in October called The Spiritual Dynamics of Money. I have the beginnings of an idea for a second book, but that will stay on the back burner until some time next year.
On a more personal note I am moving into a beautiful new apartment in the next week or so. It is our dream home. It is in a place in North London that my partner and I love. It is in a brand new development that overlooks a large water reservoir. There is lots of wildlife and also a sailing club. It is also between two large and very beautiful parks. We are very excited.
Post a comment on this interview by clicking here
