It’s hard to believe that more than 30 years have gone by since I first wrote You Can Heal Your Life. During this time, the book has been translated into 42 different languages, has become available in more than 132 different countries, and has now sold over 40 million copies throughout the world.
When I first wrote You Can Heal Your Life, my original dream was to go beyond the students in my workshops and reach as many other people as possible in order to help them change their lives for the better. Little did I know how the Universe would fulfill this dream, and how many people would really be helped. From the moment this book was written, it seems that Life has said, “This book must go out; it must be available worldwide.” I think the success of this work is due to the fact that I have the ability to help people change, and learn to love themselves, without laying guilt on them. I also think the simplicity of the message helps it to cross over many different cultures with success.
At a trade book fair in Los Angeles (BookExpo America), I met a man who told me that I’m a best-selling author in his bookstore in Kathmandu, Nepal. I keep his business card on my desk as a reminder of the extraordinary connection I have with people everywhere. And today, the Internet brings me masses of mail from all over the globe each month. Many of these letters are from young people who find the message just as relevant and healing as did those who first read it 30 years ago.
So much has happened over the years. For six and a half years three decades ago, I spent time working with people with AIDS. It began with six men in my living room in Los Angeles one evening, and in a couple of years grew to a weekly meeting of more than 800 people. I called it “The Hayride.” This was such a growing period for me. My heart was constantly being stretched. I will remember those experiences for the rest of my life. It had a long life, and continued even after I moved out of town, but The Hayride Support Group no longer exists in West Hollywood.
Sometime after I wrote You Can Heal Your Life, several of the Hayride people went on the Oprah show with me to put out positive messages about AIDS. The same week, I appeared on Donahue with Dr. Bernie Siegel. You Can Heal Your Life hit the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for 14 weeks. I was in constant awe of how Life was moving me in so many directions. I was working ten-hour days, seven days a week, for a long period of time.
Life goes in cycles. There is a time to do certain things, and then there is a time to move on. For many years, I had the pleasure of spending much of my time in my garden creating compost and feeding the earth. Really healthy soil grows flowers and fruits that are spectacular. I also grew most of the food I ate. Then I tried living in a high-rise condominium in downtown San Diego for a while. I thought having a terrace would be enough for my gardening needs, but it wasn’t. Now I’ve come back to the soil and happily spend every free moment I have digging in the earth, planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables. There is nothing more delicious and healthy than fresh-picked produce.
Painting had been on my wish list for a long time, and I have dabbled a bit over the years and taken a few classes. I’ve had two wonderful art teachers who really advanced my painting ability: Lynn Hays, who taught me to paint large oil portraits; and Linda Bounds, who besides inspiring me, also encourages Alzheimer’s patients to participate in group classes where they all work on one large painting. The only time these patients speak normally is when they are in Linda’s class. Painting has certainly enlarged my creative boundaries, as well as those of others!
Over the last 25 years, I’ve also rescued several animals. I told each one, “I cannot do anything about your past; however, I promise you that you will live a life of love and joy for the rest of your days.” They all lived out their allotted times and have now moved on. My intuition tells me not to have any more animals for the time being, as I need to be free to move around the world. Besides, I have neighbors on both sides who have dogs, so it’s easy for me to get my daily animal fix.
In the early days, there were few people doing the kind of work I was, and I felt the need to be everywhere, teaching constantly. Now there are so many good teachers out there that I no longer feel the pressure to personally rescue everyone. I’ve written more than 30 books and have produced numerous audios and videos, so there’s plenty of material for people to study. I’ve cut down my speaking schedule to almost nothing, and now work behind the scenes supporting new authors and talented teachers.
Another first for me came in 2008, when I made my first movie! Many women in the film industry who are 35 cannot get parts because they’re considered too old. At 81, I got my turn to be a star. A number of people over the years have wanted to film the story of my life, but I just never felt as if the right person had come along. Then in late 2007, Life brought to me director Michael Goorjian. I looked into his kind eyes and saw his gentle smile, and my heart said yes, this is the one!
Although Michael and filmmaker Noah Veneklasen were newcomers to my way of thinking, I knew that the filming process and the long editing process would give them time to allow these ideas to sink into their consciousness. Not only is You Can Heal Your Life, the movie a success, but everyone involved with the filmmaking process has seen positive changes occur in their lives.
Reading books is good, but there’s something about watching a film that brings the message deeper into one’s consciousness. I’ve received innumerable letters telling me about the positive effects this film has had on people. The most dramatic was from a man who had spent five years in a Japanese internment camp, and after watching this film, he was finally able to forgive his captors and free himself from all the bitterness he’d carried with him for so many years.
There has been enormous interest in this film, and I taped two more shows with Oprah, talking about both the book and the movie. As it happens, more than two decades ago, my book You Can Heal Your Life was on the New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks. And then it went back on the list—22 years later, which was almost unheard of.
When I first printed You Can Heal Your Life, I started a publishing company called Hay House to self-publish my book, since I then believed that no other publisher would have published it back when these thoughts were considered so radical. At that time, there wasn’t even a self-help section in the bookstore. Today, more than half of the New York Times bestsellers are self-help books. How the consciousness of people has changed! It feels good to know that I was one of the early pioneers of spreading the message that we all do have the ability to improve the quality of our lives.
Based in California, Hay House has since grown to be one of the world’s top publishers in the self-help/mind-body-spirit field. We now even have offices in Australia, the U.K., South Africa, India, and New York City. All these changes were beyond my wildest dreams. In the beginning, all I wanted to do was to help people I couldn’t see personally.
I truly believe that the growth of Hay House has been supervised by the Universe itself. When we choose a new book to publish, it’s always something that helps others improve themselves. I love supporting promising authors who are helping change people’s lives.
I’m blessed to have excellent people running Hay House publishing for me. Reid Tracy, president and CEO, is invaluable to me and to the company. His insights have helped take my messages and those of our other splendid authors to the ends of the planet. Shelley Anderson, my personal assistant, is also invaluable. I love all the people who work in the editorial, art, publicity, customer care, marketing, sales, accounting, and radio areas; as well as those who work in the warehouse. They all make up the wonderful mix of Hay House family that makes us all so successful. I believe we shall all continue to bring our high level of information to the world for many years to come—blessing and prospering all those we touch.
An astrologer once told me that when I was born, there was a configuration in my chart that showed that I would be helping many, many people on a one-to-one basis. Of course 86 years ago, tape recorders had not been invented, so it would be hard to interpret that configuration. However, because of the miracle of technology, the sound of my voice on tape (and now on CD and in other audio formats) accompanies thousands of people to bed each night. My voice can put anyone to sleep!
As a result, many people whom I have never met feel that they know me because we spend so many intimate moments together. One of the wonderful things about what I do is that it gives me the opportunity to be greeted with love almost everywhere I go. People feel that I’m an old friend who has helped them through many a sticky moment.
I’d also like to share my thoughts about aging with you. No matter what age we are, we can always let go of our baggage and break through a new barrier. Let me tell you about one of my later breakthroughs.
Ten years ago when I turned 76, I decided to do something I’d never done before because I was always afraid to: I took up ballroom dancing. I had wanted to dance since I was a child, but could never get up the courage. For many years I’d said, “In the next lifetime, I’ll be a dancer. It’s too late to do it now.” Talk about a negative affirmation.
Then one day I passed a dance studio with a sign outside that read: “We teach you to dance one step at a time.” And I thought, One step at a time … maybe I could do that. And the thought that followed was: I’m going to live quite a few more years. Why am I waiting for the next lifetime?!
And so a new era began for me.
The first two months were absolute hell for me. I dreaded the lesson on Wednesday afternoon, but I knew I had to go through with it. I think I held my breath the entire first lesson. Every little-kid piece of garbage I had left in me came up: Embarrassment, humiliation, and shame all flooded through my body. I couldn’t even find an affirmation to fix it.
One of my early teachers said one day, “Louise, I can just see the fear in your eyes. Where does it come from?” I couldn’t answer right then, but later that night I really thought about it, and the answer was that there was a part of me that was convinced that I would be hit in the face if I did it “wrong.” That was a real revelation to me. The little kid inside was terrified of being slapped, and I was 76 years old!
At the next lesson when I told the teacher about my break-through, her eyes filled with tears. And that was the turning point for me. All those feelings began to subside, and I could concentrate on my steps. Now, ten years later, I’ve taken many private and group lessons, and it has become great fun for me. I often go dancing. So, my dears, if I can do it, so can you. It’s never too late to learn something new.
The older I get, the more important my health becomes to me. I eat simply: protein, vegetables, and some fruit. I’m not a vegetarian now, although I have been; however, I do eat lots of vegetables. I no longer consume wheat, dairy, sugar, corn, citrus, beans, or caffeine, except on very rare occasions; and I exercise more than I used to. The practice of yoga entered my life when I was 75, and I’ve been taking classes several times a week. I’ve actually become more limber than I was as a child. In addition, I take Pilates classes, and I walk for an hour three times a week. All this helps keep my body in good shape.
In October of 2007, I had my 80th birthday party. What a gala occasion it was! The entire Hay House family of employees and authors was there, all of whom I love and adore; and many of my personal friends attended, too. As I looked out over the festive gathering, I announced that the coming decade would be the best of my life so far. The whole group loved hearing that. I even received a special Louise Hay Rose. I loved having a rose named after me! This really touched my heart because long after I’m gone, its pleasure will remain. I also received a beautiful Louise Hay Orchid, a yellow cymbidium. (The cymbidiums are only available to those in Southern California who can grow them outdoors.) That whole evening really began my fabulous ninth decade.
Who knows what the next 20 years hold for me? I have some ideas; however, Life knows so much more than I do. One of the next subjects I would like to teach is how to make dying a joyful experience. We have so many negative beliefs about death, yet it’s a normal and natural process. We are all born and we all die. Why are we so frightened to die? We weren’t afraid to be born. My feelings at the moment are that if we learn to live a joyous life, then we will automatically have a joyous death. I guess I will have to show people what this type of passing can be like. I shall explore this more, and then I will share my findings with you.
All is well. Life is good.
Spring 2013
In the infinity of life where I am,
all is perfect, whole, and complete.
Each one of us, myself included, experiences the richness
and fullness of life in ways that are meaningful to us.
I now look at the past with love and choose
to learn from my old experiences.
There is no right or wrong, nor good or bad.
The past is over and done.
There is only the experience of the moment.
I love myself for bringing myself
through this past into this present moment.
I share what and who I am,
for I know we are all one in Spirit.
All is well in my world.