It's Saturday morning as I write this article. I'm headed out to the lake today. A friend bought a boat and wants to take Nerissa and me out for a ride. Since I haven't had a day off in months, I'm ready for the clean air, the sun on my face, and the fast ride with good company.

Still, I'm nervous.

I'm afraid he's going to ask me about last weekend's seminar. People paid $5,000 each and came from across the planet to attend my private intensive event on Hypnotic Writing skills. I allowed only 10 people in the room. And I screened everyone who attended. I was about to reveal the most advanced strategies known to humanity for persuading with words, and I didn't want any riff raff.

I'm not kidding. I even had a guest speaker reveal the chilling little known secrets of persuasion. He had been raised in a cult. Later, he was an undercover agent. He once had a shotgun held to his head for 40 minutes. He used words to escape with his life. It was all, well, hypnotic.

This is the kind of forbidden knowledge I revealed in my weekend intensive.

My friend knows this. Like a lot of people, he's curious. He heard that I revealed the three secrets to writing copy that I've never told anyone before.

He heard that I explained my own private formula for writing sale letters -- a formula I've never revealed anywhere, ever before.

He also knows that I explained my private checklists for reviewing copy. And -- I almost regret this -- I gave away some of my original tricks for making all writing more engaging, almost irresistible to read.

I also revealed my ideas about Hypnotic Graphics, the "intimacy factor," the wisdom in comic books, a lesson from hypnosis, the power of optical illusions in words, the need to strive for the impossible, how to direct the mind, and more. I even explained how people think, and unveiled why I call myself the "Michelangelo of Words."

On top of all that, I gave the 10 people in my event a copy of my new volume, the Hypnotic Writing Training Manual, the definitive, ultimate work I will never sell or give away because it is so powerful. (There's one graphic in the manual so gripping that the man who bound the books for me looked at it and said, "Trippy!")

My friend wants to know what I revealed. He also wants that manual. Yes, he's a friend. But he's also in business.
He knows that if he learns and uses these proven methods, his business will double, maybe even triple. People who attended the event said the experience was a "20" on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being fantastic. My friend is drooling.

What am I going to do?

Go to the lake, take the boat ride, and prepare myself to be grilled by my friend, or stay here and work on something important?

The truth is, the question is for you to answer.

That's right.

You.

Do you want to spend the day on the lake -- or whatever the equivalent of that is to you -- or to do you want to knuckle down and make some real money in your own business?

The question concerns choice, life direction, and your own personal power.

Most people get bounced around by the circumstances of life. As I say in my forthcoming new book, "The Attractor Factor," you are the primary creative force in your life.
You can choose where you want to go, or you can let the winds blow you around like a mindless feather.

This morning my friend invited me to the lake. Will I go or will I stay here and work?

The answer is obvious. He's waiting for me right now.
But here I am, writing this article for you. This comes first. This is more important. This is crucial.

But what's your answer?

When you're torn between learning how to make a good living online, and a distraction, what do you choose?

Anyone serious about making money or even getting rich on the Internet, or anywhere else, needs to come from a position of mental strength.

After all, many people say they want to get rich. But how many of them are investing in their own success? How many invest in books, courses, seminars, and trainings? And of those who do invest in their own desire to get rich, how many actually use what they learn? How many choose to "go to the lake" rather than implement what they learn?

My question to you today is this:

Who is making your choices?

Your answer is the key to your success.

As for me, will I go to the lake today?

Maybe. Balance is good. Play is good. But I first have to finish this article for you. It contains a message for all of us. It's the top priority. It can help you, and others, discover the secret for getting rich.

Am I worried about my friend probing, wanting to get the confidential secrets of my $5,000 weekend?

Not anymore. I've set my mind to close that door. Anyone who wants my secrets knows how to get them. We filmed and recorded the entire weekend. I'll announce how to get them on October 5.

The lesson here is this:

Who's in charge of you?

Will you read this article and make a decision to do what's right for your goal to be rich, or will you go turn on the TV?

The choice is yours.

Your future depends on your answer.

Your wealth depends on your answer.

Choose wisely.

That said, I'm now headed to the lake.

Sign up for Dr. Joe Vitale's Oct 5. webcast at http://www.HypnoticWritingWebcast.com

Dr. Joe Vitale is the author of way too many books to list here. His latest title is "The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or anything else) From the Inside Out." Register for his monthly complimentary ezine at http://www.mrfire.com/

His Executive Mentoring Program is described at http://www.joe-vitale-executive-mentoring.com/info.html