To Wayne Dyer, the universe is about ideas. Good ideas are a choice to empower you; bad ideas or misperceptions about yourself harm others and keep you from realizing your full potential. Dyer has made a living out of selling his ideas to others.
Dyer’s books, numbering more than thirty, have sold millions and spawned many audio programs and videos. He has been interviewed on numerous radio and television shows (he’s a favorite on PBS) since his emergence in the national spotlight in the late 70s. Some of his books include There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, The Power of Intention, and Manifest Your Destiny.
Dyer’s current upper-class life began very differently. He was born in Detroit on May 10, 1940 to a mother who worked as a clerk and a father whom he never knew – he abandoned the family right after Wayne was born. Unable to provide for her three children, Dyer’s mother placed them in an orphanage, and from there at age ten he was placed in several foster homes. From this experience Dyer learned fully the importance of self-reliance. He put himself through college and eventually got a Doctorate in Educational Counseling from Wayne State University.
Dyer got his big break in 1978 after struggling to promote his book Erroneous Zones. Johnny Carson got a copy of the book and invited Dyer onto The Tonight Show, so he traveled to New York at his own expense. Soon, his book was flying off the shelves, eventually selling 35 million copies and making the New York Times bestseller list.
One way to sum up Dyer’s beliefs comes from an interview he had with New Age Retailer in 2005. He said, “The No. 1 principle in the universe is ‘I intend to feel good.’ Feeling good is what you should be doing every day of your life.” Dyer values the spiritual over the physical realm, and perhaps may not identify himself as a New Age believer but that is the closest approximation of his beliefs. He frequently mentions God but takes a bit of truth from many major religions.
Dyer lives out his beliefs in his personal life by living in the moment, creating his own opportunities, and seeking to serve. He has married and divorced three times, having eight children through these marriages. Dyer was diagnosed with leukemia in 2024 but on an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2024 said that he was healed by a man in Brazil named John of God. Dyer, now in his 70s, lives in Maui.
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image via drwaynedyer.com