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Bob Proctor (born Robert Corlett Proctor; July 5, 1934 – February 3, 2022[1]) was a Canadian self-help author and lecturer.[2] He was best known for his New York Times best-selling book You Were Born Rich (1984) and being a contributor to the film The Secret (2006).[3] Proctor's teachings maintained the idea that a positive self-image is critical for obtaining success, frequently referencing the pseudoscientific belief of the Law of Attraction.[3]

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Bob Proctor
Born	(1934-07-05)July 5, 1934 Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Died	February 3, 2022 (aged 87)
Occupation	Author salesman lecturer
Period	1984–2022
Genre	Self-help
Notable works	You Were Born Rich (1984) The Secret (2006)

Proctor's teachings of the Law of Attraction were a major part of the rise in prominence it, due chiefly to The Secret film and book. Critics noted that simply having a sustained thought over time will materialize those thoughts into reality, whether it be for riches or for health. [2] Some experts worried that individuals may opt for Proctor's model of Positive Thinking instead of physical therapies or medical intervention. [2] The response to these criticisms and concerns is simply that the thinking is the foundation for inspired action, not the sole action.

The Law of Attraction originates from quantum mysticism which suggests that positive thinking can shape reality. Critics take exception to the connection that can be made to quantum mechanics which draws upon "coincidental similarities of language rather than genuine connections".[4][5]

Life and career

Early years

Proctor claimed to have a poor self-image and little ambition as a child, dropping out from Danforth Tech after a bandsaw-inflicted thumb injury with no plans for the future.[6] Working in a fire department in Toronto, Proctor met a man who shared the book Think and Grow Rich with him at the age of 26, the first book he claimed to have ever read.[7] Soon afterward, Proctor claimed his life started to change as the book shifted his focus in life.[7] Proctor said he started a company offering cleaning services as his first enterprise - a venture he claimed netted him over $100,000 in his starting year despite having neither formal education nor business experience.[8]

You Were Born Rich and The Secret

Proctor later joined the Nightingale-Conant Organization and worked his way up within the company, claiming to have been mentored by Earl Nightingale.^{[citation needed]}

In 1984, the book You Were Born Rich,[7] was published by McCrary Publishing. Prior to that, other publishers sent the book back to him noting that "this book is absurd."[9] Australian-based filmmaker Rhonda Byrne discovered Proctor's book and led her to requesting he be interviewed and participate in the 2006 movie The Secret.[10] Financial experts express caution from not making sound investments when following the advice of You Were Born Rich.[11]

Personal life and death

Proctor died on February 3, 2022, at the age of 87.[12][13][14][15]

Law of Attraction

Throughout his material, Proctor aimed to have the reader tap into their "inner self".[16] He suggested their "inner-self" controls all that is brought into their life and that a bad self-image, which he called a "paradigm", lead to poor results even among those with adequate knowledge and abilities.[17] Instead of academic education, which Proctor argued was detrimental, Proctor recommended students attend his seminars and follow his program of branded personal development.

Despite any evidence supporting the Law of Attraction, Proctor contended that everything in the universe vibrates and that similar vibrations attract each other.[18] Using images of Kirlian photography, Proctor further argued that a person's body emitted an "energy field" and that the mind and body vibrate at specific frequencies which if harnessed could produce specific results. He suggested that given humans are capable of controlling their thoughts, they could choose to manipulate these vibrational frequencies and thus control their outcomes by attracting objects which vibrate at a similar frequency. Critics claimed Proctor's teachings were a pseudoscientific misunderstanding of quantum mechanics. In response, Proctor claimed his teachings were "the basic laws of the universe".[19]

Proctor claimed there was nothing in a person's life they could not change through the Law of Attraction.[18] Proctor also suggested that even a global recession was the result of excessive vibrational negativity which attracted the recession to the economy. In a 2009 article, The Wall Street Journal opined that if any of Proctor's followers believed that they could simply choose not to participate in the recession they were "being shammed".[18]

References

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