The Aladdin Factor - Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen



The Aladdin Factor revolves around the principle that you can not receive unless you ask. Jack and Mark begin the book by uncovering the five main reasons that people do not ask.

1. Ignorance – people just don’t know what to ask for and how to ask for it.
2. Limiting and Inaccurate Beliefs – negative beliefs that have been sub-consciously programmed into our minds.
3. Fear – being afraid of rejection.
4. Low Self-Esteem – most people don’t feel worthy of the finer things in life.
5. Pride – many people feel that by asking for help they are admitting a weakness.


In the process of learning to ask Mark and Jack give several ideas to help you determine what exactly it is that you should ask for. A couple of the ones that I put into practice are: make a list of 101 wishes and write out your perfect day fantasy.

Make a list of 101 wishes. This process is great for helping you identify exactly what it is that you want. Just start writing down exactly what it is that you want, even if it seems impossible. This is a great way to begin your goals program.

Write out your perfect day. This process is simply to write down in detail how you would spend you day if you could do anything that you wanted to do. When would you wake up? What would you do next? Who would you spend time with?


Next, The Aladdin Factor teaches people to overcome their fears. “Comfort zones are plush lined coffins. When you stay in your plush lined coffins, you die.” Stan Dale You have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone in order to learn to ask others to help you reach you dreams.

Jack and Mark also point out the importance of giving. Here is a power story from The Aladdin Factor on page 149.

On a certain street in a Chinese city there was a poor beggar who held out his cup all day begging for rice or whatever the passers-by chose to give him.
One day the beggar saw a great parade coming down his street headed by Emperor riding in his stately rickshaw and freely handling out gifts to his subjects. The poor beggar was filled with delight.
“Now,” thought Woo, “my great opportunity has come. For once I shall receive a worthy gift,” and he danced with joy.
When the Emperor reached him, Woo held out his cup with great earnestness, but instead of the expected gift from the Emperor his Majesty asked Woo for a gift.
Poor Woo was greatly disappointed and vexed, so he reached in his cup and with much grumbling handed the Emperor two of the smallest grains of rice he could find. The Emperor passed on.
All that day Woo fumed and grumbled. He denounced the Emperor, he berated Buddha, he was cross to those who spoke to him and few people even stopped to speak to him or drop grains of rice in his cup.
That night when Woo reached his poor hut and poured out his scant supply of rice, he found in his cup two nuggets of gold just the size of the grains of rice he had given to the Emperor.


The Aladdin Factor is a great read with many great stories and illustrations. The book taught me the importance of asking for those things that I want and to not be afraid to ask others for help. If you are on the path towards reaching your dreams and goals then this book will definitely help you reach them quicker.