DO THIS:Form a Master Mind Group
If you have worked through all of the principles up to this point and followed most of the suggestions in each chapter, you are well on your way to making the goal you chose in Prosperity Principle Two a reality.
Once you reach a goal, then repeat the process again, and reach that next goal. Then do it again, and again, and again.
The first five chapters have covered the basics of using the principles to create any goal you set. However, in this chapter, we'll take it to the next level. I call this principle Mastery, because it applies everything you have read so far, and adds to it, so that you become a master of manifestation.
This chapter includes ideas you can use at any time on your journey to riches. I encourage you to begin employing some of them right away.
You may have heard of a “Master Mind Group.” It's a concept that was introduced by Andrew Carnegie and popularized in Napoleon Hill's writings. The idea is that a group of people, who each have goals, come together to support each other in achieving those goals. This is very effective because Master Mind Groups:
DO THIS:
Form a Master Mind Group
Here are some basic rules for forming your own Master Mind Group:
A group should include at least two people, and generally no more than six
Meet consistently, weekly if possible, and in person if possible
Give each member equal time to discuss their goal and their process in making it come true. Make sure that no one uses more time in the group than others.
Allow for constructive ideas and creative problem-solving
Everything said in the group is confidential.
Keep meetings focused only on goals, don't waste time chitchatting about other things.
Disinvite members who don't take the process seriously.
Use this group to help each other—don't just receive help, make sure you help others.
Note—Family members don't usually make great Master Mind Group members as they tend to bring their past ideas about you with them.
DO THIS:
Create Team YOU
Master Mind Groups are great—I've been in many of them over the years. But there is another type of group that can also be beneficial. It's still a group of people, but they have a different focus and it's all about you. That's why I call it Team YOU.
Many people, as they begin a journey of making their goal come true, feel they have to do it all by themselves. The truth is, we don't have to be alone on our goal-making journey. In fact, you will reach your goal even more quickly if you engage with others who can help you. I call this creating Team YOU. Team YOU is a group of people you assemble to support you on your way to achieving your goal. Each member serves a different need you have. Team YOU is your own personal Dream Team.
Here's how you do it:
One a sheet of paper or in your journal, write “Team ME” (or use your name, I called mine “Team JOEL”). Make a list of all the things you need help with. For instance, if you are starting a business but you don't enjoy the accounting and marketing side of things, you might write a list that starts like this:
Accountant
Marketing Expert
Then add all the other people that can help you get your business off the ground: investor, doctor/medical professional, artist, organizer, assistant/intern, etc.
Next, begin filling in the names of the people who can fulfill each role. In the above example, say you don't know any accountants. Then do an internet search to find an accountant, one who can fill the role you have and is in your price range. Don't have a budget (yet)? Then leave it blank, and let other people know you are looking for accounting help. There is even free accounting available (do an internet search) for those who qualify for it. I found some team members on websites like Fivrr.com, Upwork.com, Guru.com, and Freelancer.com. These sites are filled with professionals around the world who can help you on a project by project basis for very low fees. (Make sure to explain exactly what you want, get bids, and choose the person carefully.)
Team JOEL has never met all together in person. In fact, there are some people on Team JOEL that I've never met in person, but only communicated with via email and/or phone. But each person on my team is there to help me achieve my goals.
Ask any self-made millionaire: You don't have to do it alone. In fact, it's not only more effective, it's more fun to achieve your goal with the help of others.
Here's one of those universal truths that you need to ponder:
You don't know what you don't know.
You know?
I've learned that it's important to stay teachable. There are many people who are experts, but the experts that I admire the most probably would not describe themselves as experts. They would probably describe themselves as lifelong learners or students of life. They are always learning and growing and changing, no matter what their age. I've tried to emulate this in my life.
When we believe we are experts, it's harder to be in the mindset to learn new things.
About three years ago, I set a goal to learn Spanish. I hadn't tried to learn a language since I took four years of German in high school (not that I remember any of it). My goal was to have a functional understanding of Spanish in a year. I had no idea how to go about this. I bought a book about learning Spanish and every day I tried to learn a new set of vocabulary words (el tren, la casa, la pluma). Then I began learning verbs in the present tense. Pretty soon I found that I needed more information than I could get from just a book. I began watching internet videos and eventually hired a tutor to come to my office once a week on my lunch hour for one-on-one training.
It was a great goal, and it ended up causing several unexpected side effects. First, I fell in love with Spanish-language music, so many different styles! Then I started connecting with Spanish-speaking people in my office and in my church, and they in turn introduced me to authentic Spanish food from their family backgrounds. And then I took my family on trips to various Latin countries and to Spain, where we were able to experience different cultures, each wonderful and enriching.
I thought I was just learning a new language. Three and a half years later, I still work with a tutor and love every minute of it. What I thought was just learning a new skill became an adventure that took me and my family around the world! New friends, new food, new experiences. I've even used my newfound Spanish skills in my business. I didn't know that this one simple decision—to learn Spanish—would change my life so completely. I thought that I just didn't know Spanish, but I didn't know so much more (and I continue to learn!).
Each goal we choose may seem like a just a goal, but when we immerse ourselves in that goal, we are transformed. That doesn't happen unless you have the mindset of being teachable.
So far in this book, you've been exploring the basic Prosperity Principles that self-made millionaires have used to reach their goals. As you move forward, you are going to discover other things that will help you to reach your goals.
In the classes and workshops I've taught over the years, I've seen people reach their goals by taking these ideas and adapting them to their own lives. Here are some of the ways they've done this:
This is your journey. Make it fun. It's easy to be so focused that we forget to be creative and adaptable.
One important aspect of making money involves your relationship with money itself. We often block our prosperity with our own negative attitudes about money. Some of these include:
DO THIS:
Make Money Your Friend
How do you think about money? Use the following prompts to journal about your thoughts about money, and do so off the top of your head, without overthinking:
I think money is . . .
My parents’ relationship with money was . . .
I grew up thinking that money was . . .
My first memory of money is . . .
How did I receive money as a child? And what did I do with it?
When I pay my bills, I feel . . .
On a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (most), my organization with my money and finances is . . .
What scares me about money is . . .
How much money would I need to feel completely safe and comfortable?
Review your answers. How do you feel about what you wrote?
Here's the truth about money: It's neither positive or negative. Money just “is.” It's a form of exchange. But we have so many thoughts and emotions around money that can get in our way. As you continue your journey toward financial mastery, it's important to improve your outlook about money.
Use the principle of auto-suggestion (from Prosperity Principle Four) to create new ideas about money, and then repeat them over and over. By doing this, you are planting new seeds, or beliefs, that will grow into a whole new relationship with money.
By changing your beliefs from negative to positive, you will have a more positive experience, and make your riches more quickly.
| NEGATIVE | POSITIVE |
| Money is hard to get. | I am a magnet for money. |
| Money is my enemy. | Money is my friend. |
| Money is evil. | Money is neutral. |
| Money belongs to others. | I am worthy of wealth. |
The following is a list of words and phrases about money to keep your thoughts about it positive. Use them frequently.
What other words can you add to this list?
Prosperity Principle Four discussed the Law of Giving and Receiving. Now we are going to take that idea a few steps further. This isn't a life law, but it does create an amazing amount of joy and meaning in your life. It's giving back.
The further we continue on our own journey toward our goal, it's good to take time to shift our focus out of our own life, and the best way to do that is to give to others who can use our help.
There are three main ways we can give to others:
1. Our time
2. Our money
3. Our talents
There is nothing that will make you feel wealthy and fortunate like giving to those who are less fortunate. As little as you may feel you have, you can still find people who can use your time, money, or talents.
When I was at my lowest point financially and carrying a tremendous amount of debt, I was feeling depressed, dark, and overwhelmed by my situation. My own circumstances were all-consuming, and I spent much of each day obsessing over them.
As I began my journey to riches using the principles in this book, I was presented with the opportunity to volunteer for a foundation that was helping people with little or no money and who had chronic illnesses. The person I was assigned to help had his own apartment, but not much else. He was very sick, couldn't walk on his own, and needed a wheelchair to get around. He did have daily caseworkers who came to take care of his medical needs, but he had other needs as well. I was young and didn't quite know how to help him, but I had committed to assisting him one afternoon a week, every week. When I showed up, he would have a list of things he needed me to do—fix things, change lightbulbs, make meals, clean his bedroom or bathroom, do laundry, etc. Eventually the tasks included taking him shopping (which was challenging since I had a tiny car and we needed to take him and his big wheelchair). He would tell me which route to take to each store he wanted me to drive him to.
Over the weeks and months, I learned a lot about this man, discovering that he once held a prominent job and had accomplished many things in his younger life. He wasn't his disease; the disease was something he had. When he died, I was heartbroken. What started like a volunteer job I felt I “should” do ended up being a friendship, and I knew I was privileged to have known him. While I know I was helpful to him, he was invaluable in teaching me about life and death and giving.
What does this have to do with your million-dollar journey? Nothing and everything. What I want you to know is that
by giving to others, you become richer in very deep ways.
I encourage you to find an established organization that you can volunteer for. Perhaps it's with people who have illnesses, like I did. Or maybe you can volunteer to give your time by mentoring young underprivileged kids who need help learning how to interview for jobs. Or at a women's shelter. Or for your local cat or dog shelter. Or short-term fostering kids in need. Or delivering food to the elderly. Or . . . there are countless ways to volunteer your time, your money, and your talents.
DO THIS:
Give Back
Think about giving back. How can you give back? What's the first thing that pops into your head? Write it below:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Consider doing some online research and finding a place that might be thrilled to have what you are able to give. If I were a betting man, I would bet that you will feel like what you gained was worth . . . millions.
If you want the real secret to creating more prosperity in your life, it's not a stock tip or a lottery ticket. It's forgiveness.
I don't think there is a scientific study that shows the exact correlation between doing forgiveness work and riches, but I have plenty of anecdotal evidence. I first came across this theory over thirty years ago in a seminar on creating more wealth consciousness. The speaker—I can't even remember who it was now, but I remember his message—said that we tend to have more focus and inner mental capacity for success when we clear up the things in our consciousness that clutter it.
That made sense to me—it's easy to be distracted by things that don't necessarily help me or create more positivity. It's like a computer that is slowed down by too many programs that are running in the background. If you want the computer to run faster, then you close those programs, and even better, you delete unnecessary programs altogether.
That's what forgiveness does. It clears out unwanted programs that are running in your head and slowing things down. It does something else as well—it makes life better and happier. After all, what good are riches and reaching goals if you aren't happy?
In case you're not exactly clear on what I mean by forgiveness, I've compiled some descriptions below:
I began the book by talking about the inner work necessary to create an attitude and a capability to create more wealth in your life. Forgiveness is like the honors course version of inner work. If you aren't convinced, then move to the next section. But if you are intrigued and want to experience the benefits of forgiveness, a simple method follows below.
DO THIS:
Forgive Someone
There are many different ways you can forgive others and live a freer life. Here is one way that can help, a beginner's guide to forgiving. If this starts a journey for you, then I encourage you to explore it in more depth. This exercise may help you forgive others easily and quickly, or it may begin the process of forgiving certain people, which could take time and patience. Note that this is meant to be a basic forgiveness exercise. If at any time it is too overwhelming, that's the sign that something deeper might be happening, and it's important to take that seriously. If that's the case, stop this exercise and seek out a counselor or licensed professional to help support you through your process.
Close your eyes, and take a few deep, cleansing breaths.
Think of one person who hurt you, picture them in your mind.
In your mind, tell them how they hurt you and how it made you feel.
Be thorough, be honest.
Ask yourself, “Is it possible for me to forgive this person?”
Then ask, “Will I ever forgive this person?”
Then ask, “When will I forgive this person?”
Then ask, “How does not forgiving this person impact my life?”
Then ask, “Am I ready to begin forgiving this person?”
If not, then take a breath, and honor the fact that you started the process. Repeat later.
If yes, then take a breath, and tell the person you forgive them.
You can use any words you want.
Now take a breath, release this experience, and open your eyes.
Record any thoughts you want to remember in your journal.
Repeat this exercise as often as you want. Remember, forgiveness is a process and it may take several times before you're able to forgive certain people or experiences. Respect your feelings.
Forgiveness is meant to release emotional baggage so you can travel through your life more lightly. There are many different ways to forgive; I encourage you to do some more research on other ways if the above method doesn't work for you.
Start: