part0020

How do you feel about money each time the subject is brought up? One can appear to be saying very positive words and phrases about money on the outside, but still be bothered by a deep sense of worry and fear on the inside. It is what is happening on the inside that will determine your outer results, and hence your outer results never lie.

For many years, I was caught up in the illusion of the outer world. After reading tons of self-help and new-age books, I would be reciting positive affirmations and setting positive intentions about money on the outside… but the money still did not flow! I gave money away, acted “as if”, and did everything I possibly could on the outside. But I neglected one very important key, how I felt on the inside most of the time . Truth be told, I felt like a nervous wreck on the inside most of the time! I was constantly worried. Part of the reason why I kept doing all those outer actions was to quell my internal worries, but often the voices of worry would be louder than whatever intentions I was setting on the outside.

During that period of time where I was actively trying to use these spiritual principles to manifest money, I was also buying into every single business opportunity or course there was out there. I had fallen into the trap of thinking that outer methods or means determine our riches, and hence we have to be involved in a particular livelihood, or trade, in order to get rich. It did not help that it was the early days of the Internet Marketing era, and everyone was talking about how to “get rich quick” selling stuff online. I bought into all of the hype and as a result, lost a huge chunk of my money buying into one new program after another. I charged all of the course fees to my credit card, which snowballed month after month.

Many years later when I finally started a few brick-and-mortar businesses, I fell into the same trap of looking out for business opportunities whenever I went. There is a difference between being business-minded and between being opportunistic. A person who is business-minded or entrepreneurial recognizes business opportunities everywhere, from right where he is. He has a good sense of how the business world operates and the needs of consumers. Hence, he is able to meet the needs of these potential customers no matter what job or vocation he is involved in at the moment. A person who is opportunistic is always jumping from one business opportunity to the next big thing. The grass is always greener on the other side. The underlying belief that drives this behavior is that better opportunities are always somewhere “out there”, and that there is a “lack of opportunities” right where they stand. If you are constantly telling yourself that you need to find “new ways” of making money, or that you need to find new business opportunities, this is an indicator that you are buying into such a lack mindset. An individual who believes so cannot simultaneously believe that wealth and abundance is everywhere, because he is operating under the view that wealth and abundance is “somewhere else”, other than the place where I now stand.

Back at that time, I associated with a fairly successful publisher. His own business was doing fine, but the main problem was that he was constantly speaking ill of his own industry and talking about how other industries were more promising! As a result, he spent most of his time traveling from one client to the other, trying to find out how their businesses worked and trying to pursue all those other opportunities which he did not have any firsthand experience in. Needless to say, none of his new ventures worked out and he was often taken for a ride by others. His own business suffered as a result. This business owner had fallen prey to the misguided belief that it is the outer actions or means that matter, more than your inner alignment.

You have probably chosen whatever job or business you’re involved in right now for a very good reason. Probably you had a talent for it, or you even had an interest or passion for it, although the passion may not be as strong today. These very same words were told to me by a wise entrepreneur who told me not to curse the very business or job I am involved in today, for I probably had very good reasons when choosing it in the beginning! Therefore, don’t always go around looking for greener pastures. Make do right here, with what you have. If you are not satisfied with the income your job is currently bringing, use the techniques outlined within this book and changing your own relationship with money first. Do it until you are a completely changed person on the inside, and the outer circumstances will match up to the new person you have become. Maybe better opportunities will be shown to you, or you will be given a raise or promotion… all of which will allow you to move into an even happier place.

Many of my readers write and ask me whether they should just quit their job or pursue their dreams of starting a business. They have long harbored dreams and intention of starting a particular business, and they want to do it right now especially after reading about these spiritual principles. It is absolutely true that the Universe will support you in whatever you endeavor to become, with no exceptions. However, the catch is that you have to be in alignment with yourself first. You have to let go of any negative feelings or thoughts that may get in the way. For most people, quitting their job and jumping into the great unknown of setting up their own business (or even moving into a completely new business) where the income is uncertain is likely to throw up more unwanted, worrying feelings than good feelings. For this same reason, I advise that any changes be gradual. You would want to transit slowly, ensuring that you are not too far out of your comfort zone each step along the way.

My cousin recently had an idea for the next killer mobile phone application. He is doing it on a part-time basis, in his spare time while holding his day job. This is a good choice to make because the security of his day job allows him to maintain a good relationship with money while he is getting his mobile phone application business running on the side. Even if the sideline business does not generate any income in the short-term, he is not worried because he can still rely on the income from his day job. If he continues to maintain this alignment, better and better opportunities will open up for him, either through the mobile applications business or something else. The Universe always has larger plans in stall for us.

Contrast this with another individual (whom we have all come across in our lives) who quit his day job to indulge in his passion. Having started three businesses from scratch, I know that passion is not enough to keep a business running. The technical know-how is equally important, as well as maintaining an inner sense of balance each step along the way. While an individual may be a talented painter or writer, his talents and abilities may not be immediately recognized by the marketplace. This means that the money will not start to flow immediately, and people often become worried in the interim. These feelings of self-doubt and worry during the interim periods are often counter-productive, in that they will cause a stagnation of the situation, such than an individual is not able to creatively express himself fully. As a result, the new venture suffers. This is the reason why I always encourage an individual’s transition into a new venture to be as gradual as possible. This does not only make good financial sense on the outside but is also absolutely essential so that we can remain balanced on the inside.

As counter-intuitive as it may sound, it’s not what you do for a living that determines how rich you are — It is who you are on the inside. Money, like everything else, is energy. And energy flows in response to your moment-to-moment mindset, consciousness, and feelings. It is as simple as that! There is nothing inherently “complicated” about money. The reason why it has become so complicated and complex to the point of confusion is due to the strongly-charged emotional thoughts and beliefs we have about money. These thoughts and beliefs are also energy, and are able to affect the flow of money itself. Therefore, if you let these thoughts and beliefs affect your own consciousness, you’ll affect the flow of money into your life. If you believe that making money depends on having the “right” livelihood, and it is something other than what you are doing right now… you’ll always have a difficult time attracting more money into your life.

In my time as an entrepreneur and business owner, I’ve had the good fortune of working with many other business owners. You’ll never believe how some of them became rich! They became rich in a myriad of ways, from the more conventional Wall Street types to those who became rich offering janitorial and funeral services! The last I read, someone became a multi-millionaire by selling art pieces carved on rice through a microscope! I love reading about all these different ways which people became rich and successful, because these stories reinforce my belief that you can get rich in ANY WAY as long as you make creative self-expression your ultimate goal. As long as you focus on living the way that feels most right to you and cultivate a sense of inner peace on the subject of money, the money will flow! I cannot emphasize this enough.

I would like to close this chapter by inviting you to engage in another inner exercise. Take a good look at the industry or job you’re in. You may have been in this industry or vocation for decades. Write down what the highest earning individual in this industry is currently making (or once made). Let’s take the example of a car salesman. Joe Girard is recognized as one of the greatest car salesmen in the world. Now happily retired, he is honored in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s greatest salesman”. Joe sold 13,001 cars on a one-to-one basis between 1963 and 1978. That’s an average of 866 cars a year… and around 2 to 3 cars every single day! In fact, he once sold 18 cars in a single day! And these are all retail sales to individual customers. Most car salesmen in his shoes would be happy to sell 2 to 3 cars in a single month !

Now let’s stop for a moment and think about why and how Joe Girard is different… Was he more gifted than the other salesmen? Was he born with a special gift? Did he have an extra pair of hands and legs which allowed him to serve more than one customer at once? The more you think about it, the more you realize the great potential that lies within all of us. We are all made of the same mind stuff. If one person can do experience that reality, we can experience it too. Granted, not all of us may be in the sales industry but my bet is that whatever industry you are in, you can always find an exemplar who stands heads and shoulders above the rest. My guess is also that he has certain ways and means of how to do it. When I read Joe’s book “How to Sell Anything to Anybody”, I was struck by his system. He had an outer system for selling at that level (which was what his books detailed), but he also had an inner system for achieving that level of success. It was his inner system that led to his outer system, which consists of his outer behavior and traits.

One thing I remember from Joe’s book is that he was very focused. All he wanted to do was to serve the customer and to sell his cars. He wrote that he did not spend any time around the water cooler, gossiping or talking about others. He was focused on one thing and one thing only, which was to build a good relationship with the customer. He also had a strong belief that no customer would walk into an automobile showroom if he did not even have any thought of buying a car. Based on that belief, Joe Girard went ahead with the full conviction to sell them, and often did! The book is a fascinating read as it talks about the great lengths he took to build genuine relationships with his potential customers.

There are Joe Girards in whatever industry or job you are in. This person may be right next to you in the same company! The first thought that comes to mind may be: “This person is lucky!” or “This person is talented!” But even that thought is a belief. I encourage you right now to consider adopting a more resourceful belief: “We are all made of the same mind stuff. If he can do it, I can too”. This is not just pure motivational talk. Think about it: It may be true that this individual is more talented than you, so let’s suppose you may not be able to match up to his efforts exactly. But what can you achieve if you only matched up to half of his efforts, or even a quarter of his efforts? You may not be able to sell 866 cars in a single year, but how about 100 cars? That’s one eighth of his results, and still one car every three days… a better sales record than 95% of the salesman population.

For the next few weeks, observe the top or star performer in your company with the intention of learning about his/her inner beliefs. Most people will be so glad to share their secrets with you, because these people have achieved success by learning from others as well. Instead of mimicking their outer actions, focus on their inner beliefs about the work they are doing. Speak to them and see whether you can solicit their opinions / beliefs. Ask them about industry trends, and you’ll almost always hear them have an optimistic view on the subject. They’ll see endless opportunities when others see only problems. They’ll be the ones making the sale regardless of the economy, or the political situation. When others think it cannot be done, they’ll be the ones doing it. Isn’t it strange that this pattern repeats itself in every company and in every industry? 20% of the people generating 80% of the results, with the remaining 80% generating 20% of the results and working so hard for it?

The elite 20% belongs to the hidden rich, and I encourage you to find out what their mindsets and beliefs are as it pertains to your field of work or industry. If you do not have personal access to them, buy their books or tapes. Their innermost beliefs are always revealed through these courses, although you may have to read / listen between the lines. These are the most valuable. If you are already in that 20%, congratulations because you have taken the time to do the inner work that very few people ever bother to do. Associating with these individuals and learning about their inner beliefs (which may take some observation over a period of time) gradually attunes you to these inner beliefs as well, and you may find yourself starting to see the same opportunities as them… no matter which industry you’re in.