To Him That Hath…
Anyone who knows me knows that I do not, in any way, profess to be a Christian. However, I do know the Bible (and other religious texts) very well, and I have to say that I have drawn quite a lot of inspiration and real-world value from the teachings of the one that was called Jesus the Christ. But none of his teachings has affected me on a deeper level than this passage. For those who do not know this passage, you can read it by clicking here.
I struggled big time in my entrepreneurial ventures until my mentor really helped me understand this idea. He took me under his wing and explained to me that my philosophy was all wrong, and that I was repelling much of the good that I was attracting through my effort. He told me that I was too focused on what I was receiving, and that if I began to think on the value I could provide, that others would naturally be attracted to that energy and I would experience the effortlessness that had so alluded me.
Now hold on just a moment…
Don’t get me wrong. It was difficult for me to break the habit of wanting, craving, needing people to patronize my businesses. The new philosophy of giving rather than receiving went against EVERYTHING I had come to understand about the way the world works. But I couldn’t argue with this man’s results. I mean, this guy was like the Cosmo Kramer of the real world. He just seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, always seemed to be leading a charmed life.
So with much reluctance, I finally sat and talked with the man that eventually became my mentor and life coach. He began by explaining that the human mind knows the answer to any question put to it, and that any question you ask of your mind will, without exception, receive a viable answer. He then talked at length about how the mind does not determine what is real or false; rather, the mind simply makes assumptions of what is real based on the statements that comprise your mental self-talk. Here’s an example: You may regularly wonder: “Why do I have so many lazy deadbeats in my down line?” Now, your mind, in order to give you an answer to that question, makes the following assumptions: 1) that you HAVE a down line, 2) that you have at least 2 distributors (as indicated by the phrase “so many”), 3) that at least 2 of the distributors in your down line fit your definition of the terms “lazy” and “deadbeat.” Your mind will now return an answer to the question that will undoubtedly expand on this negative situation—“Your lazy deadbeat down line is mimicking you, you lazy deadbeat!”
Now, let’s change the question to accentuate the positive: “How can I expand my down line’s productivity?” Here are our new assumptions: 1) I have a productive down line (as indicated by the intention to “expand” the current productivity level), 2) I have the ABILITY to expand the current productivity level. Do you see how this new question empowers us and draws our attention to what we want (a productive down line) rather than what we don’t want (a down line full of lazy deadbeats)?
Now, back to the spirit of giving…
Let’s begin with a positive question: “What value can I give today to my organization, my clients, and my prospects?” Here are our assumptions: 1) I HAVE an organization with prospects and clients, 2) I am valuable, 3) I have SO MUCH value (abundance) that there is some that I can afford to just give away. What we think about expands into our reality, which is why we get more of what we focus on.
The bottom line is this…it doesn’t matter what area of life we refer to. When we focus on what we need to GET, we are telling the mind “I don’t have,” and we get more experiences of not having. When we focus on what we can GIVE, we are telling the mind “I have more than enough,” and we get more experiences of having more than enough. EVERYONE has something that they can give. Let it shine and others will follow. But don’t take my word for it…take it for checking!
