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Why Do We Need Money?

Do You Really Want To Do This?

Would You Rather Dig For Food?

Many people follow a philosophy that says in an ideal world, we shouldn’t need money.

While it would be nice, not having to worry about money, we’d also be without most of the stuff we have now.

There’s a lot of popular writers and philosophers that say without money we could simply barter for what we wanted, but the cold harsh truth of economics tells a different story.

To begin with, all creatures must work to get food. The idea that some animals just kind of lounge around all day, and find food whenever they need it, isn’t entirely accurate.

Most animals both eat and are eaten. Most animals live in a significantly decreased population. And most animals know nothing other than survival instincts. Fear,  hunger, pleasure.

The reason money exists in the first place is because so many people are capable of making so many different things, that it’s impossible to simply trade what you’ve got for what you want.

Money is really a potential energy. A potential energy for ANYTHING you can do.

Whatever your contribution to the global economy, that which you put in, you get back money.

With which you can buy anything you’d like (legally, of course!)

The harsh truth is that most people have jobs they most certainly WOULDN’T go to if they weren’t getting paid.

Sure, it’s a nice thought to think that doctors would still be doctors, police would still be police, teachers would still be teachers, but in reality, if they stopped getting paid, most of them would stop working.

Is this wrong? No. Is this bad? No. Is this evil? No.

This is simply how humans interact on Earth. All doing what they can, getting paid, and buying what they want.

Without money, the whole system would collapse.

If you want more money, all you’ve got to do is figure out how to contribute more. Add to your skills. Interact with a wider diversity of people. Expose yourself to different ideas.

The vast amount of fortunes took lifetimes to build. But building your fortune is why you were put here.

Because in building your fortune, you necessarily must figure out what people want, and figure out the best way to provide it.

If EVERYBODY on earth was busily figuring out how to best build their fortune (instead of stealing it or gaming the system in their favor) we’d all be better off.

No matter who you are, or what your experience is, you are in the perfect place to start.

Because there’s no where to go but up.

Are You Chasing The Dragon?

Stop Chasing A Fantasy

Always Be Creating

Many people claim to be seeking happiness.

They think it is some kind of destination, and all they need to do is figure out how to get there.

If they get that dream house, they’ll finally be happy.

If they get that job, they’ll finally be happy.

If they finally meet their soul mate, they’ll finally be happy.

However, if you can think back to getting all those “things” that you thought would make you happy, you may discover something.

Sure, they felt good. But that feeling suddenly wore off.

People become serial monogamists because they get addicted to that wonderful feelings that come with new relationships.

As soon as it becomes normal, and loses its luster, they seek another partner.

Perhaps you’ve been a victim of such “monogamy.”

The truth about any feeling that’s dependent on a thing, is that feeling only lasts as long as the thing is new.

As soon as you start to expect it to be there, even taking it for granted, it loses it’s “happiness” feeling.

From a purely biological-evolutionary standpoint, it’s easy to see why this is.

Tribes of ancients humans who were “happy” to sit around in the same place eventually ran out of food.

Those that had their “happiness” contingent upon always finding new and better hunting grounds tended to do much, much better. They passed on a lot more of those “happiness is always fleeting” genes to their kids.

As I’m sure you know, early humans, at least the most successful ones, were nomads. Out of Africa, and all over the world.

So, does that mean happiness is always short lived?

Nope.

As humans with conscious brains, and logical planning capabilities, we can engineer our circumstances so that happiness is a way of life, and not contingent on getting the next shiny new object.

And that is to embrace your nature as a creator, not as a getter.

The act of creation, life long creation, is what creates real, lasting happiness.

We’re most happy when we are making something HUGE that will define our lives.

Even after you’ve found your soul mate, you still need to work on your relationship. To continually build it with your partner as you both grow and change and learn.

The same goes for your job, your health, and your spiritual life.

This is why the greatest entrepreneurs of all time were ALWAYS creating and building and providing new and better products and solutions.

Few people ever got rich with one magic invention that made them billions.

What do you want to create? What will your lasting impression on the world be?

Build Your Crew And Get Started

You Are In The Perfect Place To Get Started

You Are In The Perfect Place To Start

In many “Hero’s Journey” movies, the young hero has to get a crew.

Even in non-traditional hero movies, people usually get a crew.

Dorothy got her buddies (Scarecrow, Lion, Tin Man), Harry Potter got his buddies, Luke Skywalker collected his crew. Even the major part of Ocean’s Eleven was about building a crew.

This, of course, models pretty much every aspect of our lives. New schools, new jobs, new families. All involving building  a group of friends. To help each other, confide in each other, and to watch each other’s back.

Henry Ford was famous for building his empire the same way. He surrounded himself with people smarter than he.

Napoleon Hill, in his famous work, talked about the “Mastermind Group” for the very same reason.

Study after study shows that even a small diversity of talent has brain power FAR SUPERIOR than even the smartest person on Earth.

Meaning even a tiny Mastermind Group of 3-4 people will be much better at solving problems, and coming up with creative solutions than any one person.

Look at any success story, and you’ll find a tight knit group of helpers, supports, and confidants who were there the whole time.

Luckily, in our huge and continuously exploding global economy, you can build a network of business associates all over the world.

Even if you aren’t the “brains” of the operation, you can participate. There are endless types of freelance sites and places to sell your skills.

Giving you experience, networking, and access to a whole range of ideas you never would have thought of on your own.

Even if you aren’t sure where to start, just checking out the available jobs on these sites will give you an idea of where you CAN start.

Then it’s just a matter of getting started, and never stopping.

Henry Ford started out as a dirt poor farmer. Einstein started working in a government office. Zuckerberg was a college student.

Wherever you are, you’re in the PERFECT place to get started.

All you’ve got to do, is do the starting.

Conjure Your Inner Magician

Blast Away False Fears

How To Vanish False Fears

One thing that humans hate is risk.

One history book I read said that the story of man is one of a frightened, lazy people. All of our inventions were made to keep us safer, and make it easier.

You may even say that all of our instincts are geared to the same end.

Safety in numbers, all kinds of mind triggers and biases to cut down on thinking power.

However, something happened to us humans along the way.

We developed this MASSIVE capability to imagine the future. Not only that, but we somehow came up with language to describe that potential future.

This folded in greatly with our deep need to stay safe and not work too hard.

We could explain to each other where all the great hunting grounds and orchards were.

Elders could spin fascinating tales of mysterious monsters beyond the hills, in an effort to keep youngsters from straying too far from the pack.

However, oftentimes in life there’s something called a “mismatch.” Meaning you’ve got a couple things that work great on their own, but when you mix them together, it’s kind of crappy.

Chocolate pizza, Wasabi ice cream, chicken liver filled valentines candy. None of these would be a great marketing idea.

Similarly, our ability to imagine a potential future, mixed in with our tendency to stay safe doesn’t always help us.

We tend to imagine horrible things that have a very low probability of happening. But they seem so real when we imagine them, we don’t budge.

While our imaginations can help us to create magnificent works of art, medicine, technological wonders, they can also conjure up some pretty frightening events.

Suddenly, walking over and talking to that interesting person seems scarier than jumping out of an airplane.

Starting a small business seems more dangerous than jumping into the tiger cage at the zoo.

Expressing a novel but interesting idea to your boss seems about as safe as sticking your hand down into a running garbage disposal.

Only those that realize that NONE of these fears are real, and push right through them know the truth.

That on the OTHER SIDE of those false fears lies greatness.

YOUR greatness.

Money, wealth, relationships, they’re over there, on the other side, waiting for you.

Are you going to let those ancient fears from your birthright?

Or are you going to PROVE to yourself that those fears are a hallucination? That when you step right through them they will VANISH.

Are You Fooling Your Subconscious?

Momentum Is Crucial

Momentum Is Essential

It’s always easy to start off slow, and then increase your momentum as you move forward.

If you’re starting a running program, for example, it might be a good idea to just get outside and go for a walk every morning for a couple weeks.

If you’re intending on creating a million dollars, you’ve got to start small. Often times one single dollar is enough.

The idea is convince yourself that you’re moving in the right direction.

It’s tough to think this way, especially when we’re surrounded by promises of instant everything right now.

But the idea of starting slowly and consistently has been around a lot longer that we have.

Confucius’ thousand mile journey and Aesop’s Tortoise are but two examples.

Most people would love to do something new, but don’t know where to start.

But if you have a history of success, then doing just a little bit more is easy.

Consider saving money. Even if you’ve only got fifty cents left over at the end of the month, it’s a really good idea to stick that money in a special place.

Then tell yourself NEXT month, you’ll save a dollar. Sure, this sounds slow. But you’ll be doing something VERY POWERFUL on a subconscious level.

You’ll be PROVING to yourself that you can save. That you can plan for your future. That you aren’t thinking ONLY of today.

Once you’ve established that idea, firmly in your subconscious, then it’s only a matter of degree.

And once you’ve PROVEN to your subconscious that you’re serious about building wealth, you’ll start to think differently. See things differently. 

Sure, plenty of people PRETEND to “manifest” money. But they never really do anything differently.

Since their subconscious figures all they’re going to do is wait around for the money fairy, they don’t change the way they think.

But if you spend just a couple weeks saving even a dollar, and going to the trouble of actually putting it someplace where spending it is NOT ALLOWED, your subconscious will get the message.

Only then will your subconscious filters change, and you start to see REAL OPPORTUNITIES for money.

Naturally, this doesn’t work only for money, it works for everything.

Relationships, health, spirituality. Take small steps, and KEEP TAKING THEM, and you’ll suddenly see the world change before your very eyes.

Because once you’ve started, it’s merely a matter of keeping on doing what you’ve been doing.

And success is inevitable.

Who Decided Money Was Evil?

Is Money Really Evil?

Must You Sell Your Soul To Get Rich?

If you’ve ever had a serious discussion about money, it’s usually not fun.

Most of us have tons of conflicting ideas and beliefs about money. We’re told it’s “evil,” or you have to somehow do “evil” things to get it.

We see people that have a lot of money and it’s clear they’ve not been the heroes of community service in order to get it.

Maybe our mixed up beliefs about money have been passed on through the generations, by people who never seemed to have enough.

It’s certainly hard to want something, not be able to get it, and yet be told at the same time it’s bad, or wanting more of it is bad.

When it comes to inner-conflicts, we humans sure have enough of them!

Which is why this little exercise is very helpful.

It’s based on the idea that money is really just potential energy. Potential energy for stuff. Wealth. Higher order stuff that has been made from lower order stuff.

Back in the old, old days, you made stuff, and then traded it for other stuff.

Then money was invented, so you could trade stuff for money today, and trade the money back into stuff later on.

The more money you had was just a measure of how much stuff you’ve made (or helped to make) that other people wanted.

When I was a kid, we’d trade stuff at school. Mostly our lunches. But sometimes marbles, baseball cards, and other stuff.

Nobody told us how to do that. We just did it. You might say that trading stuff for other stuff is in our DNA.

Money just makes it easier.

Anyhow, here’s the exercise.

Before you buy something, imagine the money is just a representation of stuff you’ve made in the past, and the stuff you’re trading the money for (or buying) is something somebody else has made.

Put yourself in that little kid’s mind. Where you’ve got something, they’ve got something, and you want to trade.

Actually visualize this in your mind when you “pay for” whatever you are getting.

Appreciate the trade. Appreciate that what they’ve done is valuable to you, and what you’ve done is valuable to them.

Fully feel that appreciation when both of you say, “Thanks.”

The more you practice this, the more you’ll start to feel a natural, normal affinity for money, and all the cool stuff you can trade it for.

You Are An Entrepreneur

Embrace Your Inherent Risk Taker

Risk Is Your Middle Name

A common misconception is that an “entrepreneur” is a special kind of person.

Meaning most would rather get a job they like, a safe salary, and not take too much risk.

Being an “entrepreneur” is something only those risk-loving swashbucklers do, right?

Not really.

The truth is that EVERYBODY is an entrepreneur.

But we don’t tend to see it that way.

Consider any action you could take, from going on a trip to a foreign land to getting up to make something to eat.

We NEVER know the future, so there’s ALWAYS some kind of uncertainty.

Sure, making a sandwich isn’t risky, it’s not like you’re going to open up the fridge and find yourself in the center of a mythical journey.

But every single action we take, both conscious and unconscious, requires a bit of uncertainty, and some imagination.

We imagine our current state, and we imagine a potential future state.

Then we quickly measure the risk between our current state and our imagined future state.

If, all things considered, our future state has a high probability of being BETTER than our current state, we’ll take action.

It doesn’t matter of you’re putting a frozen burrito in the microwave, or setting out to build a billion dollar business, this model is EXACTLY the same process.

It only differs by degree.

And the more complex the outcome, the more steps are involved, and the more dependent we are to feedback.

Take somebody who starts several businesses, has a few failures, before hitting it big.

She starts, gets feedback, tries again, gets more feedback, and finally strikes it rich.

Compare this to somebody fumbling for a light switch in the middle of the night.

Same exact process.

Action, feedback, action, feedback, success.

Being an entrepreneur, taking risk, measuring feedback, and taking another risk, is built in to your DNA.

In fact, it is impossible to be a living, breathing human and NOT be an entrepreneur.

Since you already ARE an entrepreneur, you may as well get paid!

How?

Become Obediently Free

Follow Your Bliss

When To Follow

Most people don’t like the label of being a “follower.”

Meaning we like to thinks of ourselves as independent thinkers, rather than mindless sheep.

And to be sure, if your go-to strategy is to wait around for somebody to tell you what to do, you won’t generally get much more than everybody else on the planet with the SAME strategy.

However, there ARE times when it’s very, very important that you DO follow.

Like following your bliss, for example. Joseph Campbell, who studied mythology his entire career, came up with that piece of advice based on his life’s work.

The Hero’s Journey is something we ALL are called to follow. Since it’s different for everybody, we have to figure it out on our own. The simplest way to do that is to simply “follow your bliss.”

Now, many people misunderstand this to mean “do what you like” and you’ll be magically rewarded by the money fairy.

But what I think he meant was that your “bliss” is kind of like your life’s purpose. Your mission. Your best idea of your best self. A shining goal out on the horizon that you MUST pursue relentlessly if you are to break the chains of mediocrity.

Nobody what can tell you what to do, or where to go. This is the crux of the Hero’s Journey. They weren’t following a step by step blueprint of somebody who’d gone before them, and proven that it was safe and guaranteed.

They had to boldly go into the UNKNOWN FUTURE of their own lives, with only their intuition to guide them.

If your bliss is something you follow in the long term, then your intuition is something you need to be absolutely obedient to in the short term.

Your intuition is based on the raw intelligence of your subconscious, who’s playing long-game chess, instead of the simple checkers our rational mind plays.

But since your subconscious can only speak to you in vague gut feelings, it can be hard to interpret.

Or very easy to ignore.

If you wait for a step by step, foolproof plan to be handed to you, free from risk or uncertainly, you’ll be waiting a while.

However, you can take some time to quiet your mind, take a few slow, deep breaths, and you’ll be in a better state to listen to your intuition.

This is your deep friend. The only friend who’s TRULY got your back. The friend who will guide you to heaven on earth if you would only listen.

As Rumi the Sufi poet said, “When you are obedient to that one, you will be free.”

Can You Get Rich Eating Ice Cream?

You Need To Look Past Instant Gratification

Look Into Your Future

Economists tell us that humans became civilized when we learned to delay gratification.

Meaning when we started taking our activities and measured them not only against how they would affect our “right now” lives, but how they’d affect our “out in the future” lives.

Lower animals are simply incapable of doing this. They are driven purely by instincts.

If we allow ourselves to be driven by instinct, we usually don’t end up so well.

In front of the couch, glued to the TV, stuffing our face endlessly with processed food.

Not thinking how this will affect us out into the future.

Now, there’s certainly a case that that’s precisely what “they” want us to do.

Those that stand to make money and political power from our weakness.

Maybe, maybe not. You can certainly make yourself crazy by thinking like that.

However, there IS benefit in thinking out in the future when considering acting now.

This is certainly not automatic. It does take some practice.

But remember the words of Ben Franklin. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.”

That simple, often discarded statement may indeed be the gateway to wealth.

Because in that greeting card logic lies truth.

The more you delay gratification, putting off small pleasure NOW for a much bigger pleasure LATER, the more money you’ll make. The healthier you’ll be. The smarter you’ll be.

How do you do that?

You bring that future pleasure into the “now.”

Thinking about that bowl of ice cream, in front of you, gives you a BIG and IMMEDIATE sense of pleasure.

One that doesn’t require much thought.

But consider taking some time to IMAGINE a much BETTER pleasure out in the future.

Imagine having a six pack. Imagine all those sexy people checking out your sexy body. Imagine somehow that you can see them thinking, as they look at you, “Damn! I want some of that!”

Build up that imagination of a FUTURE PLEASURE until it is stronger than the NOW pleasure.

So the choice to delay gratification becomes automatic.

Granted, this takes some time. Some dedication. Some mental discipline.

Things most people simply do not have.

But considering the things that most people do not get, you can maybe see it’s a good idea to start doing the things that most people do not do.

And start getting WAY MORE than the average ice-creaming eating couch-rider.

No matter what you want, you can get.

If you’re willing to DO WHAT IT TAKES to get it.

Are You Afraid Of Broccoli Cake?

Delicious Cake!

Everything Requires Practice

If you want to get better at anything, you need to practice.

This seems obvious, but many times we misunderstand this.

For example, if you were to see some guy walking down the street that was absolutely ripped, with very little body fat, you’d make some assumptions.

One is that he spends a LOT of his time in the gym. Two is that he’s very careful about what he eats.

Sometimes though, when we see somebody that’s good at something, we assume they’ve always been good, or at least gifted.

When we see popular musicians, for example, we don’t automatically imagine all the time they spent learning their instruments, writing and rewriting their songs, and rehearsing them over and over.

Some of us assume they just picked up a guitar one day, and started jamming without effort.

One thing we almost never consider is something like interpersonal skills.

Meaning if we see somebody that’s really friendly and outgoing, a natural conversationalist, we assume they’ve always been like that.

Or if they weren’t they learned some hidden “secret” that suddenly flipped a switch in their brain, turning them from a shy introvert to a charismatic and persuasive extrovert.

Sure, there are people who were lucky enough to have a super supportive family life growing up, wonderful teachers, fantastic friends, and their whole lives the stars aligned in their favor to make them a super natural when they grew up.

But most of the time, they’ve got those skills simply because they decided, at one point, that they wanted them. Then they got busy getting them.

Which is both good news AND bad news at the same time.

It’s good news because you really CAN do anything you want, if only you want it enough.

It’s bad news because there really is only one way to get it. Practice. Effort. Time.

Three things most people treat like superman treats kryptonite.

But if you can identify what you want, and describe it clearly enough, you WILL get it.

If you want to bake a cake, it will take a little practice, effort and time.

But once you get started, the outcome is absolutely certain.

Every. Single. Time.

Nobody ever expects to put chocolate cake batter in the oven only to find a pile of broccoli thirty minutes later.

What do you want?

What skills would you like have? One year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now?

If you are willing to do the work, you WILL get the results.