"I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the
infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise
distribution. "— ANDREW CARNEGIE
IF THERE IS ONE CONCEPT that I must get
across to you it is that we are not alone. I don't
mean that little green men will land in your back-
yard, but that we as humans are connected to one
another - and what we do, think and feel affects
others. The seventh and final step to attracting
money is caring for your community and the
world as a whole.
I recently saw a show on the History Channel
that taught the history of the prison system. In the
late 1800s several large prisons were built in the
United States. The idea behind these prisons
wasn't reform; it was punishment. The prisoners
were kept in absolute solitude for years on end.
This drove legions of prisoners insane and lead to
solitary confinement being regarded as the
highest level of punishment.
Humans are social creatures and we can't exist
without contact with others. We are formed of the
same substance and we connect with one another
constantly. This affords us special opportunities.
As we learn and experience personal growth and
success, we can't help having an impact on every-
one around us. As one person is raised up, it
naturally lifts those around them, while providing
inspiration and hope.
When you view everyone as interconnected,
you'll realize that as you attract more money into
your life, you have the opportunity to effect
change in others. This is the seventh and final
step to attracting money - caring for your
community and the world. This works hand-
in-hand with giving - but it's not just about
money. It's about sharing your time, knowledge
and the lessons you've learned. Your success is a
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
great catalyst for doing good in the world. I'm
constantly looking for ways to give back, as well
as connect with others in meaningful ways. Due
to the time I spent homeless, I find homelessness
a crisis that's very close to my heart. I know it
can happen to anyone because I experienced it
firsthand. I wanted to do something to help. I
didn't want to simply offer food or clothing.
There are many charities that already meet those
needs. What I wanted to do was something that
could help people rescue themselves financially
by teaching them the techniques and skills to be
financially successful. It's called Operation YES.
YES stands for Your Economic Salvation and is
a project that I'm working on with several
partners. Our mission is to end homelessness
and stop foreclosures.
The spark for Operation YES arrived like every
other inspiration I've had. Here's the story. I
heard about the economic stimulus package that
was offered several years ago. The government
decided to give out checks for $300 or $600 to
everyone. I heard this and thought, "That's a nice
thought but it's not going to make a real
difference." I figured that most people would buy
clothes, pay a bill or even pay down some debt.
But it wasn't going to change their lives or help
them become financially sound. As I was sitting
there, I thought, "You know, someone should do
something that really makes a difference." And
that's when it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Why
not me? I'm someone. I know enough about how
hard it is to start your life over from nothing.
Why couldn't I do something? So I did.
I figured that if I can teach people to raise their
self-esteem, then they'd have a real chance to
improve their life. Self-esteem is important when
you're on the bottom rung of life. You feel like a
failure. You feel like the lowest most insignificant
person alive. But you're not! It's just your
perception and mindset of the moment.Those who
are both broke and homeless suffer from a double
whammy. Operation YES teaches people how to
rebuild their self-esteem, so they have hope, can
feel worthwhile and that they can accomplish
positive things.
Once the homeless have recovered their self-esteem, I teach them
about the Law of Attraction and how they can attract anything they
want, including money and opportunities. Operation YES shows people
that this basic rule of psychology can change their lives permanently
and they won't have to worry about ending up on the streets again. I
tell them that what they focus on will increase or expand. This means
if they focus on being homeless and broke, they will get more of that
ATTRACT MONEY NOW!
in their lives. Unfortunately most people who live on the street only
focus on survival.
In order to see the opportunity to improve their lives, they must
think differently while focusing on a new and better life. They must
use the Law of Attraction and see their end result not the reality of
the moment. They have to stop and think about what they want. This
seems obvious to you and me, but how often do average people with
the house, dog, two cars and three kids stop to think about their lives?
We are creatures of habit with comfort zones. And we stay in them,
even if our comfort zones produce negative results. It can happen to
anyone.
The third level of Operation YES is to teach the homeless
entrepreneurial skills, much like the ones I've described in this book.
They can work for anyone from a bank president to a homeless person.
I'm living proof that these skills work. The ones who really understand
these principles, know they can generate income from pursuing things
they love rather than trying to eke out a living flipping burgers or
bagging groceries for someone else. They can create their own lives,
their own incomes, and never be dependent on anyone else ever
again.
I choose to help the planet by helping those in severe need.
You may choose a very different avenue but it's important that you
participate in your community and your world because whatever you
send out will come back to you. Emotions of goodwill and love for
people you don't know, will create tremendous flow of those same
emotions back to you. It's an awe-inspiring thing to see.
When you start to think bigger than yourself and what you want,
you release the limitations from your life that were blocking more
money from coming your way. You may be wondering why this has
any effect on money. Money is only one resource, as is love, caring
and abundance. It is our own human beliefs that separate the ideas of
human kindness and charity from money. Some think that money and
pure altruism cannot exist together. Not only do they exist together -
they're intertwined. The resource of money is not separate.
If you don't care about the people around you or treat them as if
they don't matter, you'll stop the flow of possibilities. This includes
your financial prosperity. Creating a vehicle for good that you feel
passionate about is the final step toward true prosperity.
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
YOU CONTROL THE UNIVERSE
I enjoyed a moderate amount of success before I completely
understood these principles. In fact, what really started my journey
of intense personal growth, and what motivates me to continue, is
my intrigue with how some people overcome negative and hopeless
situations to succeed and others don't. I've come all the way from the
streets to a really nice life, yet I couldn't really verbalize or explain
how it happened. This concerned me. I was afraid if I didn't know
what caused my success, I might lose it.
Of course I now know that the reason I succeeded without really
understanding the power of the Law of Attraction was that I figured
it out intuitively and used it unconsciously. I was determined to
try anything, and through trial and error, some things worked, so I
continued to do them. It wasn't until later I understood about asking,
or giving or any of the concepts that are an integral part of true and
lasting success.
I realized that when I focused on what I really want, I would
attract it. When I was stressed and worried about my situation, things
got worse. I'm not a fan of pain and suffering, so I went with what
worked. It wasn't until later that I realized the awesome power our
minds possess. It's a little scary that I just wielded that power willy-
nilly at one time. Now I'm aware and it's this awareness that allows
a higher form of knowledge to flow through me, allowing me to
accomplish things that I never could've on my own.
If we believe something to exist, so it is. Now those words really
underscore the power you have within you. You shape the world you
live in and have the power to reshape it. Yet so many people waste
this power on habitual thoughts and old beliefs that originated with
others. Changing your thoughts alone will not produce your desired
results. You must also take inspired action. The awareness that you are
connected to a tremendous source of power will guide your actions.
There is a great exercise that really illustrates the power of your mind
and how a new mindset can be the catalyst for tremendous change.
Imagine that you're in a dark room where every comfort has been
provided to you. The room is completely dark preventing you from
reaching out for those things you desire. You were told that the room
has lights, so you instinctively grope along the wall, where you're
accustomed to finding a switch.
For many hours you pass your hands up and down the walls
as far as you can reach until your arms ache. About the time you're
ATTRACT MONEY NOW!
ready to give up the search, you keep going, determined to locate the
switch. You're determined to enjoy the good things awaiting you, so
you sustain your search, knowing that you'll ultimately find a way to
turn on the light.
After more searching, you pause to rest. You wonder where
that switch could possibly be. "It must be here, and I will find it,"
you say to yourself, and again you pass your hands over the walls,
although you feel certain that you've already gone over every inch
of wall within your reach. This time your thoughts and movements
are not quite so tense, although equally determined. As your hands
move slowly up and down, your mind sparks the idea that the switch
might not be on the wall at all. You pause for a moment. Next, you
think that the switch might be on the floor. But reason steps in and
argues, "Impossible. Who ever heard of a light switch being placed on
the floor!"
"But," the suggestion persists, "why not try? You've gone over
everywhere you thought it would be. What the heck, try the floor."
Then you reach out across the floor with your foot hoping to find
something feeling like a light switch. Instantly your toes brush against
an unfamiliar object. You put your hand on what seems to be a push
button, but no light appears. Nevertheless, you now feel quite sure
that you've located the switch.
Pause, and ask yourself, "How does this thing work? It won't
push and it won't pull." Back comes the answer within yourself, like
a spoken word. "Sideways." You move it sideways, and the room is
flooded with light. Your joy at finding a responsive intelligence within
yourself cannot be expressed in words. It is a rapture of the heart that
many others have felt at various times.
This story is a mirror of how holding onto the correct mindset
helps you meet your goals. At first you reach out for what you know,
and the answer is not there. It's at that point you begin to search and
open yourself to other ideas. Even when you encounter obstacles and
become frustrated, you still search for answers. The answer comes to
you from what seems like thin air, but it's the universal intelligence
helping you reach your goals and giving you the answers. This is
because you stayed focused on your goal.
Now imagine yourself in the same room under the same
conditions. After several attempts at feeling around in the dark, you
feel tired, more or less discouraged, and you reason with yourself,
"Oh, what is the use? There may be a light switch in this room, and
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
the room may contain everything I require and again it may not." But
something indefinable within yourself convinces you that not only
is the light there, but so are the things you enjoy and desire. You say
"Well, if everything I enjoy is here, what a pity that I cannot find the
switch! I wonder why the light was not already turned on for me."
This is a typical reaction for many people. They say, "It's not
my fault, it's the crazy mixed-up world we live in! It's my family, my
boss, the President and I can't help it." They blame everyone and
everything when they have the ability to overcome the issue - but
refuse to understand that they already possess that power.
Once you recognize that there's a universal intelligence that can
and will respond, you also understand your own responsibility to act
on it. Just like being in the dark room, you had to act in order to find
the answer. Even when you didn't have a clue why things weren't
working or what might work. You must keep trying and wait for the
spark of intuitive intelligence to appear.
PERSISTENCE OF WILL
You must never quit. I encounter people everyday who seem to
have QUIT tattooed on their foreheads. It's as if they have made up
their minds way in advance that they will give a new idea X amount of
effort and that's it. They may decide that rather than 100% effort they
will give 95%, but usually it's more like 30% or 40%. They don't really
want to commit, so when they fail, they have a ready-made excuse.
They can distance themselves from becoming emotionally attached to
the outcome.
We all have our low points or our own personal 'crises of faith.'
Persistence is the ability to maintain your action and outlook regardless
of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting. When
you work toward any big goal, it's normal for your motivation to ebb
and flow like waves hitting the beach.
Sometimes you'll feel motivated; sometimes you won't. But it's
your action that will produce results. Persistence allows you to keep
taking inspired action, even when you don't feel motivated. Then
you still produce results. Over time, persistence will enhance your
motivation, as the quest becomes almost like a puzzle you must solve.
It's just like trying to find the light switch. The persistence to keep
looking and thinking of other possibilities will motivate you far beyond
your limits. If you keep taking inspired action, you'll eventually get
results. These results will continue to motivate you. For example, you
ATTRACT MONEY NOW!
may become much more excited about attracting money when you go
to your mailbox and find a check you didn't expect.
Persistence doesn't mean you blindly stumble forward no matter
what. You must be willing to step back and evaluate your progress
and stay on the path toward your goals. Persistence means you keep
searching for answers and plugging away consistently at your dreams.
Persistence is not stubbornness and this can be a difficult lesson to
learn. Many people were raised to believe that once you set a goal
you should stick with it and go down with the ship if necessary. This
is why people stay in jobs they hate, live for years in a location they
don't care for and spend their time with people they don't like. They
are living in guilt - not persistence.
As you grow, your dreams and desires will change. They will grow
and morph into something way beyond what you can imagine. When
I was studying at Kent State to become a journalist, I never imagined
that several decades later I'd be speaking to more than 17,000 people
in Lima, Peru or scale the heights of Machu Picchu - but I did.
Speaking of Peru, I spoke there because of two young
entrepreneurs named Raul and Hugo. These men live in a third-
world country, yet they dream BIG. They wanted me to speak to their
country. At first their goal was to have me speak to 35,000 people
and meet the President of Peru. Sometimes, things change as you
make progress to your dreams. Instead of speaking to 35,000 people, I
spoke to 17,000. Instead of meeting the President of Peru, I met with
television reporters that promoted me to the entire country. Raul and
Hugo kept their vision while they took inspired action and adapted
the event as new information became available. Meeting them was
a thrill. And speaking to the crowd they gathered was one of the
highlights of my life. I expect even bigger things to come.
My dreams have grown and changed and so will yours. You can't
guarantee that the goals you set today will still be the ones you want
to achieve a year from now. In order to make room for new goals, we
have to delete or finish old ones. Sometimes you'll get a spark that's
so compelling and inspiring, that there's no way to go back and finish
your old one. They may have to be abandoned half-finished. I've
always found it uncomfortable to do this, but I know it's necessary to
follow that intuitive spark. Let go of the idea that you must complete
everything you start because sometimes what you learn partway
through that one idea, leads to an even better one. Follow the lead of
intuition and it will show you how to discern the true path.
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
Mark was a closet writer when I met him. He worked in a local
accounting firm and had dreams of publishing a book to help college
kids learn basic financial principles. He worked on it on and off
for years and everyone in his life knew he'd been working on this
book forever and doubted that it would ever be finished. Finally a
college administrator walked into his office. After talking a bit, the
conversation turned to how much of a need there is to teach young
people how to handle money. Mark told the administrator that he
was working on a book about it. The administrator asked if he'd be
interested in teaming up and co-authoring the book.
Mark had a decision to make. Did he set aside his dream, or did
he seize this opportunity? After some thinking about it, Mark decided
that taking the co-authoring opportunity was the right decision.
The book was published a year later and met with success due to the
backing of Mark's coauthor and the university he worked for. Mark
was soon out lecturing and teaching his passion to young people, an
opportunity that might have languished and disappeared if he hadn't
been willing to alter his dream.
These days I set very big goals. I want to receive all there is out
there. Does this mean that I set out on a path only to hop on another
one when an opportunity presents itself? Yes! I have lots of different
ideas and opportunities that come my way. In the early years I had a
hard time deciding which ones I was supposed to take. I'd get these
'gut' feelings like most people do, then I would try and "logic" my way
through it. Needless to say I spent a lot of time on things that were a
waste of time. I learned the hard way.
These days I've learned to trust my intuition. Sometimes it's
an emotional connection to the idea or maybe just a feeling about
a person's potential. I talk to other personal development leaders
everyday. There are a few that I will work with someday. I just know
it intuitively. Over time you'll also develop this ability to know which
opportunities to choose and which to turn down.
INSPIRE OTHERS
I read about inspiring people all the time. I like being inspired
and I want to be an inspiration to others. This is one of the leading
ways to help improve the lives of people you don't know. We all have
people who inspire us. But how do you inspire others? I think the first
way is to be a good role model. People will watch what you do more
than listen to what you say you're going to do. So in order to inspire
ATTRACT MONEY NOW!
people, you must do what you say you're going to do. It's sad but
sometimes true that the more successful you become, the more people
will come out of nowhere to tear you down. You can't be distracted by
this noise. As long as you hold true to your principles, you will prove
them wrong every time. And as you move forward, more supportive
people will be attracted to you and your success.
I've heard it said (heck I've even said it!) that people don't care
what you know until they know how much you care. You can't swoop
in and tell people what they have to do, how to do it, and expect
them to listen. You can see this in today's high school classrooms.
Kids aren't impressed by credentials or awards. They want to know if
you care about them. Until you show that you care, they won't listen
to a word you say. Adults are the same way. Take the time to make
a personal connection with people before you offer any advice. Ask
questions and take a genuine interest.
Everyone goes through tough times. You've probably seen people
that refuse to acknowledge that they've ever had a bad day. Don't be
one of them. Encourage those who need a kind word, no matter how
difficult their situation may be. Don't be afraid to share your tough
memories and experiences. Those who are struggling often feel alone.
They feel like nobody else has ever had it so bad. Let them know they
aren't alone.
Writers often talk about 'filling the well.' This is a reference to the
fact that you can't be inspiring to others unless you get inspired yourself.
I read many inspiring stories, blogs and watch inspiring programs and
films to get and stay inspired. Look for people, ideas, environments
and knowledge that you find inspiring and motivating.
It's very important for you to become a great communicator, so
you can get your message across to others. Listen to how you speak,
as well as analyze the things you say to people. I've invested plenty of
time and money to improve my communication skills.
Always increase your knowledge. Nobody knows everything about
anything. Learning and growing is an important part of becoming the
type of person you want to evolve into. Learning from others is key,
so listen to audio seminars or attend live events. Get books and read
them. Don't just stick them in the 'to be read' pile (I know that trick!).
Actually read, understand and act on them.
I like to challenge people. It's an obligation I take very seriously.
This doesn't mean I'm confrontational. I simply challenge people to
get to the next level. This is where I got the nickname "Mr. Fire!" A
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
friend said I was always setting "a fire" under people to get them to
follow their dreams. Well, I'm here to fire you up now.
I like to ask people hard questions regarding what they're doing
to make their dreams come true. I also want to know why they're doing
it. I do this in every book or program that I produce. On occasion,
when I'm tired or really drained, I may sit next to a person on a plane
and never say a word. It will usually cross my mind that I may have
been put in that seat because the person next to me needed me to ask
about their life and challenge them to expand their thinking. When
that thought occurs, I speak.
Remember, the seventh and final step to attracting
money is caring for your community and the world as a
whole. I always want to be the person who inspires others, who cares
and who makes a difference. You can do the same.
Now let's put all seven steps together so you can begin to attract
money now.
ATTRACT MONEY NOW!
STEP 7: HELP YOUR COMMUNITY & YOUR WORLD
TRUTHS & TAKE AWAYS
• The seventh and final step to attracting money is caring for your
community and the world as a whole.
• Emotions of goodwill and love for people you don't even know,
creates tremendous flow of those same emotions back to you.
• You shape the world you live in and have the power to
reshape it.
• In order to get what you want in life, you must resolve to never
quit.
• It's not your motivation that will produce results — it's your
inspired action.
• As you grow, your dreams and desires will change - don't be afraid
to jump on new opportunities that inspire you.
• In order to inspire others, you must allow yourself to be inspired.
Step 7: Help Your Community and Your World
ACTION STEPS
• Write down causes or movements you care about.
• Find a way to help one of those causes or movements.
• Write down a person you know of who needs help.
• Find a way to help that person.
