So I am on my way to China to visit my son, James. Of course I fly Business Class. Eight years ago, I could hardly afford to buy a light bulb, and certainly not to switch it on! What a change!
Mind you, I’m not apologising for only Business Class. If I had bought 1st Class now, there would be nothing to upgrade me to, so Business Class is fine. And I’m not swanking or showing off about having money, but I do want you to be shocked.
I’m quoting from Jim Rohn;
“We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.”
Shock may help in the long run, so stay with me.
You and I will immediately consider whether we could afford the cost of 2 Business Class tickets to Chengdu. We would then compare our affordability judgement with what is possible for you or me, and feel that one of us is not doing so well.
How shallow is that? But you did go through that process, didn’t you? It happened in a twinkle of the eye in a totally subconscious manner. You formed many instant judgments about me, yourself, others with whom you compare yourself and possibly dealt with envy, pride and social standing. It all happened in a flash, and you just then re-established that your conditioned evaluation continued to be correct. No change there.
Now consider everything else in your life – or not in your life, but hoped for. The biggest word is ‘affordability.’ It screams at us all of the time. “I can’t afford it” are the words on our lips every day, so that we actively avoid thinking about unaffordable things and situations. We push them away because we seem to feel that they bring disappointment. We do not welcome the thought of opulence and financial wellbeing, because it seems beyond us.
That is very interesting, because what you and I are actually doing is we are repelling what we desire by refusing to acknowledge we can actually have it, and feeling good about the thoughts.
The view which you may have now about unaffordability is a prison cell of introspective failure which is compounding the lack and limitation in your life.
How radical would it be if every thought of unaffordability you had in your mind were changed to the opposite. What monumental earthquake would occur if you opened your mind to encourage thinking about what you now do not dare to consider, because you cannot afford it. Think of the lifestyle you could enjoy, the holidays you could have, the car you could drive, the better education for your children, and particularly, the resources you would have to help the disadvantaged, the charities, the hungry and homeless on the streets, your neighbourhood and your church.
Because those have not been your thoughts, and you have discouraged them ever entering your mind, now, you do not have those good things and you do not have an ever expanding life. Change your thinking, to the opposite and you will get a totally different result.
Jim Rohn said, “If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him round.”
However hard you work at making financial progress in your life, ultimately, what you need more than anything is prosperity understanding. All other endeavours will at best produce a living for you, but not a fortune.
The thoughts of truly rich people are always on the positive of “How can we spend our wealth for our enjoyment and the blessing of those around us?” As they keep those thoughts in their minds, guess what? They get more to spend. It all starts and ends in what you are thinking. It requires you to plan your life as you want it to be.
Once again, listen to Jim Rohn: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
What money will do for you is provide freedom, choices and control. If you enjoy, or think you enjoy that lifestyle, then keep on doing the things and having the thoughts which you have now. Great.
However, you and I would like more out of life than we have now, wouldn’t we? I believe that everyone should want more than they have now, even if they think otherwise. The more you have the greater the blessing you would be to others – isn’t that worthwhile? Of course it is.
So it starts and ends in the mind.
Buddha said: “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.”