Hi all,

Just thought I'll share this with you guys.

Yesterday, while shopping, I sneaked away and went to this bookshop close to the shop where my wife was. I really wanted to look at some books and magazines about model trains but my little girl led me (she was running around and ended up there) to the Self Help and Business section. She handed me a book about how to build self-confidence and prepare you for public speaking (something that can really help me). She also handed me a book on how to get started in exporting (again, something that can help me with a few of my ideas).

Then on one of the top shelves this one book caught my eye. It was a small green paper back book called Money Wisdom. On the cover it reads: "Ask a question about money in your life, and wherever you open this book, you will find your answer". Yeah right, I thought.

My question was: "What do I need to do to get rich?" I opened the book and there it was. EFFORT.

If there were ever anything that I needed to do to make my life easier, it would be to put more effort into everything I do. All my life I've been an average - just above average type of person. This might sound strange but even with all our hardships, I have always had it easier than most of the other people that I know. (When I was still a teenager) I have even gone as far as to think that when I die and get to heaven, God will take one look at me, forgive my sins and let me trough. I have come to realize that that is not true. It can never be and will never be. Although am quite lucky, I'll never be that lucky. I do regret not listening to my elders when they urged me to put more effort into my work. If only... What's done is done. No need to cry about it now. There is only NOW. And NOW I choose to put more effort into everything that I do.

In the book they asked questions like: âWhat are you prepared to do to get what you want?â âWhat approaches are you considering to get to your objective?â That really got me thinking. It all boils down to what Phil mentioned in his post (Easy Money). If you put enough effort into what you are doing, it will become a pleasure to do. Also, it will become easier to do. The more fun you have on your way to the TOP, the quicker youâ™ll get there.

Thanks a lot for listening.

Regards,
Ghaleed



i isget

Dear Ghaleed,

After reading your post I wondered if I miscommunicated myself. You see, I DONâ™T believe that EFFORT (as we commonly seem to define it) is a key to being rich. Let me explain.

A person can expend a lot of effort and not get rich hardly at all. For example, a ditch digger expends a lot of physical effort but he usually does not get rich. So, we can know from this example that a lot of physical effort (by itself) does not make someone rich.

Also, I once knew a man who had a couple of Masters Degree and even a Ph. D. Yet, we worked side by side as fellow janitors at the University of Utah. I recall he also seemed to be a noticeably disgruntled person, hardly someone who exuded happiness or a sense of well being. So, it seems to me that even a lot of intellectual effort does not necessarily equate to getting rich.

The kind of effort that I WAS eluding to was effort that is in harmony with, maintains or enhances ones sense of well being, happiness, self worth, joy, delight, gladness about life, love and/or wonder.

For example, Iâ™ve read that when Britney Spears was just a kid, she used to often sing in front of the mirror and put together little musical groups, perform in front of friends and family, and write songs, all the while imagining herself performing in front of large appreciative audiences. I also read how she would even write imaginary magazine articles about herself and her music success. Now this, to me, is effort that is done joyfully, delightfully, wonderfully, lovingly, FREELY, willingly, etc., and itâ™s the kind of effort I meant.

You said that I meant âIf you put enough effort into what you are doing, it will become a pleasure to do.â But I hope I never said this. Even if itâ™s true, it may be misleading. For example, I might put a lot of effort into hating myself or someone else, and get to the point where I was now getting some sort of perverse pleasure from this kind of effort. Well, pleasurable or not, this would be alot of effort that would get me a lot of what I DON'T want.

What I hoped to communicate was: When you really love and appreciate something (a sport, a hobby, exploration, adventure, a child, the possibility of making something better, your health, a dream, etc., etc.) you will likely come to expend a lot of EFFORT into it. But this kind of effort is the kind of effort you WILLINGLY and GLADLY expend. I would go even further and say, if itâ™s something you TRULY love, itâ™s even effort that you will expend even if you were ALREADY rich, and had all the money you could use or want.

In other words, I believe that some of the super successful people, like Britney Spears, Oprah, Arnold Schwarzennegar, Bill Gates, Madonna, William Buffet, Einstein, Jim Carrey, Michael Jordan, the Williams sisters in Tennis, even Gandhi, etc., achieved what they did because they were doing what they loved to do, so the effort (which must have been a lot) that they expended, they did so gladly and willingly. (Another term for this is âeffortless effort.â™)

(They also seemed to have believed in the possibility of their attainments, even BEFORE they had any actual evidence that their efforts would come to fruition. I.e., they had FAITH in what they were doing, and in themselves.)

Now when you said, âThe more fun you have on your way to the TOP, the quicker youâ™ll get there.â Now, thatâ™s something Iâ™d tend to agree with.

Itâ™s not EFFORT, to me, that is important. Itâ™s the KIND of effort that is important.

Just wanted to offer some possible clarification.

Phil

p.s. I recently read that when Gandhi had already done so much for India, a close friend said to him, "Why don't you rest, take a vacation? You've been working 12 to 15 hours a day, almost every day of your life?" And Gandhi replied something to the effect, "I HAVE been on vacation," implying that he was loving every minute of what he was doing.

Hello Ghleed, Nice to meet you, and Hi again Phil, always a pleasure to know you.

It has been many months since I have been to SOGR, mainly, though not entirely, due to computer challenges. After a while I felt as though I didn't need to be here any longer anyway.

Well how wrong I was! I wandered here yesterday and read the last three 'conversations' and I wanted to cry. Oh what I have been thinking!!

I found again that which had been missing in my life!

I read the posts on this conversation from you both - Phil even mistakenly placed his here twice (tho' it is well worth a second read), which have given so much back to me.

Ghaleed, I agree with Phil, that effort is not what is needed - nor is doing 'nothing' -- those words, from the book, were just directions in which to place your thoughts.

What are you prepared to do? If that was directed at something like Multi-Level Marketing, I would say it meant "Are you prepared to talk to people and are you prepared to give it your best shot - to listen and learn and follow instructions?" As Phil says, if you are not putting in the 'fun' effort, then it becomes a drudgery, but if you love what you are doing and if you want to do everything you set out to achieve with the best of your 'happy' ability, then you will get the blessing you desire and deserve.

Thank you for letting me drop in to your conversation.

Warmly
Robyne

Hi you guys,

Phil thanks for clearing that up for us. I agree 100% with you.

I cannot find a better way of saying this. Thanks Phil.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Phil:

What I hoped to communicate was: When you really love and appreciate something (a sport, a hobby, exploration, adventure, a child, the possibility of making something better, your health, a dream, etc., etc.) you will likely come to expend a lot of EFFORT into it. But this kind of effort is the kind of effort you WILLINGLY and GLADLY expend. I would go even further and say, if itâ™s something you TRULY love, itâ™s even effort that you will expend even if you were ALREADY rich, and had all the money you could use or want.

Itâ™s not EFFORT, to me, that is important. Itâ™s the KIND of effort that is important.

---

Also the kind of effort that I was talking about was, was making an effort to start. I love to work on and with anything that's got to do with computers. My work area was really a mess and that kept me from spending time there. I have started this weekend to clear out all the clutter in there and believe me it made a huge difference. All of the sudden i just want to go in there and work (play/experiment). It feels so great!!!

Thanks a lot for all your positive thoughts.

Regards,
Ghaleed