“Wealth is not everything, but it is better than one’s health. After all, it’s not as if you can go to the butcher and say, “Look what a beautiful tan I have, and not only that, but I never catch a cold!”, and expect him to wrap a fillet steak for you.” (Woody Allen)
According to recent statistics, 1% of the world’s population enjoys 55% of total goods consumed and earns as much as 99% of the world’s population (Source OXFAM, 2019). These data testify to the enormous imbalance between rich and poor on planet earth.
Defining wealth, however, can be deceptive; it is a very subjective concept because it is intrinsically linked to personal satisfaction.
The word “wealth” has many meanings, but most of them refer to having something in abundance. If we ask the same question to ten different people, we will get ten different answers.
What Is Wealth To You?
Here are ten possible answers.
- Hundred pairs of shoes by Christian Louboutin
- A garage full of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins.
- A villa by the sea in a tropical paradise
- A room full of Legos
- A long and healthy life
- A piece of Amazonian Forest
- A gigantic yacht
- A chocolate factory
- An open ticket to travel around the world
- A loving and happy family.
Different answers, but in all of them, wealth is linked to happiness. I am rich because I possess what makes me happy. Even the word happiness is difficult to define. For some people, happiness is an emotion, a positive subjective condition. For others, it is a sort of constant existential state of fulfilment. For others, being happy is having positive thinking. For the Dalai Lama, “Happiness is a combination of inner peace, economic viability and, above all, world peace.”
Therefore, to be rich, you have to fill your pockets and also your heart. There is a link between spiritual values and making money. This topic was extensively discussed in an iconic American book published in the 1930s: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It seems that this book is more relevant today than ever, as we live in an era of profound change and transition. In recent months, the lockdown has prompted many of us to ask ourselves questions, look inside and finally stop and think about things. This book takes us to an intimate dimension and states precisely that the generation of wealth is a product of the mind, which associates reasoning with imagination and tenacity.
Napoleon Hill tells the story of Edwin C. Barnes, who, one day, introduced himself to Thomas Edison to announce that he was about to become his business partner. He was given a second-rate assignment, but he decided not to consider himself one of the many cogs in the wheel and imagined he was the silent partner of the inventor; which in the end happened. Barnes sensed that the secret to success was a willingness to cut with the past so that he could not back down and return to a mediocre life.
We must pursue our goal and not worry if others consider our ideas “crazy”. Napoleon Hill quotes Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the radiotelegraph, who was taken to the Mental Hospital by his friends when they learned that he believed he could send “messages through the air”.
The key to everything is the mind, the thinking. Our mind can move us away from poverty and closer to wealth. The quote that made Hill famous is: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve“. We can achieve success through mental visualization and imagination. It means that we can become everything the mind thinks is possible; we can block ourselves or transform into the best version of ourselves.
Our material world is unquestionably based on abstract, metaphysical and intangible realities, but requires a good dose of action to achieve our goals. If we understand the power of the mind and its harmony with higher intelligence (for som,e the universe; for others, God) and if we use the Law of Attraction the action is simple, natural, flowing, and very powerful!
Our brain is a wonderful engine fitted with perceiving and emitting vibrations and frequencies, and with this ability, it interacts and transforms the matter. Also, the Hindu culture affirms that the brain is a receiving station of all knowledge and perceives from the ether the ideas and information necessary to transform dreams into tangible reality (Akashic Records).
The man who “thinks” he can achieve something is already a step towards the goal. This thought is a combination of initiative, faith, will to win and tenacity. The man who “desires” something badly is determined and will use failure as a means to improve and get closer to his goal. He who “imagines” big dreams is already building his power. And finally, he who “acts” and realizes all the other elements in a plan of action is launched towards success and wealth.
Eventually, this wealth will be material, maybe a 6-figure bank account, but the person who achieved that wealth is a person who has travelled an emotional, mental, spiritual road of extraordinary beauty. Hence, the contrast between material and spiritual wealth is apparent; the two concepts are not mutually exclusive and can be complementary.
The positive mental attitude is essential in our life; it allows us to take the best from everything around us and to change what makes us unhappy. Enjoying and respecting Nature, for example, is a source of great inspiration. How many ingenious ideas were born in a forest or under an apple tree? How many enchanting paintings were created in a sunflower field or on a Polynesian beach? Not only Nature but also people are a source of inspiration. Surrounding oneself with positive and energetic people surprisingly widens the horizons.
I’m well aware of that! All the years I spent in an office surrounded by toxic people, I felt unhappy, nervous, angry and above all scared. I was afraid to get out of my comfort zone, afraid to risk, afraid to lose. When I finally abandoned all that and started to surround myself with inspiring people, my mind began to create, to imagine again, to write, to shape a more exciting and, probably, successful future!
My advice for this Mother’s Day is to buy this book, or another motivational book, and immerse yourself in reading to be inspired. Or, you can follow my blog or my Facebook page [put links] where I share positive thoughts and information to change your life and find the wealth, both material and spiritual.
“There are people who have money and people who are rich.” (Coco Chanel)
If you are aiming to be rich, learn more and claim your Free Workshop Today
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Think and Grow Rich di Napoleon Hill, 1937.