Introduction
The week was hectic with the usual challenges of running a thriving company and family obligations which always seem to play second fiddle to business. Yet, with all of my responsibilities and time challenges, I still managed to read the Wattles book and think about my Worthy Ideal.
On the drive to Myron’s house I realized how happy I was. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this way. Was I feeling happy about going to see Myron or was it something more? As I walked up to his door I realized that yes, I was happy to be seeing my new-found mentor but more so, for the first time in quite a while I was just happy to be me. I was being exposed to a lot of new concepts and I had this feeling of rightness which seemed to substantiate Myron’s teachings.
At precisely eight o’clock I knocked and as usual I didn’t have to wait long before the door flew open and I was greeted by a smiling and eager-looking Myron indicating with a wave of his hand for me to enter. As I passed through the doorway he said, “All right Robert, now that you’ve had another week to have a go at developing your Worthy Ideal, what have you got for me?”
“Well good morning to you, too,” I couldn’t help but get in a playful jab.
“Oh, good morning,” he replied with a big smile, indicating that he got the hint that perhaps he was rushing into “teacher mode” a little too quickly. As we took our customary places on the sofa and chair he handed me a cup of tea and I leaned back and got comfortable.
“Robert, you seem to be in an inordinately good mood today. May I ask why?”
“Let’s just say that the world I’m living in is getting to be a friendlier place”, I replied with a smile. I knew Myron was just eating this up.
“Today I’ve come to discuss my Worthy Ideal which is based upon my values, beliefs and emotions and what I believe to be the primary motivating factor of my life.”
“You’ve got my attention,” he smiled warmly.
“First, I realized that my Worthy Ideal was a place to come from, not to go to. I thought about those times when I was at my best and then I asked myself, ‘what was present for me? Then I thought about when I was at my worst and asked myself, ‘what was missing?’ At the end of all this, I deduced that my Worthy Ideal was to be proud of myself and the work that I do. To make a difference in the lives of those that I love and care about and when I look back at my life at the end of the road, to feel as though the world was a better place for what I had contributed.”
“Excellent! Robert. I’m really proud of you. I can tell that a lot of heartfelt thought went into your Worthy Ideal. Now, let’s go back to the goals you developed and see how they stack up against your Worthy Ideal.” He leaned back closed his eyes, sipped from his cup and intently listened.
“OK, well, my primary goal is to sell my business for enough money so that I can semi-retire, work on only those projects that I deem worthwhile, spend quality time with my family and travel a little.
“Robert,” he stopped sipping his tea and looked at me. “I think that all of your goals fit right in line with your Worthy Ideal, however, they all break the laws of goal setting.”
He put the cup down and leaned forward as if to make a point. “Remember when I said that your mind is simplistic and very literal? That means that you have to paint an in-depth picture of what you want. If you want to sell your business, you need to specify when and for how much. You’ll need to delineate what projects you might work on after you sell your company, and decide how you will spend your leisure time with your family and to what destinations you will travel.”
“OK, so I have to define the specifics of the ‘what,’ establish the ‘when’ and forget about the ‘how’ because that’s the job of the Universe, right?”
“Not only are you right, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now Robert, your Worthy Ideal and your goals are living entities which you’ll continuously change as you change. By continuously being cognizant of what you want on a daily basis you will become a veritable magnet for all that you desire, providing you maintain a positive perspective and have a little faith it will happen in its own good time, ergo, no expectations.”
As Myron poured himself another cup of tea, he gazed deeply into his cup as if he was searching for something. “Robert, now that you have created your Worthy Ideal and your corresponding goals I want to talk to you about the concept of gratitude. How often do you take stock of all the things in your life that you’re grateful for?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Who keeps track of such things? When it happens it happens.”
“But how often does it happen, daily, weekly… a couple times a month?” He stopped in mid sip as if waiting for my answer.
My brow wrinkled as I thought about it, “I don’t know, maybe a couple of times a month.”
“Well Robert, as a warrior, it is imperative that you write down and consider all that you are grateful for on a daily basis. In order to appreciate the value of this, let me give you some background on its significance to your success.” He took a slow sip and then continued.
“You see, I have known many great business leaders in my time who never reached their true potential. They worked hard, read veritable libraries of books on success and business, joined all the right organizations and kissed all the right fannies,” he let go with a hearty laugh, “but never achieved what was possible. And why you ask? Because of a lack of adherence to the Law of Gratitude.” He picked up the Wattles book, opened it to a passage and read, “According to Wattles:
There is a Law of Gratitude, and it is absolutely necessary that you should observe the Law, if you are to get the results you seek.
The Law of Gratitude is the natural principle that action and reaction are always equal, and in opposite directions.
The grateful outreaching of your mind in thankful praise to the Universe is a liberation or expenditure of force; it cannot fail to reach that to which it is addressed, and the reaction is an instantaneous movement towards you. ‘Draw nigh unto the Universe, and It will draw nigh unto you.’ That is a statement of psychological truth.
And, if your gratitude is strong and constant, the reaction in Formless Substance will be strong and continuous; the movement of the things you want will be always toward you. You cannot exercise much power without gratitude; for it is gratitude that keeps you connected with Power.”
He closed the book and slowly looked up at me, “So what do you get from this?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know what in the hell he’s talking about. I mean ‘Draw nigh unto the Universe, and It will draw nigh unto you.’ What’s that all about?”
I could see that Myron had some appreciation for my lack of understanding as he sat back and smiled. “You know Robert, I have read The Science of Getting Rich so many times, I have forgotten what a pain in the butt the early 1900’s jargon is to someone just starting to read it. Years ago I took the trouble to edit Wattles book, bringing it up to contemporary standards. I’ll give you a copy of my edited version before you leave today.” (NOTE TO READER: If you’re interested in reading the edited version, e-mail me at mshenker@a-teams.us or go to my website at www.a-teams.us and click on “Free Today” and download it.)
“For right now, however, let me break it down for you. The Law of Gratitude states that ‘action and reaction are always equal and in opposite directions.’ Giving thanks or being grateful to the Universe for what you have today and what you want to manifest tomorrow creates an action. The Universe then responds in kind with a reaction which causes you to receive more of what you are grateful for.”
“I’m not sure I understand why I would be grateful for the things that I want in the future.”
“You see part of the process for manifesting or creating what you want in the future is giving thanks for it today. This Law of Gratitude is so powerful, that you can do everything else right and by not adhering to the Law of Gratitude, never reach your full potential.”
As I thought about it the pieces started falling into place and a smile gradually began to replace my look of confusion.
“Make sense?”
“Actually, it does,” I proclaimed.
Myron then handed me his edited version of The Science of Getting Rich and said that next week we’ll keep pushing the envelope while lightening the load a little as he abruptly bid me good bye.
“See you next week Robert, you’re doing a great job,” he said and patted me on the shoulder.
“Thank you, Myron,” I replied. I felt a new bounce in my step as I walked to my car. This was going to be a great weekend.