Day Two

Today was about deciding if I could see my worthiness to become a millionaire. This is a very interesting question. Am I worthy to be wealthy?

In my religion, worthiness is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts. We take worthiness interviews with ourselves, and with our spiritual leaders to determine our ability to be baptised, serve missions, and attend our temples. The interviews are simple and straight forward. They help us examine ourselves, and they help us realize that, human as we are, we are still worthy individuals. You do not have to be perfect to gain the level of worthiness necessary to attend the temple. You just have to be baptized, have a testimony, and do your best to be good.

Perhaps it would be easier to understand if we explored what it would take to be unworthy to attend the temple. Pornagraphy, Adultery, Drugs, Stealing, Murder, Denying God, Trying to destroy the Gospel. . . you get the idea. So then. . . what would make me unworthy to be a millionaire?

I would be unworthy if having that kind of money kept me from my eternal goals. If the money caused me to lose my worthiness status with my God, I would be unworthy of it. If I used that money to oppress, had an attitude of superiority, and gave that attitude to my children, I would be unworthy of it. If, because of my wealth, I allowed my children to run undisciplined, and didn't teach them right, I would be unworthy of it. If I refused to give service, and hoarded my money, I would be unworthy.

Now comes the time when I explore the intents of my heart. Why do I want to be wealthy? I want to be able to give financial security to myself and my children. I believe that money is a form of power, and that Satan uses it for evil, and that God needs those with it to use it for good. I want to use it for good. I want to help others. I see so many worthy causes that I would like to help, far more than I am capable of helping now. Do I think money will corrupt me? No, I do not. I have not, when the opportunity came, given in to corruption, why would having money be any different. I also have people who I will listen to if they see me begin to follow wrong paths. I already give, I already serve, I am already striving to raise my child with love and discipline.

The final question in a worthiness interview is simply this: Do you believe yourself to be worthy? You see, in the end that is what matters. God may know you are worthy, your leaders, friends, family may know you are worthy, but you have to believe it too. Otherwise you will always question yourself. If you don't believe it, you will not feel comfortable attaining it. And the answer is Yes, I believe I am worthy of it.

Day One - First List

"Let us remember that within us there is a palace of immense magnificence".
-St. Teresa of Avila

-Every major activity of your life is FIRSTED....the firstlings of the flock and the first fruits of the field...as the Bible calls it. What are the firstlings of your flocks and which are the first fruits of your fields? - From Cracking the Millionaire Code

The first hours of my day
The first day of my week
The first dollars I earn
The first food that I eat
The first thought that I think
The first smile that I give
The first lens that I use to look at the world
The first meeting of my week
The first Millionaire Idea waiting to be found by me
The first book I read
The first words I speak
The first music I hear
The first desire of my heart
The first song I sing

Day One - Scripture Study

Doctrine and Covenants 104:17 - "For all the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves."

Matthew 13:12 - "For whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." (JST added)

As I pondered these verses, a picture came into my head. I imagined God with a never-ending supply of water, and he is offering it to us all. It is our choice to partake of it. There are some who do, they come forward with pitchers, coolers, and 20 gallon drums. There are some with cups ranging in size from the Big Mug, to a shot glass. We all have something that could catch the water, even if it is our cupped hand. The beautiful thing is that once emptied, the container can be refilled. Those who receive the water can increase their capacity to hold more water.

Some of us bring our glass and stop the water at the half way mark. "I have plenty," They say. "I have enough for my needs." and they walk away, with their hand over the top to keep the water in. As they drink the water, which is enough to keep them alive, but not enough to thrive, they find themselves thirsty again very quickly. They want more, but somehow feel guilty about wanting more. So they pretend they aren't thirsty. They claim they don't think about water, they are more focused on life. There is a saying I love, "All you can think about when drowning is the need for air." When you are dying of thirst, all you can think about is water. Sure, you have enough to live. . . to survive, but your body needs more than that to thrive. In fact, our brains have this neat little function to keep us from going crazy from the need of water: It turns the thirst off. After a certain period of time, if the thirst isn't satisfied, the brain turns it off, thinking there is no way to get more. Have you ever had extra water? Hydrated yourself more than normal, and then found that you became thirsty faster? That is because your body went "WhooHoo! There must be a spring near by, we can finally get some lubrication!"

When we drink from our glass, and then return to the Lord and ask to be filled, he will fill us. We can even ask Him were to go to get bigger containers for the water. He even asks us to fill others as we cross their paths. What if everyone filled their glasses, and then filled others glasses, and came back for more. Eventually all would have overflowing containers all the time, and we would have a big, joyful waterfight!

Why do we limit the amount of water we can have? If you don't want that much water, instead of putting your hand over your cup, you can give it away. How much more fulfilling is it? I would far rather be the means of quenching another's thirst than refusing life-giving water. Not only that, but when you are overflowing in water, you can grow beautiful things.

Maybe I have gone a little far with the water analogy, but I really believe that the concept of abundance is this simple. We don't have to fight for water other people have, we simply have to find a container we like and fill it from the source. It sure helps to know where it is. If you already know that, you are doing much better than most of the people here, and can help show them the source of water, by sharing.

The Journey Begins

There are several different books and routes that I intend to include in my journey. In fact, there are events that are being set in motion now that I hope will be fruitful in the not too distant future. Today I officially begin a 101 day journey suggested by the book Cracking the Millionaire Code by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. http://www.crackingthemillionairecode.com
They have many fabulous suggestions and are not afraid of combining success, business, and God into their work. Each day has suggested readings, goals, memorization, etc. For someone like me, it is fabulous. I know that I won't do it in 101 consecutive days, after all . . . I do have a toddler, but I intend to finish the course.

Introduction

Economy and Finances have always been favorite subjects of mine. I hold tightly to Economist Paul Zane Pilzer who beleives in the Abundant Economy. This is a record of my journey through that economy, I hope to show it can be done, and that it is a gift from God. I beleive that God wants us all to be abundant, that His power can surround us and give us wings. So this will also be a Spiritual Journey, and I hope to be a greater person because of it.