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Poverty and Prosperity 2

The only way to take control of your life, raise your standard of living and move beyond merely surviving is to create your own unique product or service that you offer to increasing numbers of people in exchange for the things of value that you desire. This simple formula applies to countries as well as people. A self-sufficient economy has its own products or services of value to export to the world. Similarly, a self-sufficient individual has something of value to exchange in the global marketplace. That thing of value is based on your natural talent, skill, or interest—in other words, your passion!

Yes, the game is flawed. As I’ve said, this construct we call financial success, this idea we call wealth, this thing we call prosperity is based on a construct and a capitalist imperative that says, among other things, consumerism is the order of the day, more is better, the earth is ours to rape and pillage, we must keep getting richer and richer by any means necessary. This “infinite growth through greed” concept is an unnatural construct imposed on the masses by ways of thought that are not in alignment with the natural order of things. To use a phrase that has become quite common these days: it is not sustainable.

       In my conversations, I never make the mistake of saying one person is better or worse than--inferior or superior to—another simply because of their decision or ability to produce specific results in what I consider and inherently unnatural system. I would never make the mistake of assigning the tag of "bad" to a nation simply because they don't appear to be going along with a particular game as decided by foreign ways of thinking. (There are some interesting books and articles about linear left-brain vs wholistic right-brain ways of thinking and viewing the world that make for interesting understanding.)

       For just as poverty is not an indication of inferiority, neither is wealth an indication of superiority, morally or otherwise.  As we all know, some of the most morally bankrupt people on the planet can, and have accumulated hoards of wealth. (In fact, many may argue that, because the entire system is flawed in its underlying construct, alien to basic human nature and morally and ethically bankrupt itself, that success within it requires one to manifest the same qualities. I don't believe this to be true. I believe one can survive and thrive without selling one's soul.)

But, it's no excuse

       Now, as unnatural as the construct may be, that's no excuse for poor performance. "The test is hard, mommy, so it's ok if I fail" wouldn't be accepted by your parents, or your teachers and it won't cut it here either.

       It won't cut it, because there's also another law in effect: I call it the Second Law of Passion Dynamics. This law essentially says that you are naturally endowed with the means for your survival. You were sent or chose to come here to experience this plane of existence, and you have been given everything you need in order to function, survive and thrive--if you choose to.

Most of us ARE, for the most part, forced to play out our existence within this unnatural system. We have been born into the system as it exists. It’s a powerfully constructed system. Encouragingly, many of us, at an early age, recognize the flaws, the injustices, the contradictions and lies of the system and fight against it, but then, fall in line and play the game as it has been constructed. In this article, we won’t be discussing how to change the system. We’ll discuss how to survive within it.

So, if you wish to play the game and function within the system, and produce certain results within it as it exists, and accumulate this thing called wealth, it simply means you will have to make a decision to act in a particular way. You have a few choices. You could (1) simply get a job, or (2) you could harness the skills you were given in order to achieve a slightly different goal.

       Getting a job, theoretically, will allow you to survive.  However, I’m suggesting a slightly different strategy described by choice number two. I’m going to suggest that you play the game by turning your passion into profit.

Rules of the Game

If you wish to use this strategy to play the game, there are certain constructs you must dismantle, and others you must adopt especially if you are making the transition from an employee mindset into which many of us are indoctrinated from birth.

To do this, you must first separate the connection you may have in your mind that equates your self worth with your net worth.  You must also remove the belief you have that money, its acquisition and accumulation are evil. You must then accept that you have something of inestimable value inherent in you. Then you must find out what that thing of value is.  Next, (and this is important) you must be willing to accept money for the thing(s) of value that you offer to the world.  Then, you must create a product or service based on that value. Then, you must offer that value to the world using the channels that have been created. Then you must communicate that value to increasing numbers of people.

The same general rules apply to those seeking prosperity for a nation. Of course, there are many other factors that make governing a nation towards prosperity a much more challenging task. As an outsider to this thing called politics and governance, I cannot pretend to know all the intricacies of foreign relations, domestic debt, global economic forces, treaties, budgeting and mass psychology that one must take into account to govern effectively. However, as an outsider, I can, perhaps see more clearly that re-educating the masses and offering them a new definition of prosperity is essential. Discarding the first world definition of progress and prosperity is critical. Identifying and eliminating outside influences that seek to undermine your nation’s true progress and the prosperity of your people is required. (If, while you are educating your people into a new paradigm, others are allowed to brainwash your populace with their unnatural, unsustainable and counterproductive concepts of education, beauty, food, diet, health, religion, progress and prosperity), it will be virtually impossible to extricate your nation from poverty and dependence.

The Challenge

Remember, as an individual, if you’re like most of us, your current state of “success” in financial terms is being defined and dictated by an external construct. Your ability to succeed within this construct is NOT connected to your true worth as a living being. Furthermore, your success within this construct is entirely within your control if you decide to take the necessary steps required to play the game.

The challenge, as I see it, for both individuals as well as nations, is discovering how to play the game, survive, thrive and prosper without sacrificing things of real, authentic value. Among those things of real value I consider to be the earth itself, it’s natural beauty, your health, your right to self-sufficiency, access to land on which to live and the rights, freedom and access of others in the society to the same.

That change can only come about by if you can step outside the current constructs and assumptions, see things as they really are, assess reality objectively, and then make different choices and choose different strategies that empower and free you and your nation to move from this thing we call poverty to a thing we can truly say is prosperity!

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Until next week, remember, success is a journey, not a destination!--Walt

Send article suggestions, entrepreneur nominations and feedback about this article to walt@passionprofit.com. 

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