During my first trip to Warsaw several years ago, a mainstream reporter for a Polish magazine set up an interview with me. I give interviews night and day, in every country I visit, so I was eager to do this one, as well. Especially since I love Poland and its people.
But I wasn’t prepared for how the interview actually went.
The reporter was cute but stern. Her side-kick journalistic photographer was just as serious. In the reporter’s moderate English she asked me hard-nosed questions about the Law of Attraction, Polish people, my books and teachings, and more. No matter what I said, she didn’t like it.
At one point she asked, “Why are you teaching people to become rich?”
It was an interesting question. Under different circumstances it would seem like a silly question. Why not teach people to be rich? What’s wrong with being rich, anyway?
But it was obvious she was coming from a scarcity paradigm. Her mindset was set. My answers didn’t sit well with her. They couldn’t. From her perspective, my paradigm made no sense.
So instead of trying to teach her what an abundance paradigm is in a soundbite, I instead said something like, “I’m not teaching people to get rich, I’m teaching them to be happy.”
The reporter almost reeled back, her body posture suggesting she had just caught me in a grand lie, and she flipped through her notes.
When she found what she wanted, she looked at me and smugly said, “Didn’t you write a book called The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History?”
Now I had her.
“Apparently you haven’t read it,” I said. “When you read that book, you’ll discover that it is about giving away money.”
She stared at me. My answer didn’t compute.
I tried to explain to her about the power of giving; that if you want to attract money now, start giving away money now.
That didn’t sit well with her, either.
Give money when people are broke or jobless?
Give something, I countered. Start somewhere.
She looked confused, even angry.
The entire interview went like that. The resulting article was published as a feature in her Time-like Polish magazine. I have no idea what she actually wrote, as I don’t read Polish. (A Polish friend said, “You don’t want to know.”) It doesn’t really matter. I’m sharing it with you here because of a bigger lesson on giving.
Giving is one of the most powerful principles of all time. You’ve heard about it, from me or others. It’s not new.
But do you actually do it?
If you do give, do you do it in a big way, in a loving and trusting way, and every day?
Be honest.
I used to resist giving, too. If I gave at all, it was a tiny amount. It took me a long time to realize that my not giving, or not giving freely, was sending messages to my mind such as “There isn’t enough,” “I won’t get any more,” “I might need this for an emergency,” “I feel safer with this in my pocket,” and so it goes.
All fear based thoughts.
All self-reinforcing and self-fulfilling prophecies.
Guess what?
The more you hold on to that old limited thinking paradigm, the harder it really is to attract money (or anything else). Your scarcity mindset simply won’t let it in.
What can you do about that?
No B.S. marketer Dan Kennedy once told me the window you receive through is made bigger by the window you give through. Want to receive more? Then give more. It’s that simple.
But beware.
There’s a lot of self-sabotage in this area.
I’ve heard people say, “I joined a multilevel company and they send some of their profits to charities, so I am giving through them.”
No, you’re not.
Giving is when you give direct; when it comes out of your pocket.
I’ve also heard people say, “I can’t afford to give money, so I give time and services gratis.”
That’s a type of giving, but you’re fudging; you have to give money to receive money.
I’ve also heard people say, “I’d give if I knew where to give.”
Baloney. Give wherever you receive spiritual nourishment or inspiration. You know who inspired you today. You can be on the alert for who inspires you tomorrow. Give there.
I’ve also heard, “I feel uneasy giving money. I don’t know what they’ll do with it.”
Who cares what they do with it? Bob Proctor once said, “They can burn the money as far as I care.” Once you give it, it’s no longer yours. Don’t con yourself into thinking you need to control the money once it leaves your hands. Let go. Trust.
When I first started giving money, I felt uncomfortable. I was leaving my comfort zone. I was stretching limiting beliefs until they snapped and shot away. At that point, I started to receive money almost faster than I could give it away.
I then found great joy in giving. I expanded my giving to other things. For example, in just the last few weeks –
Some might argue that I can give away cars and more because I’m now wealthy, but that would be overlooking the fact that I got wealthy by giving in the first place.
Think about it.
I got wealthy by giving.
Yes, yes, yes, of course, I’ve done a hundred million other things to get wealthy, from writing and speaking to creating and promoting to being on radio, television and in movies, to following the very steps I reveal in my book, Attract Money Now.
“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.” – Kahlil Gibran
Giving to get rich is essential to attract success (and that’s why it’s one of the seven key steps in my book, Attract Money Now).
Giving is one of the most heart-expanding and exhilarating feelings.
Giving feels good.
Giving expands your heart and mind.
Giving makes a difference in the world.
Giving widens that inner window to allow you to receive more.
While my Polish reporter in Warsaw may still be writing her articles from her old school scarcity mindset and scratching her head over self-help authors like me who teach people how to “get rich,” you and I know one of the greatest money-attracting and life-enhancing secrets of all time: giving.
And yes, you can get rich giving.
But the only way to find out if this really works is to actually go do it.
Your move.
Ao Akua,
PS – I wrote my little book, the one I mentioned above and told that Polish reporter about, The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History, back in 2003. You can buy it at Amazon but you can read it for free as part of a larger book on giving by Dr. Rick Barrett called Give to Live. Go get it. Then read it. Tell others about it. And then go give something to somebody right now.
You can use the Law of Attraction for anything. Even to attract top models. But be sure you’re clear about what you’re looking for first. Here’s a marketing lesson from Poland on “Trick Marketing” vs “Love Marketing.” I’ve written about ethical marketing in such books as Hypnotic Writing and Buying Trances, but this short video brings it all to life. It’s entertaining as well as educational. Enjoy!
In Poland we speculated about the mindset of Law of Attraction followers. Why do they love smoothies? Enjoy!
When I was in Poland recently I got to be the only American to see and then drive the Leopard, Poland’s handmade super luxury roadster. It was a thrill. There are only six of these beautiful cars made so far. They are made by hand, with a few men pounding sheets of aluminum with rubber mallets to form the body of the car. This short video shows the amazing car. Note how each person who drives the Leopard comes back with a beaming smile. I haven’t actually ordered the car yet, but I’m allowing it to be attracted to me in some wonderfully unexpected way. Watch the video clip and see what you think:
Learn more about Poland’s Leopard car by clicking right here.
I was in Warsaw and Krackow, Poland last month. I love Poland. The people are loving and generous, curious and intelligent. One of them drove me to see the Leopard sports car, a hand made limited edition roadster. (I was the first American to ever drive the car.) On the way there he asked me some terrific questions. Here are a few of them: (Picture is from Warsaw event.)
Do you read magazines?
A few. In general, the most accurate news is going to be in books. Newspapers move too quickly to check all their facts. Magazines have a little more time to check sources but still aren’t perfect. Books take longer to research, so tend to be more reliable. My preference is for books.
How do you read so many books?
I do what I call intentional reading. I know what I want when I pick up a book, so sprint through it, looking for the facts and stories. Of course, I’m always looking for the book so hypnotically written that I want to read and savor every word of it.
What was the most difficult time of your life?
Being suicidal in college in the 1970s was no picnic. Being homeless right after that was no party.
What’s the best way to write a book?
I take the advice novelist John Steinbeck told radio comedian Fred Allen: Write whatever comes to mind. You can always edit, shuffle chapters, and rearrange pages later. Don’t force the flow. Honor it.
What’s your dream car?
The Bugatti Veyron. While I’m still waiting to receive my Scorpion (the hydrogen-gas hybrid super exotic car made in Texas), the dream car has to be the 1,000 hp Veyron.
What’s your favorite city in Poland?
Krackow. I felt it to be a healing environment.
How do you attract a person back who left you?
You don’t. You allow them free will. Instead, find inner peace within yourself and the person may sense it and want to be around it. If not, you’ll probably attract somebody more fitting.
Did you put 10,000 hours into learning?
Yes. I wanted to be a writer so intensely that I put myself through a disciplined self-study program that no college could ever match. I studied writing books, author biographies, and more. I did writing exercises. I prepared myself as a writer. Since the Internet is text driven, being a skilled writer positioned me for success. Put 10,000 hours into studying anything and you’ll stand out in that field.
What was the first book you ever wrote?
The first book was a novel. I wrote it in college. I don’t remember the title but I think the tag line was, “When you have no where else to go, you can always go mad.” It was never published.
Did you write anything else?
I wrote numerous things, from poems to plays, before I started writing nonfiction. I wrote a one-act play about writer William Saroyan and saw it produced in 1979. I didn’t make a dime from it, but it was homage to an author I loved and it has always been a highlight of my life.
I love Poland so much I’ll be going back to it for the third time in late May, 2010. (Picture is of my editors for my books in Poland. Do we look happy or what?)
Ao Akua,
PS – You can still read my new book, Attract Money Now, for free, by clicking on the below link: