William Shakespeare put it this way: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyages of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea we are now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”
December 1, Rika and I were sitting outside in the hot tub at our hotel in Whistler BC, talking. The air was crisp with the lightest snowfall. It was our ninth anniversary in Canada and we were celebrating, setting new goals and expressing our gratitude for our wonderful lives. We had followed our Yellow Brick Road. It started 19 years ago, and nine years ago the road led to Canada. And, as usual, the conversation turned to a good friend who stayed behind in South Africa, all those years ago. He rejected the Yellow Brick Road and now it’s too late for him to immigrate. While our lives just get better all the time, he sees the disintegration of his world as it degenerates into more chaos and violence every day.
Why do people bite the hand of the guide who wants to lead them to a better life? What makes them reject riches in favor of mediocrity and frustration? What causes them to turn away from the Highway to Happiness and slink off down the Lane to a Lackluster Life? Is there a reason why people choose failure and disappointment? Why throw the gift of hope and success back in the face of the giver? I think I know the possible answer.
When someone has been lied to about how things work his whole life and someone comes along with an offer of real success, it’s hard to break through all that negative conditioning. “It’s too good to be true! What’s the catch? What if I fail?” That was true for me, too. When I was offered a way out of living from paycheck to paycheck nineteen years ago, my mentor insisted that I listen to a set of six goal setting and personal development tapes SIX TIMES over. I had to repeatedly listen to those wonderful audio cassettes by Paul J. Meyer. We listened and we listened and then we listened some more. And then we got more tapes and we listened to them. And slowly, we started to change our thinking. We slowly chiseled away at our destructive programming until we could see clearly. To this day, we still have to work on our conditioning because we live in a world where people are encouraged to stick with the status quo. Self development is a lifelong quest.
If you think you haven’t been exposed to lies about money, wealth, value, business and success, I challenge you to check your response to the next business opportunity you see. Do you think of reasons why it will work out, or do you instantly start making excuses and find a reason to turn it down? Think about all those who have a vested interest in keeping you stupid when it comes to money. Yes, I said STUPID. The bank wants you to pay them 18% on your own money. I make 18% on the BANK’S money. Think about that. I can show you how to do that in five minutes. The colleges and universities tell you to get into debt in order to be educated so that you can get a job and stay in debt. Why? So that those academics can keep their jobs and stay poor, too. Employers want you to stay stupid and keep making them rich while you live paycheck to paycheck. And poor people give you advice on how to stay poor.
If we were going to live forever, I wouldn’t be too concerned. But time is running out for you like the sand in an egg timer. You’re going to get old and frail and perhaps sickly. Do you want to be poor, as well? There are 80 million Baby Boomers, 70 million of whom can’t afford to retire. In your old age, don’t you want dignity, freedom and quality of life? You will need money for that. If your wife needs a hip replacement, you’re going to need money. If you get sick and can’t work, where will the money come from? If the neighborhood deteriorates, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to move away to a better neighborhood? How about your kids right now? Do you want them to grow up with all the money they need or with the poor self-image that results from growing up in a family where there’s never enough money? Would you prefer to spend your time with your kids or serving demanding strangers in a restaurant?
No, I’m not politically correct. I don’t have to be. Only pawns and robots have to be politically correct and live in fear of upsetting their minders and benefactors. Money can buy you the freedom to tell it like it is. There is still time for you to follow the Yellow Brick Road. You can attain financial independence much faster than you think. You can break free from financial fetters, fear of being fired, debt and mediocrity, irrespective of your circumstances, background, age, or education. But only if you’re as motivated as I was 19 years ago and every day after that. Want to know how? Visit www.DollarMakers.com and read “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. Do it now. Your prison door is not locked. On such a full sea you are now afloat.
Robin J. Elliott
