Killing Sacred Cows Blog

By Chris Miles  

This is an essay I recently wrote about independence which I feel pertains to our discussion of overcoming myths and becoming financially free.

Could independence be no more than freedom from oppression and domination? Conversely, is independence merely unobstructed freedom to do anything we desire with no fear of intentional or unintentional consequences? Absolutely not! The more freedom we expect, the more responsibility we inescapably accept.

Today, we see a pandemic paradigm governing humans to blame anyone when things go awry. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, "Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." Why do we shrilly scream for independence and utter whining whispers at the first sight of responsibility?

To many, independence means to be "in dependence." They fancy others slavishly sowing so they can slothfully reap. They "fight" for freedom, but ultimately, beg for bondage. They want what has never existed - freedom from consequence. Indisputable independence is the freedom to pioneer one's path and be accountable for the destination.

My challenge is to consider what areas of our life and finances are we not taking on responsibility. Are we blaming market events, investors, financial institutions, oil companies, politicians, etc for our problems rather than creating solutions? Why can we see so clearly others' errors which are somtimes trivial and are so blind to our own destructive faults? What possibilities would arise if we focused the energy we waste complaining and repeatedly pointing out others' mistakes towards production and creating greater happiness and financial freedom through discovering soul purpose? What blessings are we failing to see because we focus more time and energy on the lack thereof? I challenge each of us to objectively ponder these questions, journal our responses, and identify ways to further focus on our financial independence.

 

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” -Henry David Thoreau

In our last post we defined consumers and producers and made clear that the one choice to become a producer is the single most important factor in determining your prosperity.

Booker T. Washington was an extraordinary producer from whom we can learn many valuable lessons. He was born a slave in Virginia, was freed after the Civil War, then set out to become educated. He arrived at the Hampton Institute determined to gain admittance. This story is a perfect illustration of how a producer approaches life and its challenges.

In his autobiography he wrote, “I presented myself before the head teacher…After some hours had passed, the [she] said to me: ‘The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.’ It occurred to me at once that here was my chance…I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth.

"Besides, every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner in the room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room.

"When I was through, I reported to the head teacher…She went into the room and inspected…When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, ‘I guess you will do to enter this institution.’

"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.”

What challenges do you face in your life? Are you approaching them as a consumer, or as a producer? As a victim, or as a hero?

“The difference between a warrior and an ordinary man is that a warrior sees everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man sees everything as either a blessing or a curse.” Э -Carlos Castaneda

Being a producer means finding ways to become empowered when you feel that your options are limited. It means finding a way to succeed when everyone around you sees nothing but defeat and discouragement. It means possessing and enduring and vibrant belief that everything will always work out as long as you are committed to creating as much value for others as possible.

Follow the example of Booker T. Washington in every aspect of your life. No matter what you're currently facing, approach it with a mindset of determination and a desire to serve others. An abundance of opportunity and wealth exists for those willing to persevere in spite of obstacles and criticism.

"Always make your contribution bigger than your reward." -Dan Sullivan

When it comes to your personal prosperity, one of the most important things you can learn and internalize is the critical difference between Consumers and Producers. The decision to become a Producer, no matter what life throws at you, will determine your prosperity more than any other factor.

Read the definitions below and identify areas in your life where you may be consuming more than you produce, and strive to reverse that. Furthermore, think of how your current Consumer mindset in those areas may be influenced by scarcity thinking, and strive to cultivate the abundance mindset instead.

Consumer: One who consumes more value than he or she produces. Because consumers focus on what they get instead of what they can give, they avoid responsibility, they depend on others for their happiness, and they rarely create real value.

Consumers operate in scarcity, so they view the world through eyes that see poverty and limitations. They think there isn’t enough to go around, so they should get what they can before it all runs out. They take and leave nothing in place of what they take.

They often feel victimized by other people and external circumstances when they don’t get what they think they should. They believe that material things, not people, have intrinsic value.

Because they feel entitled to everything that is given to them, they are poor stewards and allow their human life value to degenerate.

Security to consumers is based on things outside of themselves and their choices. It is anything and everything they can think of: the government, their bosses, their company, their parents or grandparents, their 401(k), etc.

When things go wrong, nothing is ever their fault—they place blame and avoid responsibility. Security to them is the expectation that someone somewhere will always take care of them and make things right somehow. They believe in luck and misfortune, not choice and accountability.

Consumer Condition: A worldview that emphasizes scarcity, win-lose transactions, fear, selfishness, dependence, ownership, accumulation, destruction, luck, and entitlement.

Producer: One who produces more value than he or she consumes. Producers are the responsible, innovative, and creative people who create all of the products and services that we buy and use.

They are more concerned with giving than with receiving. They practice enlightened self-interest, the belief that the way to bring ourselves the most happiness is to serve others.

They are happy, wealthy, and successful, or they are on their way to becoming so. Producers lift, bless, serve, and contribute to everything good in the world. Producers always leave things better than they found them, even if they weren’t responsible for the destruction that they fix.

Producers know that people, not material things, have intrinsic value. They love people and use material things to serve others. They operate in abundance, and they view the world through eyes that see limitless possibilities for value creation.

They are wise stewards over everything that they have been blessed with.

Producer Paradigm: A worldview that emphasizes abundance, win-win interactions, faith, service, interdependence, stewardship, utilization, creation, accountability, and value creation. 

“We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.”    -George Bernard Shaw

Scarcity Mindset: The belief that resources are limited, and the world is a stage for a zero-sum game of accumulation. In a zero-sum game, anything that another wins is no longer available to all others playing the game. Further, these winnings are not replaced or transformed into anything of equivalent or greater value that remains in the game, available to other players. In scarcity, ownership by another means the loss of opportunity for oneself.

When our actions are based on a scarcity mindset, we are acting on fear: fear that we won’t get our fair share, that somebody else will reap rewards that we won’t, or that we’ll have to fight tooth and nail against others to achieve the level of success or prosperity we desire. And this fear causes us to make irrational decisions (especially when it comes to our finances) that limit our potential rather than enhance it.

In a world of possible freedom, joy, abundance, and service, a scarcity mindset cripples us and aids us in seeing not much more than limitations, suffering, poverty, and selfishness.

Abundance Mindset: The belief that there are more than enough resources to fulfill the desires of all the people within a society. At the heart of abundance is a belief in human ingenuity and human value, and a dedication to applying as much of your own value and ingenuity as you can to improve your society and reap the rewards.

The abundance paradigm helps you see the possibility of and the value in win-win exchanges and transactions. People who are operating in abundance know that by serving the wants and needs of others, and thus creating happiness in the lives of others, they actually bring more happiness to themselves. The goal is to serve others, not to exploit or dominate them. They are able to serve wholeheartedly and completely because they know that by so doing, they aren’t in any way diminishing their own happiness; in fact, they are generating more happiness and success in their own lives.

In an abundance paradigm, we fulfill our needs and wants by helping others fulfill their own; transactions are always win-win. In abundance, all of our thoughts, words, emotions, and actions are motivated by contributing to our personal success and the success of others. In abundance, no one is jealous or envious of another’s money; there is infinite wealth to be created and put to use.

“A person can have many talents and gifts and do many things exceptionally well, but your vein of gold, ah...That is the thing you do superbly.”     -Julia Cameron  

America's earliest citizens believed in an ideal that they called Providence, which is something that has been largely forgotten today. To believe in Providence means two things: 1) You believe in a Creator that governs, and 2) You believe that you were born with a unique mission that you alone can perform, and that the world suffers if you don’t fulfill your mission.

Providence is having a relationship with your God that gives you the faith and motivation to fulfill your unique mission regardless of the consequences.
Another way to say Providence is “Soul Purpose.” Soul Purpose is your unique set of talents, abilities, and passions applied productively and effectively, making tremendous impact upon the world and bringing the highest levels of joy and fulfillment for you and everyone you touch. It’s the mission that you were born for; it’s what you would do every day even if you didn’t get paid for it. When you’ve truly found your Soul Purpose, you create so much value for others that you’re almost inevitably paid very well indeed.

How do you know if you are living Providence and Soul Pupose? A good indication of that is if you can't wait to jump out of bed and begin every day with excitement and purpose. If you find yourself dreading going to work you know that something must change.

The best thing you can do for yourself and for society is to find and develop your passion--to revive the spirit of Providence in your own life and live your Soul Purpose.

Recommended Resources to Help You Find Your Soul Purpose:

Kolbe A Index

Strengthsfinder

Enneagram Institute

 

Have you ever thought something like, "If only this would change, then I would be happy?"

Our happiness and success in life have nothing to do with our external circumstances and everything to do with our internal thoughts and choices. Happiness and success are not if/then conditional events; they are internal decisions that we have control over at any given moment, regardless of circumstance.

One of the most destructive lies is that we are a product of our circumstances. This belief is an easy way out of taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions. It's a good way to live a miserable and expectant life, always waiting for that elusive "ship"ми?? to come in that will save us from all our troubles.

You are a product of your thoughts and your choices. You have the power to make your life miserable, or to make it happy and fulfilling. What do you choose to be: a victim, or a hero?

Recommended Reading:

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Do you ever find yourself wanting something different than you're getting out of life?

The only way to change what you get out of life is to change what you put into life. The Law of the Harvest is that we reap what we sow, or we harvest what we plant. We get out of anything exactly what we put into it.

Most people want to change their life's "harvest" without changing what they "plant." But the place to begin any change is with our thoughts, for that is the garden from which all results flow. A poet once said, "Sow a thought and you reap an act, sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny."

What will be your destiny? You can know it with certainty by looking at which thoughts you give you energy to. What you put your energy into now will manifest later as your results.

Recommended Reading:

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen