Are You Stuck?

All our problems are essentially thinking problems, since our interpretation and reaction, and all our ensuing choices with their consequences, are based on our philosophy, beliefs, values, and definitions of precepts.

In our world, band-aid solutions are well packaged with shiny bows and sold easily and quickly, being bought by lazy people who want a quick fix.

How about fixing the root cause, instead? Success and failure are driven more by self-esteem, belief, philosophy, and interpretation than by location, location, location, or by access to good systems and tools.

Humans Have to Acquire, Retain, and Integrate Knowledge of Reality

In Ayn Rand’s “Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology”, she states,

“Concepts have a hierarchical structure, i.e., . . . the higher, more complex abstractions are derived from the simpler, basic ones (starting with the concepts of perceptually given concretes). Since the definition of a concept is formulated in terms of other concepts, it enables man, not only to identify and retain a concept, but also to establish the relationships, the hierarchy, the integration of all his concepts and thus the integration of his knowledge. Definitions preserve, not the chronological order in which a given man may have learned concepts, but the logical order of their hierarchical interdependence.”

She writes in “The Psycho-Epistemology of Art,” from her book, “The Romantic Manifesto”, that

“[There is a] long conceptual chain that starts from simple, ostensive definitions and rises to higher and still higher concepts, forming a hierarchical structure of knowledge so complex that no electronic computer could approach it. It is by means of such chains that man has to acquire and retain his knowledge of reality.”

Getting Rich Can Be A Positive Experience

When someone believes that getting rich is a sin, no amount of training, motivation, or support will help him or her avoid a mediocre income.

A guilty person who believes they deserve nothing but punishment seldom enjoys fulfilling relationships. And salespeople who are convinced that their products are poor quality will seldom win sales awards, unless they’re sociopaths.

A socialist will make different choices to a capitalist, and reap different rewards. The extent to which we suffer is the extent to which we interpret our circumstances and respond to them.

Reading “Atlas Shrugged” Will Do a Lot for your Business

When I tell entrepreneurs that reading “Atlas Shrugged” will do more for their business than an MBA, they chuckle. But I know people with MBA’s whose personal philosophies and conditioning ensure nothing but deficiency, frustration, and failure in business.

I presented a Joint Venture Bootcamp in Vancouver a few years back. One graduate took a single idea I shared and turned it into a $60,000 per month income at no expense. Another, who had a lot more money, claimed that the systems I teach don’t work. He’s right. They don’t work for HIM, and they WON’T work for him, until he changes his weltanschauung. Sowing pearls before swine has never worked well. Acorns don’t grow into mighty oaks when planted in concrete.

When we have the motivation and courage to

• revisit,
• re-evaluate,
• reinterpret,
• and fix our basic beliefs about
  • who we are,
  • what business is,
  • how money works,
  • what we deserve,
  • how life works,
  • what is right and wrong,
  • and what success is,

- everything changes.

Breaking free from the cruel, calculated, cold conditioning that creates serfs, sacrifices, and the mental, emotional and financial slavery that so many of us have been subjected to is not easy. But it is possible.

Looking in The Mirror Takes Guts

Looking in the mirror, taking responsibility, questioning our basic beliefs, and asking hard questions about the motives of, and messages from our parents, preachers, politicians, and professors takes guts.

But those who seek to remove the scales from their eyes find themselves soaring to new heights of

• fulfillment,
• peace,
• joy,
• success,
• and wealth.

Where to start?

I recommend reading “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. Beware the “coaches”, “counselors” and “therapists” who might do more harm than good; only take advice from someone who already has what you want. Break free!