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I sat and watched vulnerable, desperate people running - running to the back of the seminar room to waste money they didn’t have on junk that didn’t work and that they would never use.

A woman in front of me burst into tears and told me that she had spent $1,200 the previous day on material that explained how she could buy properties all over North America with no money. She had been whipped up into an emotional frenzy by the smooth taking con-man  that posed as a caring mentor in the front of the room. She couldn’t afford what she had bought, she was in her fifties, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and earned minimum wage as a security guard, and she was a single mother with two dependent children.  Disgusting.

Here’s the worst part: some of these “seminar leaders” actually sell courses on how to manipulate peoples’ minds and emotions and have them spend money on overpriced rubbish, get them running like idiots to buy stuff at the back of the room,  only to regret the purchase for years afterwards.

Intelligent, well grounded people will not rush to be ripped off, so the victims are generally less intelligent and hard-up for money, with poor self-esteem. THINK before you leap into an investment scheme or a tax saving deal. Get solid advice first. Don’t believe the discount stories and the scarcity pitches.

In Business Do You Due Diligence - It’s Worth It.

Ayn Rand said,

“Rationality is the recognition that nothing can alter the truth, that reason is an absolute that permits no compromise - that the alleged short-cut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit destroying the mind. Independence is the recognition of the fact that yours is the responsibility of judgement, that no substitute can do your thinking, as no pinch-hitter can live your life - that the vilest form of self-debasement and self-destruction is the subordination of your mind to the mind of another, the acceptance of an authority over your brain, the acceptance of his assertion as facts, his say-so as truth, his edicts as middleman between your consciousness and your existence.”

Do your due diligence before getting into a Joint Venture. Check peoples’ motives. Read between the lines. Don’t sign ANYTHING before taking the contract to your lawyer. When you DO, i recommend a simple Memorandum of Understanding. Do not buy expensive things without sleeping on it first (Use the 3 Sleeps rule).  Things look different the next day. Instead of crying, “WHAT DID I DO? I must be crazy!” Be glad that you had enough self control to consider the facts. And this manipulation is far more widespread than most people realize. Take control of your mind, be an independent thinker, and demand freedom.

The best way to maintain your rationality and objectivity in an increasingly manipulative world that operates sans conscience and sans consequence, is to pour realism into your mind by reading the right information, immerse yourself in the philosophy of Objectivism, and connect with like-minded people.

When Ayn Rand said, “My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute”, she addressed an extremely important issue: REASON.

In today’s turbulent world of change, threat, insecurity, and anxiety, many people are hiding from the truth.

We hear that more people flock to movie houses and churches during times of war, depression, and turmoil than in any other time - an escape from reason and responsibility. Emotionalism hides the real issues, avoids responsibility, and protects the fragile ego. Blame, escapism, and justification avoids reality. You won’t solve your problems by discussing the latest CNN propaganda with your broke friends. Reason is the only accurate compass in this wild wilderness.

While it is easier to hide behind mysticism, and live vicariously through politicians, sports teams and Hollywood actors while your life falls to pieces, your debt increases, and your hopes of retirement disappear, it’s not the solution.

Reason is the final judge and jury, bringing with it the only viable explanation and solution. Reason is very scary and threatening to those who refuse to discipline themselves and take responsibility. It’s far more comfortable to stuff your face with overpriced popcorn that you can’t afford, wasting time you don’t have while mindlessly watching a meaningless movie.

Who Is Responsible for Your Well Being?

Some people mistakenly believe the government or their church will take care of them. They flee to the filthy caves of socialism, collectivism, liberation theology, and mysticism, where they will be devoured by witch doctors and bullies. They think they will be protected if they’re politically correct and remain subservient and meek. They believe that by hiding their heads in the sand they will avoid the future they fear. The consequences of their past choices are coming to get them.

In her book, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand tells a fictitious, yet prophetic story that clearly explains her philosophy of Objectivism, the solution for people who want a solution. With the right philosophy, you can take control of your life, recreate and reinvent your future, and take pride in your own endeavors as a self-sufficient individual. Here’s a simple way to describe a great philosophy: “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” Here’s another very complicated way of putting it: “I have created my present reality, and I am in control of my future.”

Environmentalism, altruism, multiculturalism, political correctness, avoiding confrontation, and an escape to mysticism are all definite signs of the avoidance of reason and personal responsibility. Miss Rand taught, “If you think something is a contradiction, check your premises.” Reason is the only absolute.

When the Catholic Church, an extremely wealthy organization, decides that it’s a sin to be extremely rich, you have to check your premises. A reasonable person would understand.

What LABEL do you have on yourself? Tim Larkin tells an interesting story about when he had to train an elite counter-terrorist, law enforcement unit. The problem with this unit was their inability to properly anticipate ambushes or potential assassination attempts. The reason was that the unit was in defense mode, or reaction mode. They called themselves an “anti-terrorist” unit, which implies they are to defend their clients, whereas a “counter-terrorist” unit is there to HUNT terrorists. To solve the problem, Larkin changed their name (label) to Counter-Terrorist and had them practice reverse roles, so they learned to think like the terrorists. They became “At Cause” instead of “At Effect”.

Become a Hunter. Be Proactive. Be The Initiator.

In business, you are either a passive order-taker or a hunter. When I sold furniture, I stood there hoping people would come into the store so that I could sell them furniture - a passive, reactive, “at effect” position that drove me nuts. When I sold life insurance I became a HUNTER. I was proactive. I became the CAUSE, the initiator, the Producer. And so I took control of my income and my life. The label I had on my head changed. I took responsibility for my sales. I couldn’t blame the weather or the competition anymore. It was up to me. I saw myself differently. The fisherman stands there, waiting for the fish to bite. The hunter goes and looks for his prey. I don’t fish; within thirty minutes I would be storming into the water with a club to find those elusive creatures!

This is a very important part of your success in business: You’re either waiting for people to bring you deals and opportunities, or you’re creating those deals and opportunities. When Rika and I go to a mall and we see empty stores, I know that many of those people took a huge risk and lost their life savings and more, because they wanted to stand behind a counter and smile and pose while the world beat a path to their door. At Effect. When people didn’t show up and they couldn’t make their payroll and lease at the end of the month and they lost their money, they blamed the economy, the mall, the weather, and poor old George Bush. After all, “They couldn’t help it”! What could they do? It wasn’t their fault! Pathetic. Weak. Useless.

You Have A Mental Label. It’s Time to Insist on Victory.

Change your mental label. Become “Unstoppable” - a “Money Machine,” a “Warrior”, a “Conqueror”, an “Adventurer”. See yourself as a producer, a pioneer, a First Cause, and creator, and an initiator. Make it happen. Take the lead. Insist on victory. Step up. Kill the terrorists before they get to you. Create the future you want. DollarMakers is here to assist you in that.

Robin J. Elliott
  www.jvwisdom.com

Let’s talk trilogies. We’ve all seen the movie trilogies, from junk like Legally Blonde to good stuff like The Godfather. Then you get evil trilogies, like Omorosa, Obama, and Osama (I’d add Absolut Vodka, but then it would be a tetralogy and it wouldn’t rhyme…), and good trilogies, like the boxing trilogies of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier battles and the Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield fights. I’m not talking about those trilogies.

What I am talking about is a three-legged-stool analogy - every leg is equally necessary in order that the objective be accomplished. I believe the ideal trilogy is Freedom, Responsibility, and Creation. Simply put, we are responsible for ourselves and our own successes or failures in life. Responsibility means, “My ability and choice to respond to my circumstances, opportunities, and threats in any way I wish. Creation is production. We are creative beings, or, better still, becomings- we are responsible for our own creations and contributions, and we should be rewarded in direct proportion to the value we create. The more value we responsibly create, the more freedom we are granted, because we are (or should be) financially rewarded in reciprocation for our beneficence. Money buys power and freedom. This philosophy is the backbone of capitalism and freedom.

But does this always work? In an altruistic, collectivist society that attacks WalMart for being successful and worships smoking sluts that cavort naked with strange men in public (film stars), where losers, mystics, and parasites are more honored and loved than the CEO’s of companies that provide jobs for tens of thousands of people who are incapable of creative thinking, it’s sometimes hard to believe that we live in a capitalist, free world society in the west. The fact is, if you believe it, you need to MAKE it work. If your philosophy is like mine, you are obliged to live a congruent, uncompromised life, regardless of some of the frustrations encountered along the way.

Once we take responsibility for our pasts and our futures and understand that we are fully entitled to fair recompense for our production, once we demand freedom and insist on being allowed to live according to our philosophy, we shift to the top three percent in society. Then the top one percent. Naturally, that philosophy creates wealth, because a true Objectivist will not accept mediocrity and a second-rate lifestyle, handouts or less compensation than he or she is worth.

Understanding your own weltanschauung, choosing a philosophy that is both challenging and empowering at the same time, and demanding the right to live according to that philosophy, is another triumphant trilogy. The problem that people have with success and money is a thinking problem. The issue is not your circumstances but your world view. This philosophy will attract the enmity an jealousy of masses, as is evidenced on television on a daily basis, as we slowly slide into slimy socialism. But it’s well worth it. In her book, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand clearly shows how it works, and I highly recommend you consider reading it if you are truly committed to success in your life.

As the singer tells us, it’s like love and marriage or a horse and carriage - you can’t have the one without the other; you need all the three legs of the stool - no exclusions: Freedom, Responsibility, and Creation. The motto, “Live Free or Die” appeals to me.

Robin J. Elliott
www.jvwisdom.com