Brian wrote, “Millions ARE oppressed by others pursuing greed…which I define as money-generating actions that harm, take advantage of, or hoodwink others.”

What does this statement really translate as to most people?

“Rich people are evil.  Poor people are just.  The rich became so by taking advantage of the poor.”

Now if that is your core, foundational belief about money, do you really think your subconscious mind will ever let you become successful?  Not a chance.  It will work to self-sabotage every time you near a breakthrough.

Do some rich people get greedy and try to take advantage others?  Absolutely.  But it is important to note that many poor people do this as well.  In fact, a lot more than rich people.

I will say that it was a lot harder to keep my moral compass when I was poor than when I became rich.  When you need money to pay the electric bill or the rent, it’s pretty easy to validate some things you may not otherwise.

One day I saw a headline in the Fort Lauderdale newspaper.  It read, “Millionaire Arrested for Murder”

Funny, I never saw a headline that read, “Poor Person Arrested for Murder”

Think about that.  Really think about that, because the insights it provides you could be what cause you to really identify any limiting beliefs you have about money.

Would you have had that same reaction I did when you saw that headline?  Well you can know the answer easier, because I used it for the title of this post.  You’re busted.

-RG

David asks, “If it is true value and not perceived value then why does it change in a Boom or a recession? If it were true value then surely it would never change? If someone builds 10 more hotels next door and they all go up for sale at the same time, the buyers will perceive them all to be worth less and will make an offer dependent on their perception of what it is worth to them. The first hotel is the same but the price will be reduced. Even a fake story in the local news about toxic waste on the site could drop the price.”

But that is the point EXACTLY…

Follow me here:  Let’s say two people are thinking about buying a hotel.  We’ll call them “Bones” and “Randy.”  :)

The guy we call “Bones” watches the news every night and sees the fake story about toxic waste.  This fits perfectly into his worldview that all big corporations are greedy entities that plunder the environment and he decides not to buy the hotel.

The guy we call “Randy” hears about the story, but checks it out and realizes it’s false.  He believes the hotel is still a great value for the money and buys it.  The area continues to develop, legalizes gambling five years later, and Randy sells his hotel to Donald Trump for a $20 million profit.

We track down the Bones guy and we find him drinking in a pub, commiserating about how the rich people conspire to take money from the pockets of the poor.  He’ll offer the hotel deal as proof.  But he actually had the same opportunity.  However his consciousness – his subconscious fundamental beliefs about money and other forms of prosperity – clouded his vision and caused him to miss the opportunity.

As James Allen tells us, the outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought.  It’s okay to be skeptical.  Everyone should do their due diligence before any large financial decision.  But never confuse cynicism with skepticism.  If you have a cynical view of the world, if you expect people to screw you and expect bad things to happen, that is exactly what you attract.

This happens because you see yourself as a victim, so your subconscious mind causes you to take actions that keep you in victimhood.  I did this for 30 years.

In my case, it was because I had such low self-esteem.  I didn’t like myself and the only thing that made me feel better was when I subconsciously put myself in situations where I could be the victim.  This made me feel noble and right.

So what about you?  Do you revel in victimhood because it makes you feel better?  Are you only happy when you’re unhappy?

In the follow up post Are You Sabotaging Your Prosperity?, the real Bones said, “Randy asked a question…I answered that question…And now I’m a broke, anti-prosperity communist?”

My experience of you Bones would cause me to answer, “No you’re not a broke anti-prosperity Communist.  You’d just be happier if you were.”  So please just swish that around a bit and see where it takes you.  Just see if you feel you have a worldview that may be causing you to miss out on some prosperity you should be getting.

As for the rest of you…

Before anyone gloats or thinks today’s post is “Randy gets even with Bones” day, it isn’t.  Bones asked some great questions and brought a lot of this discussion to light.  Give him credit for challenging me, having conviction, and not being afraid to go against the grain.   He is honestly trying to get his head around the issue and he has the courage to ask the tough questions that he hopes will get him there.

There were many other comments that reek of lack programming and prejudice about money and wealth.  And that’s exactly where we’ll pick up on the next post!

-RG

I do believe we have to fight for the things we believe in and we get good things when we are willing to do the work.  But I do believe true prosperity is the natural state we are meant to enjoy.  We don’t have to “fight” for it, unless we must unlearn some bad programming.  (Which most people do.)

I have had to fight addictions to enjoy prosperity.  You may have to fight the tendency to live in victimhood to enjoy prosperity.  In fact, we all have to fight against thousands of negative mind viruses every day to manifest prosperity.  But those things are obstacles we have created to live in lack.  While we like to think we are fighting against circumstance, in actuality we are fighting the effect and not the cause.  Lack is always the result of wrong thought in some direction.  True prosperity and abundance is your natural state.

To say that you are looking for prosperity is like a fish swimming around looking for water.  Prosperity surrounds us everywhere.  Even in Haiti, Africa and some of the most impoverished places on earth.  Because every challenge offers opportunity.  And the key to unlock prosperity from the ethers is the power of ideas.

Please share your thoughts below.  And next post we’ll pick up more on the role of money versus wealth and the role of greed.
-RG

Someone says, “Just look at that George!  He has perfect health.   High energy, no diseases, and he hasn’t even had a sniffle in months.  Don’t you hate greedy people like that?  Poor Elizabeth has the flu, and George is hogging all the health!”

You’d never say that about health.  Or love.  Or happiness.  So why would you say it about money?

-RG

All true forms of prosperity are a value-for-value exchange.  That means for BOTH parties.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many people want to take me to lunch, get advice from me, receive mentoring, have me join their Mastermind group, etc.   They approach me all the time.  Yet most talk endlessly about the help they want from me, offering nothing of value in return.

Once you are successful, you’re approached by many people holding out figurative battery jumpstart cables.  They want to clamp them on your body and suck all the energy from you.  That certainly doesn’t make you want to get hooked up.

So what about you?  What kind of energy do you send out to successful people you meet?  What kind of value do you bring to the relationship?  Are you the kind of person they would want in their inner circle?

Please think about this and share your thoughts below.  Then on the next post we’ll look at some cool places to meet positive people.

-RG

Now I respect her, and I know she believes that.  But I don’t believe that for a second…

Just like I don’t believe I am the same person that I was when I was struggling financially.  I became prosperous because I became a prosperous person.  And I think that is true for everyone.  If that weren’t the case, the Universe would be weak at its most critical juncture.

Broke people think differently than rich people, healthy people think differently than sick people do, and happy people think differently than unhappy people do.

Now do I believe that has the same CHARACTER as they did back when they were broke?  Probably they do.  And I believe it is their character that allowed and caused them to develop into the prosperous people they are today.

So what do you think?  Would you agree that your thought patterns have to dramatically change to manifest prosperity in your life?

-RG

There were some great responses in the comments.  Rene thought I would earn about what he earns and wouldn’t care a hoot about it.  Carmen and many others felt if everyone in my inner circle earned what he did, I wouldn’t be where I am.  Eric suggested that other areas in my life might go un-inspired.

David correctly noted that Diego has inner peace and that is attractive to me regardless of his income.  But if he was a whiner or exhibited victim mentality the attraction would fade fast.

Here’s my take on the situation…

I certainly know that having Diego in my life is great for both of us.  He is a precious friend, and I know he helps me challenge and strengthen my own beliefs.  However, I’m not sold that it would be good to have all five of my closest friends at that level…

I’m afraid that I would have a much smaller vision, and not attempt the great things I deserve and are capable of.

Now let’s look at the other side…

I have another close friend who I’ll call “Andy.”  Andy came to the States not knowing the language, with $300 in his pocket.  Today he is worth millions.  Lots of them.  He has about eight different companies, one of which is a bank he started.  This bank now manages assets of more than $80 billion.  He has a beautiful, breathtaking home, wears gorgeous $10,000 suits, and lives with style.

While he is tremendously driven and very successful, he hasn’t done so at the expense of what is important to him.  Which in his case, is God, family, and contribution.

Andy and his family love to travel, so he takes 90 days of vacation, every year.  He flies his entire family around the world, First Class, so they can discover it together.  He is also a serious philanthropist, having created several foundations that have raised millions of dollars for those less fortunate.  Every time I am around him, I am grateful for the different perspective he gives me on this world, and how we fit into it.

Now what do you think would happen to my consciousness, my income, and my vision of what was possible, if my four other closest acquaintances were at the same place where Andy is at?

P.S. Did you watch the latest episode of Prosperity TV yet?  It’s on how to use the power of ideas to manifest prosperity in your life.  See it here: http://www.youtube.com/randygage

-RG

Let’s start with a look at my inner circle.  Probably the friend who is closest to me in the world, I will call “Diego.”  Now Diego is quite an anomaly in today’s society…

When I met him, he lived in an efficiency is South Beach with no telephone or television.  Now the reason that he didn’t have either wasn’t because he couldn’t afford them.  (Although he couldn’t.)  He simply didn’t have any desire for them.

At that time, he worked with a Swami, helping conduct Sat-sangs and private Darshans.  After that he worked on his own as an energy healer, and had a small but fiercely loyal clientele.  He lived on probably $8,000 a year.  And never really wanted for much.  He spent his days working out on the beach, studying spiritual issues, and meditating.

Diego appreciated the beauty of my Vipers and Aston Martin, but no more than he appreciates the simplicity of a VW Beetle or Mini Cooper.  He loves the style in each, but wouldn’t know which one costs $15,000 and which is $150,000.  Nor would he care.

A couple years ago, I finally insisted that he get a phone and print business cards, both of which I paid for as part of my consciousness of sowing seeds.  I encouraged him to raise his fees, which he did.

So nowadays, I would guess he lives on $20,000 a year, which seems wildly extravagant to him.  Some weekends I make more than he earns in ten years.  We come from quite different backgrounds and have very different lifestyles.

Yet I would put my hand on fire for him, and he would do the same for me.  We have a true bond of friendship, stronger than twisted steel.  And I have no judgment of his income or lifestyle.  In fact he’s one of the people I respect most in the world.  So here’s the question…

If everyone in my circle of closest friends earned what he does, what do you think that would do to my consciousness, my expectations of myself, and my view of the world?

Think about it some and please share your thoughts.  Then next post we’ll move on from there.

-RG

At some point, you may realize that the people around you are holding you back.  And you may also realize that they actually don’t want you to succeed.  They consciously and or subconsciously will be rooting for you to fail at new endeavors, because it reveals their lack of ambition, drive and vision.

They ridicule your aspirations and predict certain failure for attempting anything so foolish.  They do this because they are your “friends.”

You need friends like this, like you need a screen door in a 747.  You’ve got to detach from these people as rapidly as possible.  For the most part, you usually do this gradually.  You stop inviting them places, and you start accepting their invitations less frequently.  You both start to notice it isn’t as much fun to hang out with each other, and you begin to curtail the time you spend with each other.

You just slowly drift apart.  Others, however, call for more drastic action…

Those are the seriously toxic people who are actively working to hold you back.  By them, I mean the ones who ridicule or actively sabotage you.  These people need to be called out.

I have told people like this things like, “I love you and want the best for you, but I cannot afford to be around you.  You are negative, and expect the worst.  This viewpoint colors everything you say and do, and I don’t want to be infected by your attitude any longer.”

And I move on and replace them with people who bring more to my life, and I to theirs.  As you can see by the comments yesterday, a lot of you do this as well.  But where do you go from there?

Do you work to attract better people in your life?  What are some of the ways you attract more positive people.  Please share your thoughts below, and we’ll pick up there on the next post.

-RG

Maybe it is.  But it is sometimes necessary, if you want to move forward.

Last week I mentioned Jim Rohn’s quote about your income being the average of your five closest friends.  And went on to say that I think the same thing holds true with your health, relationships, and all forms of prosperity.

I received an email that said, “I cannot believe you’d really pick friends in any way, shape, manner or form based on their income!!!   HONESTLY!!!  PLEASE tell me you’re kidding!!!

“How about the content of their character, their values, their
kindness, their capacity to engage you in a conversation &
stimulate you mentally…none of that matters if they don’t EARN ENOUGH!?!?   Please!

“My husband and I are EXACTLY the same people we were at each and every stage of our financial rollercoaster.”

Very good questions.  Here’s another one:

Do you believe the writer and her husband were EXACTLY the same people they were when they were poor as they are now that they are more prosperous?

I’m sure a lot of people would agree with her, that you shouldn’t pick friends based on how much money they earn.  And actually I’d agree.

If I find someone mentally stimulating and interesting to talk to, I like to hang out with them.  If they are different than me with other interests, culture, and language it’s wonderful to learn and share with them.

I don’t pick friends by how healthy they are either.  Or by how happy they are.  However…

When people are always sick, broke and unhappy, I don’t usually like hanging around them.  And I tend to get bored with people who stay in the same space in life.  I like people who are growing and challenge me.

I want to hang with people who are smarter than me, have a higher consciousness than me, and make more money than me!  So I do consciously put myself in situations that put me in contact with those kinds of people.   And I do consciously get away from situations that don’t put me in contact with those people.  And I sometimes find that I need to move away from certain people in my life who are mired in lack patterns.

Now that doesn’t mean I desert someone because they get sick or injured, and I really don’t care how much money someone makes.  But when they are in lack patterns, and the only conversations they can have are lack-centered, I move on.  Who needs the negative influence?

What about you?  How do you handle these situations?  What kind of people do you have in your life?  Please share your thoughts and we’ll pick up there on the next post.

-RG