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Why You Need Logic for Prosperity

Posted By: Randy GageApril 12, 2010

Last week we talked about why you have to live by a congruent philosophy if you want to manifest a life of prosperity.  There was a lot of controversy in the blog when I said that in order for your philosophy to be congruent, you would support legalized drugs, prostitution and even discrimination that are individual choices and do not infringe on the private property and right of others in society.  

Not to belabor the point, but I want to share my personal experience and explain why I believe you must give more importance to logic over personal feelings in situations like this.  And you should know I have some very strong feelings and experiences in this matter.

I was a teenage alcoholic and drug addict.  This led me down a journey that involved getting kicked out of school, breaking the law and finally getting arrested for armed robbery.  Now some of you will see this as validation for why we need laws against drugs.  (And some of you used that very example of people becoming addicted to drugs and then stealing from others.  And some of you talked about how kids would get addicted to drugs.)  But that’s missing the point here…

There are already laws against stealing from others and I and any other Libertarian would still support them, because stealing from others impinges on their rights.  These are necessary to ensure everyone’s prosperity.  And of course it was illegal for me to be using alcohol and other drugs as a minor as well.  So those aren’t really relevant here.

In my case, I had a very addictive personality and simply traded one addiction for another.   I went from dope to cocaine, crack cocaine and even heroin before finding crystal meth, which was the worst addiction I ever experienced.  I came very close to overdosing several times and could have easily have lost everything including my life.  They were the darkest days I ever experienced.  So these days I hate drugs, don’t smoke or drink.  I know they are poison for me and are not something I can control.

But as strongly as I feel about them, that doesn’t give me the right to restrict other people’s choices about them.   To do so would contradict the laws of prosperity and would mean I had no clear philosophy for the beliefs I live by.  And with no congruent philosophy, I would undermine and sabotage myself.

The fact is, there are many people that can use drugs recreationally without the kind of consequences I had.  I play softball with a few guys that smoke dope on the weekends.  They have no real addiction problems and simply enjoy the relaxed state it brings them.  I have another friend who tokes up a couple times a year to celebrate the solstices.  And yes I even know people that are responsible, productive members of society that occasionally use “hard” drugs in the privacy of their homes.

I have no business in their business and my rights do not include restricting theirs.  And here’s another interesting fact some of you are probably not aware of…

I was actually robbed, shot and left for dead by a crack head.  And no it wasn’t at a crack house and I wasn’t using drugs at the time.  I just arrived home late one night and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a desperate addict needed a fix.  I don’t know if you’ve ever been shot, but I can tell you it’s not fun.

The pain, surgery and follow-up complications caused me misery for two years.  If anyone has the right to be emotional and let their feelings cloud their judgment on this issue, it would be me.  But that wouldn’t serve me either.

The fact is there are already laws against stealing and killing people.  If I am rational about my situation I still have to say that the problem was not because someone is a drug user.  If he had the means to smoke crack at his own home and pay for it, there is no issue.  The only issue is he violated my rights to seek his pleasure.

And that is the real issue for prosperity...

You can have morals and ethics and hopefully you do.  But when you try and legislate those morals and ethics upon other people, that is the slippery slope that leads to repression, fascism, socialism, communism and lots of other isms that are anti-humanity, and thus anti-prosperity.

Yes feelings are important and we should all heed them.  But we also must be smart enough to recognize them, question how they got there and whether following them is illogical and irrational and will actually lead us to bad actions.   You don’t want to set precedents that preclude you from reaching your true prosperity.

So how you doing on that?

-RG

36 comments on “Why You Need Logic for Prosperity”

  1. I am sure a few of your followers are doing okay on this...I know I catch myself from time to time, but I wish more of our legislators were at least working on their congruency!

  2. Fully agree with you. As long as you don't cause others harm, people should be free to choose what they want. I firmly believe that even the 'bad' choices are blessings in disguise. The only problem is that we cannot look in to the future and thus see the 'good' in the 'bad'. Would you have been in your current situation had you not made the 'bad' choices you made in the past, Randy?

  3. I don't agree with you at all. Things that shouldn't be done like using drugs are not to consider personnal. if you don't care about what those people may cause to others, let's not forget that forbidding these things is first of all for their own benefit and you can't imagine that they're living in prosperity unless they stop doing harm to themselves or to others

  4. Zealot, please check some of your premises on this one. Are you saying that anything that is potentially detrimental to someone should be against the law then, for their own good? Are you willing to make the following illegal that are currently legal: alcohol, Big Macs, fries, ice cream, swimming pools (many deaths unfortunately occur in these each year), gas heat (again, deadly explosions), high school football, donuts, boxing (I personally saw someone killed in the ring) extreme fighting. And, please don't say that those are legal so they are okay. At one time alcohol was prohibited and the problems became even worse, hence the reversal. Drugs used to be legal and the anti-drug laws actually cause more problems in society (including robberies like what happened to Randy) and since the War on Drugs was enacted the drug problem became much worse, not better.

    That aside, when is it "obvious" that someone shouldn't be allowed to do something for his or her own good and when is it just someone's personal opinion? Please don't say it's obvious. There are many health fanatics who would outlaw McDonald's in a (pardon the pun) heartbeat.

    As a disclaimer, I do not drink, smoke or do drugs of any kind, so please don't think I'm some drug user wanting to make a personal habit legal.

    Another disclaimer, I do love donuts. 🙂

  5. I must admit that in the past I have had a problem with the legalizing of drugs, however I realize you can't have it both ways. I have never used drugs but bought into the hype, now I don't. And by the way, who are you (Zealot) to make tell me what's right for me.

  6. I am so busy working on my personal growth and development that I don't have the time to look at what other people are doing. If they want to do drugs, prostitution, or whatever - that's their business! As long as they are not harming anyone else I am not to judge. I'm not judging anyone because I have my own flaws. So, before I tell someone what they should or should not do...I better be a perfect walking human being.

  7. I don't do drugs or drink, but both were a problem for me once upon a time. Today, I work with people who are interested in getting and staying clean and sober. I often get flack from some people in the recovery community because I don't chase people around that "need" to stop; I only work with people who want to stop. It is not my job to decide what is right or wrong, what works or does not work any one individual.

    BTW, I think we will see more of these "illegal" activities and such become legal, once President ObeyMe finds out that he can control and - alas - tax these things. Then he can "save the people" from themselves and increase his reach into the lives of others.

  8. I know I'm off the point here, if I write this, but I can't help throwing a comment here. In regards to what you commented, as follows.

    ...I wouldn’t change anything about my past, because it all helped me become who I am today.

    Our ups and downs seem all valuable experience in life. The downs give us an opportunity to really learn how strong we can become, and see what we are capable of doing; they help make us look at our life differently and help find different ways. Randy, you are a walking inspirational demonstration of 'poverty' to 'prosperity/success.'

    We become appreciative of:
    Downs of life vs. Ups of life
    Long bad cold snowy weather vs. Sunny warm weather
    Meeting various types of people
    - Always look for opportunity to steal things, selfish, unloving vs. Honest & trustworthy, happy, loving/caring, positive
    Poverty vs. Prosperity

    Thank you, Randy. Hugs:: -saachi

    "....that is the slippery slope that leads to repression, fascism, socialism, communism and lots of other isms that are anti-humanity, and thus anti-prosperity." - I agree.

  9. hi there,
    I think you are absolutly right on this. Emotions is for me the most difficult thing to understand. but I am working on it and I must admit I do not see life the same way I use to. it is easier to see when putting emotions aside, and decision are clearier and better.
    as for the congruent philosophy, I must agree on that one very much. I am one who beleives in respecting ones space, and being respected.
    but what Im having a hard time with is the people that want something, they stick with you and help you out but only to receive something in the end. if I give or do something for someone I do not expect anything in return I do it because I want to, where does this fit in?
    wishing you all a wonderful night
    Mary_ann:)

  10. Randy,

    Thanks for your honesty and letting us get closer to you. I too ended up an alcoholic 25 years ago and finally got sober. I never did drugs because I too have an addictive personality and was afraid I would like them far too much.

    For me I realize that all my addictions are just interruptions to owning my life and living closer to the spirit within me. You are right that you can't legislate ethics and morals. Hell would never happen anyway because the legislators are not the most moral and ethical people I know. LOL. Ethics, morals must be taught. THey must be witnessed. In most cases I feel lack of ethics and morals are being evidenced.
    Thanks,
    Jim Story

  11. Great point Randy! Those emotions of ours - popping up from our un/subconscious mind creating a reaction in this moment, wiping out logic, kindness and wisdom we could use to masterfully live our life moment by moment creating prosperity...
    But it's still a choice! We just need to become the masters of our emotions - accept them, nurture them and then let go of them and understand that they are not a good platform to create our life. Feelings are much more solid platform... in many cases we are letting the emotions overshadow our feelings, this is how I see it. For feelings are our way to communicate with the source... they are accurate.
    Personal example:
    My father was an alcoholic, and it for sure left a mark on my life. We lived together for 16 years - so I kind a know about alcohol and a behavior of an alcoholic. So I had been living without that influence in my life for 3-4 years and it kind a had been 'put away'. One night in theater there was an act, what included a story about family and the father/husband was an alcoholic... the actor playing it was excellent, so familiar manners, talking, denial... you get the picture - what an effect it had on me! I was sitting there and experiencing all the disgust, anger, resentment I used to feel around my father when he was drunk... so I was like - wow! Then I realized it was a great moment to let all that go... and so I did - just sat there with my emotions clashing and me just watching it... and in the end of this evening, I was watching that guy on the stage and started to seem funny to me, for I understood it. Now when alcohol is mentioned, it does not trigger me, or when I see a drunkard - it actually brings a smile on my face... it reminds me of my father 🙂
    Logic helps, feelings help, kindness helps - we not need to let emotions overshadow them. All the basic rights humans are born with are not there to be taken away by someone who thinks they are doing us a favor!
    Sunshine to you all!

  12. Thanks Randy. I've learnt to respect other people's rights to make their own choices, good or bad, and protect my own rights.

  13. Great comments and great post. I too, used drugs and alcohol and like Scott I worked many years with others seeking a addiction free life, I agree with Scott's work philosophy too. In NA we say "attraction not promotion" which to me is another way of saying "be the change you want to see" or lead by example. Others are attracted to what you have and then do what you have done.
    Many roads, one journey. Thank you to you all.

  14. Nothing is worse to hear than:I am doing this for your own benefit...but I have never taken that thought this far before. I have a feeling(...)that this time we live in now is a time of polarities. And with that I mean we cannot face one goal until we fell into its polarity.Many of us do "opposite of what we are meant to do" first. And we can never achieve anything by someone else telling us if it benefits us or not.That is not even the point! No, the point(in my feeling...)is what we achieve of forces in experience the events our destiny leads us into..., for example that you told us about you and your life in this post.The strength we create in our souls by these events I mean.

  15. Hello Bob

    Actually making the Big Mac illegal may be a good idea for me 🙂

    I am totally congruent for allowing people to do what they want as long as they do not infringe on other's rights.

  16. I would like to see drugs legalized. If someone wants them they will get them anyway. I think all that prohibition did was make organized crime more rich and powerful. My own issue with the legalization of drugs is that we are letting substances out that are known to be highly addictive and cause brain damage. For drugs to be freely circulated would cause every parent in this country to have even more worry about their kids than they do now. Legalizing drugs would put an end to many crime rings. It would also free up much time for the police. Maybe drugs ( once they're legalized ) could be regulated for purity standards set by the FDA so at least you know what you're getting. Maybe the legalizing of drugs should be decided by the people of the country since, in theory, the government enacts laws to represent the will of the people. The public should be educated upon the issue and then there would be a vote.

  17. I want to make another comment about something that people, in general, are not aware of. Fast Food and all that sugary and fatty junk food is just as highly addictive as drugs !! Fats and Sugars act upon the addiction centres of the brain and that is why there are so many fast food outlets accross the nation. That stuff tastes good and it'll kill you!! It's all completely legal as well. Refined starch keeps you hungry!! The fats in cheese keeps your stomach/brain from realizing you're full !! Everyone hear me now - switch to raw vegetables/fruits and lean Protein as your main diet !! Get your fat content from free flowing oils at room temperature - Canola, Olive etc. The soft drink industry loads their drinks full of caffeine to get the kids hooked ? And you thought the local drug pusher was the bad guy !

  18. I did all the drugs out there, and did them regularly for about 3 years from the age of 16-19. I had many favorites, like acid, extacy, and cocaine. I have done many more types, I never used needles though I watched people shoot heroin, and extacy. I still smoke weed, occasionally, probably once or twice a month. I must say the worst drug I experienced was cocaine, it becomes evil minded when you start coming down.

    Through it all, I believe that they should all be leagalized. Many of the drugs I took were probably made in someones garage, with god knows what chemicals added to cheapen the price. I know my dealer used to cut cocaine with a powdered vitamin B, he would laugh and say, hey at least they will be getting something good out of it.

    For someone like me that can't seem to quit smoking cigarettes, I was able to quit all the heavy drugs except pot ( i think i held on to weed strongly at that time) which i believed was the crutch I needed to support my quiting of all the other drugs. I never went to rehab, I did withdraw from it all. Pot kinda mad me forget about it and allowed me to sleep it off. I left behind all friends I had from then in one day, and quit. I thank god for my little brother, because my mom was pregnant with him when she took me back in, and I quit from the moment I walked back in her front door because I refused to bring that into his life.

    Anyway.... I believe that everyone should be free to do with their life what they should so choose. So long as they keep it to themselves. Not just with drugs, but with whatever, marry who you love, skydive off the tallest building downtown, drive at night with your sunglasses on... lol just live.

    If we all lived life trying to be safe and staying away from danger. Trying to control what others do because someone had a bad experience with something. Then we would never truly live. There would be no airplanes, sky diving, jumping off the diving board, running, bike riding, swimming at the beach, stairs, cars, etc... we all live a dangerous life, whether you realize it or not. If you focused on all the bad things that could possibly happen to you in just a single day regardless if you left your house or not, it would completely consume you.

    So stop worrying about what other people are doing with their own lives, and focus on living yours. (this isn't directed at you Randy, just saying this in general)

    Thank you for sharing a piece of you with us Randy. You are truly an inspiration of determination.

    Jamie 😉

  19. Funny thing is, in Holland (where I am from) soft drugs ARE legalized. And guess what?! Most people I know have used weed and it was simply not for them. When I lived in Australia I met many more people than ever in Holland that used soft drugs on a regular basis, because it was illegal and thus exciting. I firmly believe in legalizing all drugs but on one condition: Everyone who is addicted can get his of her drugs for free at the hospital. You see, this takes the money out of the picture and why would pushers then continue peddling the stuff? Problem solved.

  20. Remember the prohibition! Legalizing everything makes it easier to control. Taxes are paid and rehab is cheaper. A few people benefit from the status quo and many die because of it.

  21. "Yes feelings are important and we should all heed them. But we also must be smart enough to recognize them, question how they got there and whether following them is illogical and irrational and will actually lead us to bad actions. You don’t want to set precedents that preclude you from reaching your true prosperity."

    I think this is related to what you are saying...
    I just read "The Business of the 21st Century" by Robert Kiyosaki.
    In his book he talks about your core financial values.

    Which of the following sounds like you:
    1.) “I am looking for a safe, secure job with good pay and excellent benefits.”
    2.) “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
    3.) “I’m looking for the best people to join my team”
    4.) “What’s my return on investment?”

    If you picked #1 you are in the “E” quadrant & you value security.
    If you picked #2 you are in the “S” quadrant & you value independence.
    If you picked #3 you are in the “B” quadrant & you value wealth-building.
    If you picked #4 you are in the “I” quadrant & you value financial freedom.

    When I went to college I valued security. Now I want financial freedom & wealth building (Which is why Robert Kiyosaki recommends Network Marketing.)

    What I realized is even though I want to value financial freedom & wealth building, my core value is still security. This won't lead me to prosperity.

  22. Hey Randy,

    Any word on new products soon. Please make some new ones! Even with the same lessons just with different stories and examples. The others were all great and make the whole money experience very enjoyable. My income continues to rapidly increase and would like some new material to help that cycle continue. I have listened to the others so many times some new CD's would be very much appreciated.

    Big thanks

    David

  23. Hi Peter, probably the same for me. :-). Problem is, when people really want something they will find a way to obtain it. And, when enough people want something, someone will find a way to manufacture it and/or distribute it. But, because it's illegal and the seller can go to jail if caught distributing it, the price will go way up. There will also be turf wars since the turf is so valuable to the pushers (err. I mean, sellers). Then, the prison's will get crowded, not only with the people selling these illegal burgers, but even the people buying just buying them for their own consumption. In fact, in the U.S. right now, it's estimated that between 750,000 and 1 million non-violent Big Mac users are in jail (for their own good). And, since the prisons are overcrowded with these dangerous (to themselves) hamburger abusers, many of the more dangerous criminals are released early. And, of course, because the price of hamburgers went way up, it cost a bunch more for those of us addicted to them to get our fix, so we had to rob, steal, murder people in order to get the money. Oh, one more thing; the quality of the burgers goes way down and even more dangerous stuff will be added in order to make it cheaper for the producer - I mean, it's not like the consumer can complain about being defrauded. And, more unintended consequences. Yep...all this because people who knew what was good for us better than we knew what was good for ourselves were able to use the force of government to make their will...our will. But, of course, it never works out as planned.

  24. Note: When I said "same for me" 🙂 and then provided response, that was in response to Peter's first sentence. Of course, I totally agree with his second sentence.

  25. You'll be happy to know I am working on an all new format for my Breakthrough U coaching program, and also some new learning resources. Coming soon!

    -RG

  26. interesting post, however I see the drugs, the alcohol that had to live with and witness the effects of those on my dd and grandkids. They, along with the father (the abuser) we all lived under a reign of terror caused by an abuser. If it hadn't been for him finally getting caught and going to prision, we would still be under his reign. AND because of the courts, one reason she didn't leave, because the courts still would have let HIM at least have something to do with the kids. There was no record of abuse, we were all to afraid to let anyone know. Emotional abuse was probably worse. So beause he made the choices HE did, we all suffered. Sure, even if it had been legal, it's the CHILDREN living under those that suffer. By, the way, each child views that time differently. One views it as it has made him a better person. One as how abused he was, one has blocked it, but makes choices of boyfriends that don't always treat her right.
    So HIS RIGHT to do what he wanted with his life (not work, use drugs, alcohol) and come h0me abusive, violated the rights of the rest of the family to peace, to having food in the fridge....to OUR freedom of not living under a paranoid person's impulses.
    L

  27. Bob and RG-

    I agree with both of you.

    I believe we all must start from a place were we take personal responsibility for our own thoughts and actions. From there not supporting legalizing everything that is "Bad" but to reach out to someone who wants to change their situation and add value to their life and live and demonstrate a different way for them.

    But we also can't live and prosper in a society that says if it feels good do it. We are all connected.

    DJM

  28. The number of people who tolerate and are able to use 'drugs' without hurting themselves or others is a much larger group while a few manage to make a mess of the whole. My system has a high tolerance for much of what I place in it.

    Once upon a time I lived in Scotland and there are brands of scotch that are simply delicious and likely never leave Scotland. As I have aged however the affect scotch has on me the next day has had me remove it from my list and it is not the alcohol. A glass of red wine is enjoyable while a bottle ruins the next day for me.

    My cardiologist recently told me everything we eat is a drug. Some people have zero tolerance for peanuts and they have to be very careful of what they eat. Others cannot tolerate lactose without severe discomfort or worse. I used to eat tofu in dozens of delicious ways and blamed the ill affect on the toppings or side dishes. When I removed all soy from my diet the list of stomach and intestinal troubles shrunk to near zero. Recently, after going out of site high with my BP, I removed rice from my diet and my BP returned to the ideal stage with no other changes.

    Should I promote rice and soy as evil ingredients? They are for me. There are plenty of people in my life who can’t believe that soy or rice is the problem either. There is a way of ‘being’ that could be called living in the zone. Some things maintain it, some things improve it and some things take me out of it. Once you find your ‘zone’ the human tendency is to declare IT is the answer for everyone! Perhaps we need to give each other full permission to find what works for them.

  29. I see exactly what you're saying. People doing something illegal for the sake of being adventurous or rebellious. It's likely they have national health care in Holland. I would implement some sort of user fees for these drug addicts rather than the state encouraging bad habits. I would also limit the dose a person can get at a time. Those are just minor details though. Maybe large drug companies can sponsor such a program and get free advertizing.

  30. Randy I totally agree with you and I thank you for helping me to see the light. You have opened my eyes and mind so much through your critical thinking and challenging us to delve deeper. Just keep it comin' please 🙂

  31. Really thought provoking post Randy. There are parallels between my youth & yours though now I seldom indulge in more than 1 or 2 glasses of wine in a month & that's it. I can look back and say that someone should have stopped me doing what I did, but every single thing I have done has taught me so much & brought me to where I am now.

    The remarks you make about socialism etc are poignant for me living in the UK under a left wing government. I have in fact been away from the UK for 6 years & I was horrified to find how far things have gone here. We have to divide up our garbage into separate types (all in the name of recycling). We are fined if a piece of paper gets into the section designated for glass! And this attitude extends to education, hospitals etc.

    In the name of doing things for people's own good, the most appalling restrictions are being placed on their personal freedom. This cannot be right.

    If we feel that something that a person indulges in is really destructive for them, then we should reach out in friendship and help & educate them to find another way - if they wish to. I spent time in mental health care and saw people doing things that I judged harmful, but it was their choice. That includes a person who was set on suicide and ultimately achieved his goal. Should he have been kept in a strait jacket the rest of his life?

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  • 36 comments on “Why You Need Logic for Prosperity”

    1. I am sure a few of your followers are doing okay on this...I know I catch myself from time to time, but I wish more of our legislators were at least working on their congruency!

    2. Fully agree with you. As long as you don't cause others harm, people should be free to choose what they want. I firmly believe that even the 'bad' choices are blessings in disguise. The only problem is that we cannot look in to the future and thus see the 'good' in the 'bad'. Would you have been in your current situation had you not made the 'bad' choices you made in the past, Randy?

    3. I don't agree with you at all. Things that shouldn't be done like using drugs are not to consider personnal. if you don't care about what those people may cause to others, let's not forget that forbidding these things is first of all for their own benefit and you can't imagine that they're living in prosperity unless they stop doing harm to themselves or to others

    4. Zealot, please check some of your premises on this one. Are you saying that anything that is potentially detrimental to someone should be against the law then, for their own good? Are you willing to make the following illegal that are currently legal: alcohol, Big Macs, fries, ice cream, swimming pools (many deaths unfortunately occur in these each year), gas heat (again, deadly explosions), high school football, donuts, boxing (I personally saw someone killed in the ring) extreme fighting. And, please don't say that those are legal so they are okay. At one time alcohol was prohibited and the problems became even worse, hence the reversal. Drugs used to be legal and the anti-drug laws actually cause more problems in society (including robberies like what happened to Randy) and since the War on Drugs was enacted the drug problem became much worse, not better.

      That aside, when is it "obvious" that someone shouldn't be allowed to do something for his or her own good and when is it just someone's personal opinion? Please don't say it's obvious. There are many health fanatics who would outlaw McDonald's in a (pardon the pun) heartbeat.

      As a disclaimer, I do not drink, smoke or do drugs of any kind, so please don't think I'm some drug user wanting to make a personal habit legal.

      Another disclaimer, I do love donuts. 🙂

    5. I must admit that in the past I have had a problem with the legalizing of drugs, however I realize you can't have it both ways. I have never used drugs but bought into the hype, now I don't. And by the way, who are you (Zealot) to make tell me what's right for me.

    6. I am so busy working on my personal growth and development that I don't have the time to look at what other people are doing. If they want to do drugs, prostitution, or whatever - that's their business! As long as they are not harming anyone else I am not to judge. I'm not judging anyone because I have my own flaws. So, before I tell someone what they should or should not do...I better be a perfect walking human being.

    7. I don't do drugs or drink, but both were a problem for me once upon a time. Today, I work with people who are interested in getting and staying clean and sober. I often get flack from some people in the recovery community because I don't chase people around that "need" to stop; I only work with people who want to stop. It is not my job to decide what is right or wrong, what works or does not work any one individual.

      BTW, I think we will see more of these "illegal" activities and such become legal, once President ObeyMe finds out that he can control and - alas - tax these things. Then he can "save the people" from themselves and increase his reach into the lives of others.

    8. I know I'm off the point here, if I write this, but I can't help throwing a comment here. In regards to what you commented, as follows.

      ...I wouldn’t change anything about my past, because it all helped me become who I am today.

      Our ups and downs seem all valuable experience in life. The downs give us an opportunity to really learn how strong we can become, and see what we are capable of doing; they help make us look at our life differently and help find different ways. Randy, you are a walking inspirational demonstration of 'poverty' to 'prosperity/success.'

      We become appreciative of:
      Downs of life vs. Ups of life
      Long bad cold snowy weather vs. Sunny warm weather
      Meeting various types of people
      - Always look for opportunity to steal things, selfish, unloving vs. Honest & trustworthy, happy, loving/caring, positive
      Poverty vs. Prosperity

      Thank you, Randy. Hugs:: -saachi

      "....that is the slippery slope that leads to repression, fascism, socialism, communism and lots of other isms that are anti-humanity, and thus anti-prosperity." - I agree.

    9. hi there,
      I think you are absolutly right on this. Emotions is for me the most difficult thing to understand. but I am working on it and I must admit I do not see life the same way I use to. it is easier to see when putting emotions aside, and decision are clearier and better.
      as for the congruent philosophy, I must agree on that one very much. I am one who beleives in respecting ones space, and being respected.
      but what Im having a hard time with is the people that want something, they stick with you and help you out but only to receive something in the end. if I give or do something for someone I do not expect anything in return I do it because I want to, where does this fit in?
      wishing you all a wonderful night
      Mary_ann:)

    10. Randy,

      Thanks for your honesty and letting us get closer to you. I too ended up an alcoholic 25 years ago and finally got sober. I never did drugs because I too have an addictive personality and was afraid I would like them far too much.

      For me I realize that all my addictions are just interruptions to owning my life and living closer to the spirit within me. You are right that you can't legislate ethics and morals. Hell would never happen anyway because the legislators are not the most moral and ethical people I know. LOL. Ethics, morals must be taught. THey must be witnessed. In most cases I feel lack of ethics and morals are being evidenced.
      Thanks,
      Jim Story

    11. Great point Randy! Those emotions of ours - popping up from our un/subconscious mind creating a reaction in this moment, wiping out logic, kindness and wisdom we could use to masterfully live our life moment by moment creating prosperity...
      But it's still a choice! We just need to become the masters of our emotions - accept them, nurture them and then let go of them and understand that they are not a good platform to create our life. Feelings are much more solid platform... in many cases we are letting the emotions overshadow our feelings, this is how I see it. For feelings are our way to communicate with the source... they are accurate.
      Personal example:
      My father was an alcoholic, and it for sure left a mark on my life. We lived together for 16 years - so I kind a know about alcohol and a behavior of an alcoholic. So I had been living without that influence in my life for 3-4 years and it kind a had been 'put away'. One night in theater there was an act, what included a story about family and the father/husband was an alcoholic... the actor playing it was excellent, so familiar manners, talking, denial... you get the picture - what an effect it had on me! I was sitting there and experiencing all the disgust, anger, resentment I used to feel around my father when he was drunk... so I was like - wow! Then I realized it was a great moment to let all that go... and so I did - just sat there with my emotions clashing and me just watching it... and in the end of this evening, I was watching that guy on the stage and started to seem funny to me, for I understood it. Now when alcohol is mentioned, it does not trigger me, or when I see a drunkard - it actually brings a smile on my face... it reminds me of my father 🙂
      Logic helps, feelings help, kindness helps - we not need to let emotions overshadow them. All the basic rights humans are born with are not there to be taken away by someone who thinks they are doing us a favor!
      Sunshine to you all!

    12. Thanks Randy. I've learnt to respect other people's rights to make their own choices, good or bad, and protect my own rights.

    13. Great comments and great post. I too, used drugs and alcohol and like Scott I worked many years with others seeking a addiction free life, I agree with Scott's work philosophy too. In NA we say "attraction not promotion" which to me is another way of saying "be the change you want to see" or lead by example. Others are attracted to what you have and then do what you have done.
      Many roads, one journey. Thank you to you all.

    14. Nothing is worse to hear than:I am doing this for your own benefit...but I have never taken that thought this far before. I have a feeling(...)that this time we live in now is a time of polarities. And with that I mean we cannot face one goal until we fell into its polarity.Many of us do "opposite of what we are meant to do" first. And we can never achieve anything by someone else telling us if it benefits us or not.That is not even the point! No, the point(in my feeling...)is what we achieve of forces in experience the events our destiny leads us into..., for example that you told us about you and your life in this post.The strength we create in our souls by these events I mean.

    15. Hello Bob

      Actually making the Big Mac illegal may be a good idea for me 🙂

      I am totally congruent for allowing people to do what they want as long as they do not infringe on other's rights.

    16. I would like to see drugs legalized. If someone wants them they will get them anyway. I think all that prohibition did was make organized crime more rich and powerful. My own issue with the legalization of drugs is that we are letting substances out that are known to be highly addictive and cause brain damage. For drugs to be freely circulated would cause every parent in this country to have even more worry about their kids than they do now. Legalizing drugs would put an end to many crime rings. It would also free up much time for the police. Maybe drugs ( once they're legalized ) could be regulated for purity standards set by the FDA so at least you know what you're getting. Maybe the legalizing of drugs should be decided by the people of the country since, in theory, the government enacts laws to represent the will of the people. The public should be educated upon the issue and then there would be a vote.

    17. I want to make another comment about something that people, in general, are not aware of. Fast Food and all that sugary and fatty junk food is just as highly addictive as drugs !! Fats and Sugars act upon the addiction centres of the brain and that is why there are so many fast food outlets accross the nation. That stuff tastes good and it'll kill you!! It's all completely legal as well. Refined starch keeps you hungry!! The fats in cheese keeps your stomach/brain from realizing you're full !! Everyone hear me now - switch to raw vegetables/fruits and lean Protein as your main diet !! Get your fat content from free flowing oils at room temperature - Canola, Olive etc. The soft drink industry loads their drinks full of caffeine to get the kids hooked ? And you thought the local drug pusher was the bad guy !

    18. I did all the drugs out there, and did them regularly for about 3 years from the age of 16-19. I had many favorites, like acid, extacy, and cocaine. I have done many more types, I never used needles though I watched people shoot heroin, and extacy. I still smoke weed, occasionally, probably once or twice a month. I must say the worst drug I experienced was cocaine, it becomes evil minded when you start coming down.

      Through it all, I believe that they should all be leagalized. Many of the drugs I took were probably made in someones garage, with god knows what chemicals added to cheapen the price. I know my dealer used to cut cocaine with a powdered vitamin B, he would laugh and say, hey at least they will be getting something good out of it.

      For someone like me that can't seem to quit smoking cigarettes, I was able to quit all the heavy drugs except pot ( i think i held on to weed strongly at that time) which i believed was the crutch I needed to support my quiting of all the other drugs. I never went to rehab, I did withdraw from it all. Pot kinda mad me forget about it and allowed me to sleep it off. I left behind all friends I had from then in one day, and quit. I thank god for my little brother, because my mom was pregnant with him when she took me back in, and I quit from the moment I walked back in her front door because I refused to bring that into his life.

      Anyway.... I believe that everyone should be free to do with their life what they should so choose. So long as they keep it to themselves. Not just with drugs, but with whatever, marry who you love, skydive off the tallest building downtown, drive at night with your sunglasses on... lol just live.

      If we all lived life trying to be safe and staying away from danger. Trying to control what others do because someone had a bad experience with something. Then we would never truly live. There would be no airplanes, sky diving, jumping off the diving board, running, bike riding, swimming at the beach, stairs, cars, etc... we all live a dangerous life, whether you realize it or not. If you focused on all the bad things that could possibly happen to you in just a single day regardless if you left your house or not, it would completely consume you.

      So stop worrying about what other people are doing with their own lives, and focus on living yours. (this isn't directed at you Randy, just saying this in general)

      Thank you for sharing a piece of you with us Randy. You are truly an inspiration of determination.

      Jamie 😉

    19. Funny thing is, in Holland (where I am from) soft drugs ARE legalized. And guess what?! Most people I know have used weed and it was simply not for them. When I lived in Australia I met many more people than ever in Holland that used soft drugs on a regular basis, because it was illegal and thus exciting. I firmly believe in legalizing all drugs but on one condition: Everyone who is addicted can get his of her drugs for free at the hospital. You see, this takes the money out of the picture and why would pushers then continue peddling the stuff? Problem solved.

    20. Remember the prohibition! Legalizing everything makes it easier to control. Taxes are paid and rehab is cheaper. A few people benefit from the status quo and many die because of it.

    21. "Yes feelings are important and we should all heed them. But we also must be smart enough to recognize them, question how they got there and whether following them is illogical and irrational and will actually lead us to bad actions. You don’t want to set precedents that preclude you from reaching your true prosperity."

      I think this is related to what you are saying...
      I just read "The Business of the 21st Century" by Robert Kiyosaki.
      In his book he talks about your core financial values.

      Which of the following sounds like you:
      1.) “I am looking for a safe, secure job with good pay and excellent benefits.”
      2.) “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
      3.) “I’m looking for the best people to join my team”
      4.) “What’s my return on investment?”

      If you picked #1 you are in the “E” quadrant & you value security.
      If you picked #2 you are in the “S” quadrant & you value independence.
      If you picked #3 you are in the “B” quadrant & you value wealth-building.
      If you picked #4 you are in the “I” quadrant & you value financial freedom.

      When I went to college I valued security. Now I want financial freedom & wealth building (Which is why Robert Kiyosaki recommends Network Marketing.)

      What I realized is even though I want to value financial freedom & wealth building, my core value is still security. This won't lead me to prosperity.

    22. Hey Randy,

      Any word on new products soon. Please make some new ones! Even with the same lessons just with different stories and examples. The others were all great and make the whole money experience very enjoyable. My income continues to rapidly increase and would like some new material to help that cycle continue. I have listened to the others so many times some new CD's would be very much appreciated.

      Big thanks

      David

    23. Hi Peter, probably the same for me. :-). Problem is, when people really want something they will find a way to obtain it. And, when enough people want something, someone will find a way to manufacture it and/or distribute it. But, because it's illegal and the seller can go to jail if caught distributing it, the price will go way up. There will also be turf wars since the turf is so valuable to the pushers (err. I mean, sellers). Then, the prison's will get crowded, not only with the people selling these illegal burgers, but even the people buying just buying them for their own consumption. In fact, in the U.S. right now, it's estimated that between 750,000 and 1 million non-violent Big Mac users are in jail (for their own good). And, since the prisons are overcrowded with these dangerous (to themselves) hamburger abusers, many of the more dangerous criminals are released early. And, of course, because the price of hamburgers went way up, it cost a bunch more for those of us addicted to them to get our fix, so we had to rob, steal, murder people in order to get the money. Oh, one more thing; the quality of the burgers goes way down and even more dangerous stuff will be added in order to make it cheaper for the producer - I mean, it's not like the consumer can complain about being defrauded. And, more unintended consequences. Yep...all this because people who knew what was good for us better than we knew what was good for ourselves were able to use the force of government to make their will...our will. But, of course, it never works out as planned.

    24. Note: When I said "same for me" 🙂 and then provided response, that was in response to Peter's first sentence. Of course, I totally agree with his second sentence.

    25. You'll be happy to know I am working on an all new format for my Breakthrough U coaching program, and also some new learning resources. Coming soon!

      -RG

    26. interesting post, however I see the drugs, the alcohol that had to live with and witness the effects of those on my dd and grandkids. They, along with the father (the abuser) we all lived under a reign of terror caused by an abuser. If it hadn't been for him finally getting caught and going to prision, we would still be under his reign. AND because of the courts, one reason she didn't leave, because the courts still would have let HIM at least have something to do with the kids. There was no record of abuse, we were all to afraid to let anyone know. Emotional abuse was probably worse. So beause he made the choices HE did, we all suffered. Sure, even if it had been legal, it's the CHILDREN living under those that suffer. By, the way, each child views that time differently. One views it as it has made him a better person. One as how abused he was, one has blocked it, but makes choices of boyfriends that don't always treat her right.
      So HIS RIGHT to do what he wanted with his life (not work, use drugs, alcohol) and come h0me abusive, violated the rights of the rest of the family to peace, to having food in the fridge....to OUR freedom of not living under a paranoid person's impulses.
      L

    27. Bob and RG-

      I agree with both of you.

      I believe we all must start from a place were we take personal responsibility for our own thoughts and actions. From there not supporting legalizing everything that is "Bad" but to reach out to someone who wants to change their situation and add value to their life and live and demonstrate a different way for them.

      But we also can't live and prosper in a society that says if it feels good do it. We are all connected.

      DJM

    28. The number of people who tolerate and are able to use 'drugs' without hurting themselves or others is a much larger group while a few manage to make a mess of the whole. My system has a high tolerance for much of what I place in it.

      Once upon a time I lived in Scotland and there are brands of scotch that are simply delicious and likely never leave Scotland. As I have aged however the affect scotch has on me the next day has had me remove it from my list and it is not the alcohol. A glass of red wine is enjoyable while a bottle ruins the next day for me.

      My cardiologist recently told me everything we eat is a drug. Some people have zero tolerance for peanuts and they have to be very careful of what they eat. Others cannot tolerate lactose without severe discomfort or worse. I used to eat tofu in dozens of delicious ways and blamed the ill affect on the toppings or side dishes. When I removed all soy from my diet the list of stomach and intestinal troubles shrunk to near zero. Recently, after going out of site high with my BP, I removed rice from my diet and my BP returned to the ideal stage with no other changes.

      Should I promote rice and soy as evil ingredients? They are for me. There are plenty of people in my life who can’t believe that soy or rice is the problem either. There is a way of ‘being’ that could be called living in the zone. Some things maintain it, some things improve it and some things take me out of it. Once you find your ‘zone’ the human tendency is to declare IT is the answer for everyone! Perhaps we need to give each other full permission to find what works for them.

    29. I see exactly what you're saying. People doing something illegal for the sake of being adventurous or rebellious. It's likely they have national health care in Holland. I would implement some sort of user fees for these drug addicts rather than the state encouraging bad habits. I would also limit the dose a person can get at a time. Those are just minor details though. Maybe large drug companies can sponsor such a program and get free advertizing.

    30. Randy I totally agree with you and I thank you for helping me to see the light. You have opened my eyes and mind so much through your critical thinking and challenging us to delve deeper. Just keep it comin' please 🙂

    31. Really thought provoking post Randy. There are parallels between my youth & yours though now I seldom indulge in more than 1 or 2 glasses of wine in a month & that's it. I can look back and say that someone should have stopped me doing what I did, but every single thing I have done has taught me so much & brought me to where I am now.

      The remarks you make about socialism etc are poignant for me living in the UK under a left wing government. I have in fact been away from the UK for 6 years & I was horrified to find how far things have gone here. We have to divide up our garbage into separate types (all in the name of recycling). We are fined if a piece of paper gets into the section designated for glass! And this attitude extends to education, hospitals etc.

      In the name of doing things for people's own good, the most appalling restrictions are being placed on their personal freedom. This cannot be right.

      If we feel that something that a person indulges in is really destructive for them, then we should reach out in friendship and help & educate them to find another way - if they wish to. I spent time in mental health care and saw people doing things that I judged harmful, but it was their choice. That includes a person who was set on suicide and ultimately achieved his goal. Should he have been kept in a strait jacket the rest of his life?

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