Skill in directing energy determines your ability to gain control of your life and emotions.  These sources of energy do not create anything or invest any of you in them. So rather than expanding and adding to life – you are merely maintaining what is. This relates to the idea of Residual Growth and Earned Growth that we spoke of in Chapter 8.

All of nature grows organically. Plants and trees grow through their own roots. Humans believe we have to contort ourselves to get everything we need.

People often don’t like to or find it difficult to think of themselves in these kinds of ways, so it may be easier to look at how businesses make the same mistake.

Every successful business has in common one thing. It does something, perhaps only one minor thing differently to everyone else.

What makes the difference between a Bill Gates, a Warren Buffet or an Anita Roddick from the millions of other wannabe Entrepreneur? The answer is in the wannabe. Each of these successful Entrepreneurs, like hundred of other multi-millionaires, started out with a passion. It was following their passion in their own unique way that made them successful.

Meanwhile all the wannabe’s are focusing their energies outside of them. Analyzing the tactics and strategies that made these millionaires. But the secret is not in specific strategies or techniques, these are the fruit of the tree… but they only work because the tree is set up to support these.

When Japan suddenly became an almost overnight economic success, many businesses went over to study what they were doing. Soon there were lots of books hitting the headlines with the technique that was the secret to Japan’s success. Hundreds of company’s started to change their ways to use these techniques. For some these worked out, but very few came anywhere near achieving the same success as the Japanese firms. This is because the techniques that Japanese companies were using were their natural responses to their particular situation given their historical and cultural background. They grew organically from the essence of the company, rather being fitted into a secret formula

Taking these ideas into U.S companies is like pulling apples from an apple tree and trying to fix them on a pear tree. The attitudes and beliefs of the people in the company, the company’s relationship with its workers and so on are different due to centuries of cultural evolution. So it is always going to be very difficult to transplant something from one organism to another. Whether that organism is a person, plant or company.

Everywhere you go you find these leaflets promising you $5,000 a week for 5 hours work. The market for business opportunities is huge. This is entirely because very few people are their own source. If a person is sourcing her ideas and excitement from herself she will be overflowing with potential sources of income.

None of it is about the money; it is about finding new ways of expressing themselves. Work becomes art. And along the way you find the perfect way to receive compensation for your artistry.

What happens is that when people get disconnected from their own source, they look externally for ideas, for money and energy. So they begin looking for the answer always outside of them. This diffuses the focus and potential power of your attention and consequently makes you too weak to create what you want.

Yet each individual however weak and powerless they may seem or behave has an infinite amount of power. If you doubt that you contain the power to create the circumstances you choose in your life - despite all the individuals in various circumstances throughout history who have managed to do so - consider this fact.

What you choose to do with all that energy depends entirely on your skill in directing energy, which you do through your attention. Whatever you focus on is brought to life.

What do you choose to bring to life?

Next: Emotional Security

Back To Previous