“Take a look around you tell me what you can see. I guess it all depends on exactly what you want it to be”

And while you’re thinking about that, here is a story that I just received from Steve Chandler:

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

“I love it,” he stated with enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.”

And here’s a segment from one of my favorite shows, “The Point” showing Oblio’s and Arrow’s encounter with the Rock Man in the pointless forest:

I have often said that Steven is the magic of this group. Last night was absolutely amazing, and I don’t think Steven got a word in edgewise!

One thing that I love about this group is that everyone checks their ego at the door. They let go of all pretense, get real and lay it all out on the line.

Everything is fair game, we talk about everything – money, family, kids, work, sex, friendship, love, you name it. It’s a great opportunity to get to know people on a deep level.

And, with a room full of comedians, we laugh the bulk of the time! I just can’t think of a better way to spend a Thursday night.

Last night Steven really just introduced a concept and then sat back and watched the group discuss, debate and gain a new perspective on that concept.

Steven brought up the chapter of Wattles’ book that discusses the difference between the competative plane and the creative plane. Since the Science of Getting Rich was written in the early 1900’s, competitive may have meant something a little different than it does now. Today, we’re encouraged to have a healthy competitive spirit, it often drives progress.

However, I think what when Wattles admonished us not to operate from the competitive plane, he meant that we should only engage in win-win situations. If you read the chapter, the examples that he gives demonstrates very clearly that this is the case.

So, the fact that the discussion took on a whole different direction was quite interesting. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspectives and examples.

The most valuable thing that I ‘learned’ from everyone and took away from the discussion was this:

The most important thing is to have fun. You’ll perform better when you truly enjoy what you’re doing. The competition is with yourself, to push yourself to new heights. Then, when you’re dealing with the rest of the human race, the important thing is to have fun and make sure that you only engage in win-win situations.

Of course, the fact that the above summary is what I got out of two hours of discussion, could be attributed to the fact that my mother always says, “Above all else, have fun.”

It might just be engrained in my genes.

Listen up to WAYNE WILLIAMS in San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago:

Down here in the Caribbean, where I currently reside, the Government has recently announced that revisions will be made to their fiscal plans for 2009, in light of the (so-called) “world-wide economic crisis.”

And the media (according to their mode of thinking) summarized the entire announcement as a call to one and all to …

… “prepare for hard times.”

No real surprise there. I’m not a journalist by any account, but I appreciate that, according to their mind-set, “bad news sells papers.”

Nonetheless, I (and the rest of the population) had a choice to make upon the publishing of their headlines of “doom and gloom.”

And the two points upon which we have to choose are mutually exclusive:

A) Reject their prophecy of “hard times are a-coming,” and begin working (both mentally and physically) towards the realization of prosperity, wealth and abundance,

OR

B) Accept their suggestion and (almost immediately) become a point of attraction for poverty, want, lack and limitation.

I made my choice, in accordance with the following wise words, which just about everyone here will recognize:

“Do not read anything which fills your mind with gloomy pictures of want or suffering.”

I could have only made this choice, backed by faith in the ability (which I and every other person possesses) to realize prosperity.

And the only way to acquire this faith is by gaining an understanding of how anyone may attain to Wealth.

And the only way to gain Understanding (whether of the subject of getting rich, or anything else) is through Studying.

And for that, I am Grateful.

“Behold — it is all very good.”

Wayne Williams

P.S. Read Chapter 16 of The Science of Getting Rich for Wallace D. Wattles’ “Cautions and Concluding Observations”