The sages of old asked the question, “Who is rich?”

They answered, “That person who rejoices in their lot.”

So the person who has something to be grateful – someone to love; being loved; a roof over their head; work they enjoy – is rich.

TRUE WEALTH – having enough money to live your values (whatever those may be)

Are you Happy?  If so… You are Rich.

The 5 Laws introduced by Bob Burg and John David Mann in the Go-Giver shift your focus from getting to giving. This shift makes business (and life) more fulfilling and more profitable. When you can move your focus off yourself and help someone else get closer to their happiness, whatever you do will be in demand. The 5 laws are:

1. Value: Worth is determined by offering value in excess of price.
2. Compensation: Income is determined by # of people you impact.
3. Influence: Influence is determined by the extent you put other people’s interests first.
4. Authenticity: YOU are the most valuable gift you have to offer.
5. Receptivity: The key to effective giving is being open to receiving.

Law of Value – your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. It means you understand the difference between price and value.

Price is the amount someone pays. Value is what someone receives for the money they pay – it includes goods, services, experience, and FEELINGS.

Value is ALWAYS in the eyes of the beholder. Different people place a different value on things.

In an exchange economy – each person receives MORE value than they give in payment in every transaction… if this were not the case, the transaction would not occur.

Our biggest challenge to giving value is that we all operate from our own unique unconscious operating system. But, we think these beliefs are shared. Our beliefs inform all our decisions. AND… most of our beliefs are formed prior to our teenage years. The biggest challenge to understanding what other people value is getting OUT of our own belief systems. The challenge in learning what other people value is our own deeply held values. We have to ask questions, listen, clarify, and engage in respectful dialogue BEFORE we can develop.

Today’s social moment that suggests material success or seeking wealth is a negative because it is viewed as dragging others down is founded on a major false premise – that success or wealth is finite.

The idea that wealth is finite (zero sum game thinking) is a false premise. Wealth is not finite. I can’t become wealthier by making someone else poorer. And when I become more successful, it has no effect on the success / or lack of success o others. Wealth is NOT a Zero-Sum game. 

The free market is where no one is forced to do business with anyone else. There are rules, of course, bu people are allowed to buy and sell and trade with anyone. To the degree that a free market is allowed to operate, the ONLY way a person can get wealthy is to provide VALUE in the market place. When we operate in this model, value builds upon value.

SO, “Is financial success selfish?” – not at all… so long as you are providing significantly more value than you charge.

Why are there some people with so much and others with so little? The first thing that makes this happen is people who provide more value than others in the free market (follow the 5 laws of the Go-Giver) naturally tend to accrue wealth, influence and happiness.

In some cases, people with wealth and influence leverage that wealth and influence to maintain it AND their “position” in society. They do this by co-opting government… which is what we have today. This is often referred to as cronyism, corporatism, or crony-capitalism. 

When you have a company or industry (the big guys) leveraging their influence on capital hill to create rules that keep competitors out of the market (the small guy) – that is NOT free-market capitalism.

Companies don’t like competition.

We understand that following the 5 laws opens the door to wealth and success. But, it also seems to be the case that many people who take, take, take also become wealthy and successful.  Building wealth and success is a lot of work – whatever path you choose to take. It is harder if you are mean and nasty and only looking out for yourself (people eventually figure it out and choose to work with nicer less self-interested people). Go givers in this environment naturally attract people to their cause, do more business, have better relationships, and have more fun.

A challenge to our listeners… apply the laws.

Start today by figuring out a way to provide someone value without any expectation. See what happens.