Horses aren’t the only game in town. That kind of ‘g-g’ is a gamble. My kind of G-G is a dead-cert winner.
Giving and getting. That’s what it’s all about. The real G-force.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Scientists know all about that universal law, so why do the rest of us have so much trouble with such a simple equation?
Every aspect of life, whether it is personal or business depends on the scales being in balance.
The plain, basic reality is that if you want to get, you have got to give.
Getting without giving is disastrously one-sided. Yet giving without getting is impossible.
Imagine sitting with your family at Christmas and getting presents from everyone, but giving them nothing in return? How would you feel? Empty? Guilty?
The Universe is set up that way. Reciprocation is the rule. What goes around, comes around.
In my seminars I talk about the principle of MESS. The Universe is chaotic. It loves MESS.It is our job to keep each of those four letters in balance to prevent personal chaos.
What do they mean? They each express a different driving need:
Material Emotional Spiritual Survival
Any kind of success that we crave will be based on one of these four needs.
Think of each of these needs as a water bucket in our souls. When each bucket is full, we are happy, balanced people. Sounds easy? Well, there is a snag.
The water at the bottom of the bucket gets stagnant pretty quickly and can soon taint the whole bucket.
The only way to prevent that is to regularly open the valve at the bottom and let some out. Don’t worry about your bucket draining because there is a constant supply of water waiting to top it up again.
Sure, anyone can be selfish. Many people in high places achieve success and power by being just that. But at what cost? Maybe ignoring others doesn’t harm them materially, but they will certainly be imbalanced in other ways. Spiritually or emotionally. And in some cases, ignoring the needs of others can even threaten their very survival. Politicians through the ages have been too aware of that drawback to power.
Business is no different. When you have your MESS in order, people around you sense it. You become the person they want to associate with. Your buckets are draining into theirs.
But, and here is the kicker that so many people stumble on, the giving has to be done willingly. It is not enough to grudgingly part with your time, knowledge, emotions, money, wisdom or experience. Unless you can do it cheerfully and willingly, the magic isn’t activated.
I like to think of generosity of spirit (and that is exactly what we are talking about) as the difference between offering a thirsty man a glass of water or a glass of fresh orange juice that I have just squeezed.
The water will refresh him, but takes no effort on my part. An act of kindness, maybe, but a pretty shallow one.
On the other hand, the orange juice is something I have put some effort into. I bought the oranges, squeezed the juice, sacrificed my own time, money and effort.
And the thirsty man? Well, he received far more than a glass of water could give him. His thirst has been refreshed, but the juice also contains vitamins and minerals that will help nourish him. And he has experienced something more: active rather than passive kindness.
And it really is magic.
The movie ‘Pay it Forward’ espoused random acts of kindness as some kind of radical idea that could only exist in fiction. But the truth is that people are ‘paying it forward’ every day.
Open your heart, get your MESS in order and play my kind of G-Gs. Someday soon, you’ll be very glad you did.
Copyright Martin Avis, 2002
Martin Avis is the author of the best-selling ‘Unlock the Secrets of Private Label eBooks’ – a complete blueprint to private label rights success. Visit http://www.plrsecrets.com to see how you can tap into this goldmine for yourself.