“How Riches Come To You” – Two Major Points

You Don’t Have to Give Away Everything

One of the things that got into my head when I first read about “giving more in use value than you take in cash value” was the idea that I could just start giving away my effort, my time, and my value, without asking anything in return, and riches would just somehow show up.

Right at the beginning of Chapter 6, Wattles tells us that this just isn’t true:

“When I say that you do not have to drive sharp bargains, I do not mean that you do not have to drive any bargains at all, or that you are above the necessity for having any dealings with your fellow men. I mean that you will not need to deal with them unfairly; you do not have to get something for nothing, but can give to every man more than you take from him.“

I think I got this idea of “give it away and it will magically come back to you” from a misreading of many of the other authors of metaphysical and success literature.

I also tended not to value my own desires and efforts – and if we don’t value our own contributions, then why would anyone else?

That’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so important that we realize that Formless Substance (God) is always for us. It wants us to be rich, and our desires come from It.

What you create matters, and it’s a good thing to be compensated for your efforts.

There’s a word for people who aren’t compensated for their efforts.

They’re called slaves.

Riches (probably) Won’t Drop In Your Lap

And finally, because you are to cause the creation of your riches from Formless Substance which permeates all your environment, it does not follow that they are to take shape from the atmosphere and come into being before your eyes.

If you want a sewing machine, for instance, I do not mean to tell you that you are to impress the thought of a sewing machine on Thinking Substance until the machine is formed without hands, in the room where you sit, or elsewhere. But if you want a sewing machine, hold the mental image of it with the most positive certainty that it is being made, or is on its way to you. After once forming the thought, have the most absolute and unquestioning faith that the sewing machine is coming; never think of it, or speak, of it, in any other way than as being sure to arrive. Claim it as already yours.

I hesitated on adding “probably”, but it is true that occasionally people seem to fall bass-ackward into money. Of course, there are also the horror stories out there of lottery winners who’s lives have been destroyed by their “good fortune.”

Unfortunately, when people begin to study books like “The Science of Getting Rich”, they see it as a kind of get rich quick scheme. I know I did, although I never would have admitted it at the time. My mouth was always pointing out how we had to still take action on getting what we wanted, how we had to grow into it… but a major part of me desperately waited for that big score. We expect riches to come to us, but not without adding value to the world.

And we avoid taking anything in cash value without first offering something in use value.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t accept gifts. We should accept them with gratitude and appreciation. Gifts are an expression of love.

But we should never expect something that we haven’t earned.

Your thoughts?