Here’s the deal:
Eben Pagan, an extremely brilliant and successful business man (whom I study often) said, “Focusing on working to make money is like focusing on driving your car to get gas.  It’s backwards.”

That quote represents the very core of every person who is struggling financially, regardless of the economic times.  Too many people are focusing on working to make money.

Money is simply an exchange of value.

That’s it.

By itself, money is just worthless paper or little metal discs with fancy artistic pictures (or numbers in a computer database).

If value isn’t exchanged, money isn’t exchanged.  This is so fundamental, yet too many people are stuck in their backwards thinking and don’t recognize it.

Now, someone is sure to pipe up at this point and say, “Well, yeah, but when there’s no money how can anyone exchange value?”

My blank stare response is:

If you believe there is no money …that the money factory burned down, or some clever ‘money-bandit’ showed up in the middle of the night and stole all the money and is hiding it deep in some undiscovered cave near a rural town in Southern Arizona… If you choose to believe what you see on CNN and the rest of the fear-based thought police and their headline news reports…

…then, what you argue for you keep, my friend, and you have certainly earned your right to be broke and stand in an unemployment line with nothing to offer but an open palm.

Money does not disappear.  Money moves around and it does not move until AFTER value is exchanged, not before.  Too many people are looking to exchange value after money is exchanged, or believe that money is somehow required to exchange value and, thus, value cannot be exchanged if there is no money.

This is quite sad, actually.  For anyone who knows how to exchange value with others, money will always be available.  Always.  Why?  Because, again, money is simply a means of exchanging the value, money is not the value itself.

Here’s a real-life scenario:
On Monday, February 16, 2009, Frank Kern earned almost $4 Million in 8 hours …and on a holiday, no less.

How did Frank Kern do this?  How was this possible -with “everyone” broke and “nobody has any money?”  Does Frank have magic powers?  Did he discover another secret money factory and not tell anyone?  Maybe he found that ‘money-bandit’ in an Arizona ghost town saloon and slipped a mickey in his Gin to make him talk?  Or maybe Frank has secret ties with some bank executives and swindled a few out of their bail-out money (Frank Kern is quite the wordsmith).

Seriously.  Frank understands how to give away huge value.  In fact, Frank Kern gives away TONS of value …with no strings attached… and so does Eben Pagan, along with many other highly successful people most of the world has never heard of.  They give their value away first without ever receiving a penny.  If these successful business people did not give their value away first, they would not be at their level of success.

The bottom line is: If money is just an exchange of value, and money is not coming to you, and value precedes money, then obviously YOU must figure out a way (or a new or better way) to start exchanging value with others, whether that is in your own business venture, at your job, or at a new job that allows you to exchange more value.

In other words… If you lack money, you’re not giving enough value to others.

A college degree is supposed to help you exchange more value.  Unfortunately, many people believe the value is just in the degree itself.  They don’t understand the degree itself is worthless.

As a quick, final point: Most people and businesses attempt to increase profits by raising prices.  Naturally this lowers the monetary buying power over time.  Years ago, a candy bar was 79¢ (and even less).  Now, they’re about $1.29 for the same candy bar.

Adding value to products and services increases monetary buying power.  I might sell a training course for $100 and give $100 in value.  However, if I also offer a $200 web site at no additional cost, now $100 buys $300 of real product, effectively increasing the monetary buying power.

The only way to solve personal economic issues is by giving more value to others -and as much value as possible.  If you are giving what is genuinely perceived by others as valuable, money will naturally flow to you.  This is the spiritual Law of Reciprocity and is unbreakable.

Focus on genuinely benefiting the lives of others and you will achieve a life of wealth beyond your wildest dreams.

Mike Lewitz is an innovative marketer who truly 'gets' the mental and emotional buying process of consumers. He's shown thousands of global business owners proven, cutting-edge marketing methods that bring abundant results.  Mike is a Google Certified Advertising Professional, holds two Bachelor's degrees (business & marketing) and M.B.A. in Management.

You may freely distribute, copy & share this article with acknowledgment.

Well, what if… we eliminated the whole idea of money?

What if some magical force came over the entire world -like Santa and his 8 tiny reindeer- that suddenly compelled every human being on Earth to wake up on a particular morning and decide that they were going to go about their normal, everyday lives …changing absolutely nothing about their routine, except they had no need or desire for money?  What if people worked only for the genuine reason of trying to better the life of other people?

Really.  What would happen?  What could happen?

Consider: Money is simply an exchange of value -for money itself, merely paper or coins with artistic drawings (or numbers in a computer), has no intrinsic value.

But, what if everyone decided to do what they do just for the sake of doing it? (There’s that ‘What if’ question again)

So, a painter who loves to paint houses would just keep painting houses.  A car mechanic who loves working on cars would simply continue working on cars.  And, because each of these people would no longer have any monetary overhead, they wouldn’t be motivated to work or not work based on the amount of money they’d receive for their work.  In other words, no mechanic would turn down a job because “the pay is too little.”  They would accept the job based on the work needed.

Homes would still be built because of the people who love building homes.  There would still be electricity and running water because there are people who enjoy this technically challenging work.  Yes, there are even people who take pride in cleaning toilets.

Do not misunderstand, this is not an altered system of barter, rather a system of doing merely for the sake of the enjoyment of doing.  Bartering still involves the thought process of: “I have to give to get, and I won’t get unless I give.”  It’s oriented in self.

The difference is only the source of the motive: towards self vs. towards others.  Nothing else is changed.

The judgement on work would not be connected to price anymore.  Things might be based on quality or value.  Instead of businesses cutting corners to lower expenses, businesses might strive for highest quality or value, as quality would elevate to a different level of “currency.”  (Quality and value are already a form of currency, but constrained by money.)  No Space Shuttle would blow up due to parts made by “the lowest bidder.”

However, as fanatically noble, Utopian and naive as this probably sounds to many (yes, a lot of people will probably tell me to put down the crack pipe), it might  not be as absurd as it initially appears when examined closer (except for the Santa part).

There are two major shifts that have now completely re-defined the very nature of business: One is the continued evolution of something known as the ‘Knowledge Worker’ (coined by Peter Drucker) and the other is the principle of ‘moving the free line.’

Simplistically, the Knowledge Worker concept says high value is exchanged through ideas, not physical objects.  People with powerful, innovative ideas are desirable and preferred.

‘Moving the free line’ is the concept that those businesses who freely give away the most highly valuable information will be most sought after.  Look no further than the vast social networks that now exist on the Internet and the incredible value exchanged within them …all for the mere cost of an Internet connection (which can even be had for free, now).

For years, our real value in people is how they benefit others, usually gauged by their job or work, and not by the money they earn.  We do not ask people how much money they earn …and not because it’s socially unacceptable.  We ask what they do for a living.  Their income is no value to us.  I would argue that asking how much money someone earns has become socially unacceptable because we intuitively know there is no value there.

Compare someone who’s won the lottery and currently does nothing, enjoying their payouts -they offer no value to anyone (which is the reason why “A fool and his money are soon parted”) with someone who volunteers for the Peace Corps.  If someone happens to be in the market for a home, for example, and a person says they’re a real estate agent or a mortgage broker, usually they begin to think about how that person may be able to benefit their life in this area of need.  People will never stop having needs.

Is it possible to imagine a world where those with self-esteem issues can be helped and elevated to become highly functioning components of a society that thrives on thoughtful innovation and contribution?  Is it possible to imagine a world where we can explore other planets because we’re not limited by monetary budgets?  Is it possible to image a world where anyone who wants to become a great doctor can?

Is it possible to imagine a world where the motivation to perform is intrinsic instead of extrinsic, ie: the desire to serve others, as opposed to the desire to serve ourselves?

Among the interconnected Spiritual Laws, the Law of Reciprocity states that whatever someone does will be returned back to them.  Thus, if one wants success, they must first help another become successful.  This is not a superficial phrase created by a pretentious religious leader looking to increase donations to their church.

Endless, tangible proof exists of this immutable truth.

Personally, I have studied many highly successful people.  What separates highly successful people from everyone else, with rare exception, is these people are genuine givers.  Thus, because of their mindset, their thinking process is always, “How can I figure out how to create something that’s highly valuable and will genuinely benefit the lives of others?”  …as opposed to always thinking about “How can I benefit myself and if I’m able then I’ll try to benefit others, too.”  Can you see a distinct difference?

Guy Kawasaki talks about “making meaning, not money” and to create “peace of mind,” as that is what all people seek.  Eben Pagan creates endless, valuable, free content that elevates both men and women to become better, stronger people through interpersonal relationships and proven principles of business.  Eben said, “Focusing on working to make money is like focusing on driving your car to get gas.  It’s backwards.”

These men, as well as many like them, are only motivated by doing for others.  It’s no coincidence they are successful by any definition.

Money is simply the enabler to continue doing what we want to be doing anyway …helping others.  So, what if we could eliminate the money part where we could all just be doing what we want to be doing anyway without being distracted with the notion that we’ve got to somehow earn money first so we can continue doing what we want to be doing anyway?

Whether many like it or not, there is a growing evolution of more people awakening spiritually to finding their purpose is in helping others.  Fundamentally, nearly every human being has the desire to help others: at the core level, all humans are motivated by love.  Some may be motivated to help only a few, such as only immediate family and close friends, while others may be motivated to help many.  Nevertheless, the core motivation is the same.

Only the belief of scarcity is what holds people back …a false idea that if we blindly give more to someone else, we will somehow be without or lacking in some way (as if there isn’t enough).  Those who are unaware of spiritual laws have trouble letting go of scarcity beliefs.  Eben Pagan says that one of the secrets to becoming highly successful is to “get used to getting the short end of the stick.”

In our current world of unlimited abundance of all resources, scarcity thoughts are no longer necessary.  When we eliminate scarcity from our thoughts, we transform into new people capable of living in a way we never imagined.

By design, as is the Yin and Yang of everything, there are natural forces towards equilibrium.  Peace cannot exist without war, life cannot exist without death, happiness cannot exist without sadness, and so forth.  We do not (and will not) grow without our struggles.  Naturally, our humanity has evolved us into a society of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’  It’s a natural hierarchical instinct found deep within our DNA that will never disappear out of mere suggestion after thousands of years of evolutionary behavior.

While I certainly don’t pretend to know all the answers or provide a viable solution to economic problems that have plagued mankind and these “What if’s” likely raise more questions than answers, one thing is absolutely certain: We do exist in a Universe with an unlimited abundance of all resources, ideas and space, and those who believe otherwise just need to be educated.  Those who manifest a life of scarcity have to be woken up.

Certainly, many efforts exist to perpetuate the notion of scarcity: it’s highly profitable.  One of the most powerful techniques of marketing that entices people to buy is the creation of scarcity.

Yes, there is a direct link between scarcity and money.  Even careful study of the banking system reveals an elaborate hoax built solely on the intent of perpetuation of scarcity and illusion: every dollar possessed by anyone is a debt owed to someone that can never be repaid.

Yet, the mere notion that there are not enough resources just because of a belief of “lack of money” is profoundly more absurd and naive than any fanatically noble Utopia.  “There’s not enough” is an all too common phrase spoken and believed throughout the World.

One way or another, this must change and, regardless of the solution, I choose to be a part of that change.

Scarcity is a myth, a lie.  If each of us do not eliminate scarcity from our thoughts, it will enslave us and those around us into a world of fear and the belief that we are constrained by some invisible, external force, preventing us from helping ourselves as well as others.

So, what if we just eliminate scarcity instead?

What if, indeed.

Mike Lewitz is an innovative marketer who truly 'gets' the mental and emotional buying process of consumers. He's shown thousands of global business owners proven, cutting-edge marketing methods that bring abundant results.  Mike is a Google Certified Advertising Professional, holds two Bachelor's degrees (business & marketing) and M.B.A. in Management.

You may freely distribute, copy & share this article with acknowledgment.