Focus on Life™

You are surrounded by your past. All the tangible items and assets represent the earlier achievements. The same applies to your monetary wealth as well—it is only storage of your previous efforts and endeavours. The past is not the future; you need to create something new in between.

Basically everything goes through a cycle of creation, sustenance, and decay. It does not really matter whether we talk about knowledge, skills, physical goods, or even our thoughts. The only constant is change. It stays and forces everything else into movement. Effort is required to keep up with the changes in the world around us.

Tangible things are relatively easy to produce—if you only know how. And this is exactly the point. We need ideas, innovations, experience, knowledge, and the right skills to get something done. A beautiful house/car or any other physical good or product does not last forever. They need either be replaced or maintained. This information is always within people. Persons make everything happen.

Diversity and specialisation are the means that enable our society to have a wide variety of different tangible items and products available to us. There needs to be people who have the required skill set and the production tools to create the items. They do not come out of nowhere—they represent the existing expertise and knowledge.

We often take services and products as granted, and can only start to appreciate them when they have first demonstrated their non-functional nature. If your bathroom pipe is leaking then suddenly a plumber is a very valuable person for you. Actually your life becomes pretty unbearable without the necessary reparation skills!

The richness is not in the goods and things around you. They are only the presentation of the wealth in the society. The future success needs to be earned every day. No money can buy you food if you are in an isolated island. Similarly the wealth of any society can be measured only by the richness and the variety of experience, knowledge, and interaction among its members. Specialisation is only available when there are enough goods and services available to take care of the more general needs of the members of the society. If you need to grow your own food and prepare it as well there is less time available for other activities. In a similar manner any specialist is dependent on the work and expertise of the other people in the production chain. We all need each other. If you are not contributing or loving what you’re doing everybody is worst off. Do you see how personal freedom is very closely linked to the well-being and the wealth of the society?

Expecting to gain more than one is willing to put on the table is foolhardy. Forcing others to comply with it is stealing. The motives vary from jealousy, low self-esteem, laziness to greediness and everything between. In any case the idea is to get away with the scheme without being exposed. Current politics is based on this principal.

Voluntary cooperation between people does not need regulations and control. They are required to force something in place and to keep something out. Special privileges are based on structures where the gains are separated from the liabilities and the responsibilities—a free ride. The formula often works so that everybody pays (in form of coerced payments) and some selected few reap the benefits. There are also fancier names for all this: tariffs, tolls, trade restrictions, subsidies, protective laws and directives, sales and energy taxes, and so on. They are all too important to be left for the grown-up adults to decide upon themselves and be responsible of their actions and choices.

Our monetary system is based on the same principal. The current legal tender is nothing but a dictum that is backed by the government’s threat of using violence against its citizens. The only difference between you printing your own notes and the government is the amount of force you’re lacking. Currently the money system is based solely on the amount of money in circulation. Its value is dependent on its volume. Otherwise the paper (or digital) nominations are entirely useless. And the best part is that the government having the monopoly decides when and how much more money it will issue. This is stealing as well. Another name for it is inflation. And don’t get fooled by the consumer indexes or any other official measures of inflation. The sole source of inflation is the increase in the monetary base. Period. The rest is only a matter of time for the ripple effect to penetrate the entire economy and to adjust the prices for the new volume of money in form of price changes.

Government does not produce anything. It needs the politicians to steal from you. They can do it either by collecting more taxes or inflating the currency. The latter is easier and less disruptive for the public to accept. The end result is the same. Everybody pays and only a few gains. In the case of inflation those closest to the new money in circulation benefit the most in form of getting services and goods still with old (low) prices and in the reverse those are hurt the most that need to buy things with the new (high) prices but are not able to raise their own prices accordingly. The economy does not need controls and politicians, but your government and the beneficiaries of its special privileges need. Just follow the money.

Free competition is very disturbing for some. It’s ruthless for those that do not serve the society. And how do we know this? The law of the market is very simple. You vote by your free choice—those that serve you the best you favour and support, and the rest need to cope without you. This continuous change forces everyone to serve the interest of their customers with the utmost care. Unfortunately the political control over the markets is so dominating nowadays that basically everything is controlled and regulated by the government.

In addition, ‘public’ services do not need to listen to the customer. They get their money by stealing from you so they could not care less. The prime motive of any organisation is its self-survival no matter whether it is a ‘public’ or private entity. The only difference is that only the free market based organisation needs to be humble in front of the customer. It relies on the voluntary cooperation and interaction among its customers. It cannot survive without the customer in the long run. Organisations (even private) that rely on coercion are in a different position. They get something for nothing. Actually they are the healthier the more they gain stolen goods. No wonder lobbying and politics is the biggest business in town. That’s where the money is made in our ‘modern’ society. Everybody pays, only a few gains, and the overall society goes down the drain. Looting is never a long-term plan—someone needs to produce before it can be stolen. Currently it is more lucrative to steal than to create. How do you see the odds?

Money is only a medium of exchange. It is not the wealth. It only presents the future wealth we believe it can provide us in form of goods and services from other people whom we hope to accept our money in an exchange for our desired goods and services.

Wealth is created by people who produce goods and services. We use money as a middle man to satisfy our current and future needs. What we do not consume immediately we can store for a later day (save (i.e. invest)).

Basically anything can be used as a medium of exchange. History knows many commodities used as money. Currently we have accepted printed-paper notes as money that has no other productive use.

The purchasing power is based on exchange of goods and services between individuals in any society. In another words in order to get something you have to give something. One can do this directly by bartering fish to bread or use a medium of exchange in between. For example buy ‘money’ by selling the fish and then sell the money and buy the bread.

Provided that the society is based on trust where no one is cheating (i.e. getting something for nothing—stealing) it does not really matter what is used as money. Ludwig Von Mises has theoretically proven that gold, silver etc. were evolved as the commonly accepted medium of exchange by having an alternative productive (i.e. economic = scarce) use first. Later they became the de facto standard ‘money’. For example gold can be used for jewelery, semiconductors etc. as well as a medium of exchange.

Our current fiat money is not backed by anything. This means that one can fabricate more money and thus steal/cheat from the society. By printing more paper notes one can exchange those notes to real goods and services (provided that people still believe in the money and are ignorant of the scam) without giving anything back. Thus getting something for nothing. In other words the overall wealth in the society has not increased as a result of printing more paper notes, ‘money’. There are no more goods or services for the members of the society to enjoy and consume.

The wealth of any nation is dependent upon its people’s capabilities and resources to invest into new production. Some 50 years ago Ludwig von Mises gave this speech that is maybe even more valid today (and not just to Americans): Capital Supply And American Prosperity.

Many of us are learning the lesson with money. Either we are tight to make the two ends meet or we have an uneasy relationship with prosperity.
Wealth itself is a neutral issue. It is not either good or bad. We ourselves create the meaning and its role. Its scope can be very narrow and limited or wide and very significant. Anyhow, it is all up to us. It has nothing to do with the energy called money or anybody else except us. We create our own reality – the energy is happy to provide us whatever we wish for.

Therefore prosperity and abundance are at our reach. We can make it to happen. Actually nothing can keep as apart from it - if we only allow it ourselves. And this is the big if. It is not the circumstances or the economical situation. Not the job or anything else in our outside reality. There is no one else to deal with but us.

Can you see yourself already living in prosperity? Wait – stop for a while and really consider the previous point. This is important if you are going to make it to happen. Are you able to visualise yourself living in abundance?

The only thing that keeps us separated from abundance is our own beliefs. We don’t feel that we are worth the wealth. We undermine ourselves and simply don’t believe it is possible to realise. Maybe we have had some bad experiences in the past and thus we are reluctant to try again. It did not happen then why could this time be any different? Or we regard anything even closely related to business or money somehow unrelated or impure when talking about spirituality and higher purpose of life. We want to associate ourselves only with unselfishness and spiritually uplifting issues - not with the material reality.

What are all the above? They are our beliefs and associations that we have created ourselves. We believe so – not the wealth or the money. Nothing has any meaning except the one we create for it. Our reality is relative. This means that we can decide to use money for our own selfish purposes or use it as a tool to build a better future for all of us. Actually have you ever considered the possibility that the most spiritually evolved persons should also be the wealthiest? This is not so outstanding claim as it first might sound like. Who would be better servant for humanity than a prosperous and humble multibillionaire that uses his / her wealth for unselfish purposes? Not even talking about how these people would run their businesses…

Can you now see yourself surrounded by wealth and abundance?

Common misunderstanding about wealth is that is difficult to gain. Or that one has to work hard to earn it. Who says so? Money doesn’t care if you don’t. Actually abundance is our natural state of being. There has been previous Golden Eras when gold was widely available for everyone who needed it. Lack and limitations are our own creations. We are meant to be living among abundance if we only allow ourselves. Some of us are very harsh and hard on ourselves. Our previous hardship has taken its toll and subconsciously we blame ourselves for the difficulties. We think that we have earned to be poor and to suffer. It is a lesson that we have to learn. In another words suffering by being poor is a thing that we need. Once again – if you believe so but certainly you do not have to.

Can you see all your friends surrounded by prosperity and wealth?

Wealth is energy like anything else. If you take good care of it and let it flow it will keep coming and become stronger. But if you use it for your selfish purposes and block the sharing of wealth it will drain. Life is economical. It gives for those who appreciate and cherish it. We do not own anything, rather being only humble housekeepers that take care of the resources and gifts provided to us. In another words we must feel to be worth the wealth. Be responsible and joyous about it. We must appreciate and use it wisely.

And finally the secret of prosperity. How to become wealthy? Simply by being one. First forgive yourself. Forgive yourself any hardship or shortcomings in the past. This is important in order to clear any old luggage out of the way. Secondly, love yourself. Love yourself from all of your heart so that you fill up with unconditional love so and it starts to spill over and finally you radiate pure love. Wealth loves to be around kind and harmonious people. You feel that you’re worth the wealth and it is a natural part of your reality. Beauty and wealth are as natural for you as any other part of your reality. And then the most important issue when you have now successfully prepared the ground for your prosperity: you know that you are wealthy. You must know this deep in your mind, bottom of your heart and solid as a rock in your behaviour. You must be wealthy. How does a wealthy person think, talk and act? This is the way you manifest your reality. A wealthy person do not worry about unpaid bills or low balance in the bank account. He knows that there is nothing to worry about. He / she is wealthy and everything is going to be alright. This does not mean that one should start to spend like a millionaire and take up new loans and so on. It simply means that since we create our own reality by our own actions, talks, and thoughts and these have to be in line with the desire of prosperity. We KNOW, FEEL and ACT with confidence that the wealth is on its way. Nothing can stop as from gaining it. We are creators and thus nothing can stop our prosperity but us. Just do it – you already are.

Money is just part of the framework. In itself, it is nothing. It
is only a convention between people. We have created the
concept called money in order to exchange and settle between
various activities and services. It is an enabler, not the purpose
itself.

Another way of defining money is to say that it is energy.
Notes and coins are energy in their physical material sense
because they are formed of atoms. But money can be seen as
energy concentration in another sense as well. Money pres-
ents, directs, facilitates, blocks, and absorbs lots of energy
from us. Sometimes we are tight with money and we are
struggling to collect every penny and cent to have enough to
survive. Collecting and getting money focuses and concen-
trates our mental and physical energy (effort) in the everyday
life, sometimes more, sometimes less. We might desire some-
thing that money enables us to achieve. We work hard and
long in order to collect enough wealth to do something with
it.In other words, we first absorb and accumulate energy and
then release it in some other form. While collecting and get-
ting the required amount of money, we are bound to make
choices and give up something else. We need to focus our
energy to gather money. In this case, money is a manifesta-
tion/representation of our accumulated energy.

Wealth can also demand energy from us. People who have
great amounts of wealth need to look after it. They have to
concentrate their efforts and focus to manage their wealth. It
creates obligations and liabilities. Naturally, it is up to us to
define these and live accordingly. This is especially demand-
ing when we do not understand the true nature of money and
wealth. Money may turn more into a burden than a facilitator.

Money is only what we make of it and how we place our-
selves in relation to it. It is neither a good nor a bad thing. It
is only a tool. The sole responsibility lies with the user of the
money. Do not mix up the means and the objectives. Money
is purely an enabler, nothing else. It does not define who we
are—only what we have. And everything we can ever have or
not have is only part of the framework. The real essence of life
is not about having, but about being. What is important is
what we are in relation to other living beings—not what we
are in relation to material things like money. A wise person is
the one who realizes this.

It’s amazing that there is enough of everything on our planet.
The thing is that we create the scarcity situation with our own
behavior. There is enough food to feed every hungry person
and give each one a shelter, and even provide basic health care
and education for everyone. These are the basic requirements
for human life and they are doable every year. We just choose
not to do these—collectively. We opt not to do anything and
therefore we are also responsible of our actions.

Our lifestyle is based on individualism and egoistic self-
fulfilment. We live by consuming and trying to satisfy our
needs by material means. Our well-being is dependent on
how much we can consume and drive after our whatever
desires. Or that’s at least the way we live. Are we happier and
more satisfied? Are we ever satisfied and feeling content with
our lives? In postindustrial society, we should already be more
than happy with all the possessions around us.

Unfortunately, the reality is the opposite. We are more
lonely and lost than ever. We have fulfilled our lives with cold
values and individualistic lifestyles that isolate us from other
people and make us lonely and unhappy people without much
purpose and meaning in our lives. Isn’t this strange because
we now have more time off than ever? A few hundred years
ago, almost all people were in one way or another tied up to
agricultural work in order to support themselves. Now we do
not have to exert so much effort to feed ourselves and get a
roof over our heads. The problem seems to be more a mental
one nowadays. We have time to think and worry—physical
labor is not keeping us occupied anymore.

Almost everyone lives in isolation, even when we are sur-
rounded by lots of people. Our lifestyle is very self-orientated.
We have learned to live without taking into consideration
other people’s circumstances. How else could we explain that
every day we see people who are more in need and lost in their
lives than we are, but we pretend not to see them? We cross
the street or at least turn our eyes away. Out of sight, out of
mind. Secretly we hope that we could be so fortunate that
nothing like that would ever happen to us. How coldhearted
is our way of living? And for what? How happy and content
are we really because we do not care about other people? Isn’t
this a clear indication of an opposite state of matters?

Sharing is an amazing thing. The joy and happiness inside
of us is universal for all of us, that idea of being able to give
something without expecting something in return. When was
the last time you gave of yourself? It does not have to be a big
thing. Just a smile or unexpected nice words to start.
Everybody wants to feel accepted and respected as human
beings. After all, we are all humans and what we have does
not define who we are. How many of us are human in our
actions as well?

Do we really need all the material things and wealth we
have for ourselves? Isn’t there anything we could share with
those who are in greater need than us? Big changes happen
with small actions. We are the society and the nations; there is
no government or institutions without us, the people.
Therefore, it is our responsibility to define who we are. Doing
nothing and accepting things the way they are is as big a
statement as anything else. By letting people starve to death
and die because of poor health care demonstrate more than
anything else who we really are. We are ignorant and selfish.
How else can we explain these things? The technology is well
developed and proven to prevent these things from happening
if there is a will to accomplish it. It’s done already in Western
societies. No excuses—let’s face who we really are.

The important question is, are we going to change?
Personally each and every one of us has to look into the mirror
and answer the question for ourselves—have I done enough
today, really? If not, then there is still a chance that there is
something human left in us, which we could try to make big-
ger in time. Maybe we would feel a bit more content and hap-
pier about our lives as well? It’s give-and-take—sharing.