Tithing — that is, giving 10% of your earnings to the work of God — is one of the best guarantees of prosperity ever known. Many of the world’s richest individuals and most successful people have been devout tithers. By tithing regularly, you, too, can put into motion God’s universal force, bringing you continual abundance.
Not only does it serve others but it serves you as the giver, too. The benefits cross all religious boundaries and serve those of every faith — because the simple act of giving both creates a spiritual alliance with the God of abundance, and fosters the mind-set of love for others. Tithing proves in a compelling way that abundant wealth is something God wants for His children. In fact, He created a world where the more successful you are, the more wealth there is for everyone to share. An increase in wealth for an individual almost always represents an increase in wealth for society at large.
The fact is that making more money means you can both invest more and spend more on the things you want — travel, clothes, art, concerts, fine food, quality medical care, world-class entertainment experiences, quality transportation, education, hobbies, and all sorts of time — and labor-saving devices and services.
How to make more money
The first step to making more money is to decide how much more you want to make.
The second step is to ask yourself, What product, service, or additional value can I deliver to generate that money?
Finally, the third step is simply to develop and deliver that product, service, or extra value.
Spending too much can wreak havoc with your financial goals. It keeps you in debt, prevents you from saving as much as you could, and turns your focus to consumption, rather than to wealth creation and accumulation.
Some ways to master the spending game
Start paying cash for virtually everything
Reduce the cost of your rich lifestyle
Get out of debt
The power of focus
As you commit to becoming debt free and saving more, you’ll encounter an almost miraculous force working in your life. As you change your focus from spending and consuming to enjoying the things you already have and putting money aside, you’ll progress at an almost unexplainable rate.
In 1926, George Clason wrote a book called The Richest Man in Babylon — one of the great success classics of all time. It’s the fabled story of a man named Arkad, a simple scribe who convinces his client, a money lender, to teach him the secrets of money.
The first principle the money lender teaches Arkad is: “A part of all you earn must be yours to keep.” He goes on to explain that by first putting aside at least 10% of his earnings — and making that money inaccessible for expenses — Arkad would see this amount build over time and, in turn, start earning money on its own. Over an even longer time, it would grow into a lot, because of the power of compound interest.
If you don’t put a value on money and seek wealth, you most probably won’t receive it. You must seek wealth for it to seek you. If no burning desire for wealth arises within you, no wealth will arise around you. Having definiteness of purpose for acquiring wealth is essential for its acquisition. –Dr. John Demartini
It’s been said that in life, you get what you focus on. This rule applies to getting a new job, building a business, winning an award — but most especially to acquiring money, wealth, and a reach lifestyle.
You must decide to be wealthy
One of the first requirements of becoming wealthy is to make a conscious decision to do so.
If you want wealth, too, you must decide now from the deepest place in your heart to have wealth in your life — without worrying yet if it’s possible or not.
There is a secret psychology to money. Most people don’t know about it. That’s why most people never become financially successful. A lack of money is not the problem; it is merely a symptom of what’s going on inside you. –T. Harv Eker
Financial success starts in the mind. You have to first decide what you want. Next, you have to believe it’s possible and that you deserve it. Then you must focus on it by thinking about it and visualizing it as if it were already yours. And finally, you have to be willing to pay the price to get it — with disciplined effort and perseverance over time.
But most people never get to even the first stages of accumulating wealth. Too often, they are limited by their own beliefs about money and by the question of whether or not they deserve it.
In every society, there are “human benchmarks” — certain individuals whose behavior becomes a model for everyone else — shining examples that others admire and emulate. We call these individuals “class acts.” –Dan Sullivan
Strive to become the kind of person who acts with class, who becomes known as a class act, and who attracts other people with class to his or her sphere of influence.
How can you differentiate yourself as a class act in a world where most people are unconscious and “unspecial”? The answer is that you have to consciously work to become free from the many fears, worries, and anxieties that diminish the imaginations and ambitions of the vast majority of people and operate outside the world of conventionality in a world of expanding awareness, creativity, and accomplishment.
It used to be that one’s word was one’s bond. Agreements were made and kept with a minimum of fanfare. People thought carefully about whether they could deliver on their promises before agreeing to anything. It was that important. Today, keeping one’s agreements seems to be a hit-or-miss affair.
Every agreement you make is with yourself
More importantly, every agreement you make is ultimately with yourself. Even when you are making an agreement with someone else, your brain hears it and registers it as a commitment. You are making an agreement with yourself to do something, and when you don’t follow through, you learn to distrust yourself. The result is a loss of self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect. You lose faith in your ability to produce a result. You weaken your sense of integrity.
