What Have You Done for Anyone Lately?

Botanical Gardens, Trinidad-Tobago

A thought-provoker to be taken to heart from Napoleon Hill.org in Yesterday and Today, issue 279. It is about currency, the one you know - money - and the spiritual kind that often gets neglected. While it is great to have money in the bank even though you may believe it is not enough,

It's always good to look at your bank balance and know that money is available for unexpected expenses. These funds might be termed rainy day funds by you or called something else, but in essence they are the monies that you can rely on when a need arises.

Just knowing that this money is available will help you sleep better at night. There is nothing worse than wondering where your next dime will come from or how you can acquire funds if the need suddenly arises.

Whether it is a death in the family, an accident, the failure of an appliance, or an unexpected tax bill, you can literally rest assured if you have put some funds away for this "rainy day."

Knowing that you need this capital, and then cultivating the art of saving regularly can alleviate a potential financial disaster.

So, for a financial need, the solution might be as simple as self-discipline and sacrifice until the goal is reached.


On the other hand, do you have an emotional and spiritual bank balance that you can draw from too in the time of greatest need? Financial savings can give you a certain peace of mind, but there is far more to life than a hefty bank balance.

Ask yourself who you would turn to for support or assistance if something happened that could not be fixed by money. What friendships do you have that would serve you in a time of emotional or spiritual need?

If you have a huge deficit in this area, how do you grow this account? In the end, those individuals you can turn to with a life problem and receive an open door greeting are the people who contribute to your emotional solvency. These people are worth their weight in gold.

To cultivate this process, as with finances you must care for and feed budding relationships. Friendships are not one-sided. If you are on either the giving or the receiving end, you must make sure that a balance exists in the relationship.

Out of balance relationships can exist, but not for long. By being both a giver and a receiver you maintain an equilibrium that doesn't drift too far off center. It is in the doing that the connection is maintained and established.

Are you a doer or a dreamer? Doers are rewarded by having "karma" credited to their accounts, dreamers only have the promise of future earnings.

By this I mean that in order to justify requesting assistance from someone you must first do something to deserve it. It is in the doing that we are entitled to receive.

So, have you called or visited a friend? Have you done something unsolicited for another? Have you shared what you have in a spirit of generosity? Have you given to give and not given to get?

Try this process on for size. For a calendar month, do something each day without the expectation of compensation from the recipient or anyone else. After the month is up, mentally check your emotional/spiritual bank balance.

You will be surprised at the goodness that you have spread around, and in so doing you have enhanced your positivity, one good act at a time. And, you will be making a difference, both for another and yourself.

Be Your Very Best Always,

Judy Williamson
Director, Napoleon Hill World Learning Center
 at Purdue University Calumet