It is no secret, the coronavirus pandemic is finally here at home, and it brings with it some very serious repercussions. It is a fact that around the world the financial markets are literally tumbling down. Numbers are at their lowest ever in terms of value and making matters worse, no productivity is going on in view of the fact that several nations world-wide with very large economies are on lock down. That means productivity is at an all-time low. As you may imagine, this is having a serious knock on effect which we too as Zambia are feeling.

When you add to that the fact that our country has been struggling with all our fundamentals through what can best be now aptly termed as “galloping inflation” and a kwacha almost on free fall, we are without a shadow of a doubt definitely in “tough times”.

​So then if this be the case, what is one to do?

I have repeatedly mentioned in this blog that people must seriously begin to overcome their “pay check” or “salary” addiction. I know that could be construed as being insensitive, but ask yourself this question, where are the jobs? With so many companies on the verge of collapse, serious financial upheaval, challenges with cash flow, and worse, galloping inflation, our salaries just cannot sustain us anymore. And with Coronavirus as the catalyst, the shutdown for many businesses over the next 60 days or for as long as only God knows, this could mean the end of income for many people.

As such, now whether you like it or not, you need to seriously start thinking outside the box and seek the opportunities that will be available in the midst of this crisis. And remember, every calamity and crisis always brings with it great leaders because they offer solutions to the problems people are facing. Coronavirus plus all its economic upheavals equals great challenging season for us, but is simultaneously providing a great opportunity to rise to the occasion and offer solutions that go on to become significant in whichever discipline you belong to.

So, let’s assume you decide to get into business (you almost have no choice if you asked me). Let me outline ten tips for you in brief, and then commencing next week, delve deeper into each one in more detail to help give you concrete information that can really help you make some serious progress.

​1. Never Borrow to Start
With statistics at over 95% of businesses failing in their first 5 years, this is a definite red zone and a no-go area. Borrowing already pits you for guaranteed failure in more ways than the already bad statistics

2. Master the 1-3-5-7 Principle
That simply means the following, it takes one year to break even, three years to become sustainable, five years to become profitable and seven years to world class. Don’t be deceived to think you’ll make money earlier or faster – this simply isn’t true for any genuine brick-and-mortar business.

3. Work on your systems, processes and tools
The success of any business lies in automation and efficiency in their operations. Systems are therefore the lifeline of any great business. Most times than not, it’s the inefficiency of these systems that have a direct impact on how much revenue a business can generate.

4. Cash flow is your lifeline (guard it jealously)
Every great business remains that way because of its ability to manage its income and expenses.  Cash flow management is the difference between remaining operational or closing down due to insolvency.

5. Focus on your low hanging fruit first - and seriously build that
What aspect of your business or what opportunities are your cash cows? Which ones generate the highest number of transactions? That is your cash cow – exploit it.

6. Minimize all your overheads
Any overheads that are static and have no bearing on your products or services in terms of their production should be kept minimal to non-existent, especially at the start of your business.

7. Have a passion driven business - not just opportunity
Is what you plan to do a drag? Is it born out of copying others because you think they are making money, or is it because you are very passionate about it? You want to focus on business that is a direct result of a labor of love on your part. In short, take your hobby and find a way to monetize it.

8. Master how to build a winning team (your HR issues)
Your staff is the difference between growing exponentially or remaining mediocre. Choose your team carefully.

9. Create strategic alliances for business
Outsource, create joint ventures and incorporate agencies and distributorships – it’s cheaper and far more effective and efficient than doing it all yourself!

10. Exploit your network thoroughly
It is true that your network determines your net worth. So, who are you hanging around with? How powerful is their net worth with regard to your business and its ability to exploit those connections for money making opportunities?

Alright! So in my previous blog I gave a detailed way in which an individual can carry out basic due diligence on the personal franchise business, specifically network marketing and then use that to help them determine which company and leadership to register under. I also demonstrated how precisely that is critical, as getting under the wrong company and leadership makes it very difficult to ever see long lasting success in this business.

Today, you will learn 10 reasons why you should be in this business that Robert Kiyosaki calls the “business of the 21st Century” is widely supported by leading speakers Anthony Robbins and Dr. Myles Munroe among others. It is also fairly easy to start and is suitable for both existing entrepreneurs and business novices. But do bear in mind that ease of starting does not take away the “work” involved and the discipline required – just like any other traditional business – to ensure its success.

This ease of starting is simultaneously its greatest incentive and its worst weakness. For those committed to success, network marketing provides the most powerful systems, tools and processes that exist in any business for next to nothing in terms of cost to the individual. However, for those with a “lottery” mindset, this ease makes it a terrible option and becomes its greatest weakness ensuring failure by those wishing to start the business as they do not treat it like a real business but like some form of lottery instead – put money in and “hope” to hit gold! It just does not work like that!

#1: Low Start Up Cost
For most companies, the cost to start ranges from $100 to $2,000 which you will agree is nothing considering what that investment comes with. Not only do you get products (for those that offer such), but you also access world class systems, tools and processes plus mentorship and coaching all in that price! Typical traditional franchise businesses cost of buying can range from $5,000 up to $1m!

#2: High Returns
For those that choose the selling route, this model offers immediate returns with incentives for royalties attached to those profits through building an organization of other vendors like you. This industry pays for two things mainly, that being the movement of products and the building of an organization through bringing in of new members.

​#3: Unlimited Income Potential
This is where network marketing has its greatest returns. As one builds a large organization of users and business owners, the companies will pay a royalty on all volume generated by that group. With good comp plans, top earners in the world have been known to earn in excess of $500,000 a month with organizations built under 7 years with such paltry starting capital as mentioned above!

#4: Global Business
Depending on which company one joins, there is an opportunity to build the business anywhere in the world provided the company has means to service those regions or countries. This makes it a very exciting prospect for those looking to excel beyond their national boundaries.

#5: Anyone can do it
As Jim Rohn once stated and I paraphrase, “network marketing is the best example on the planet of grassroots capitalism because it allows anyone from any walk of life to use the one thing they have – their human capital (time, effort and value) – to create an enterprise that leads them to true financial freedom”.

#6: Minimal Risks
Typical businesses take years to establish systems and become profitable (minimum of five years) and that in itself is such a great barrier for most. With a failure rate of 99%, one is better off leveraging on an existing company with an established brand, products/services and systems that would be prohibitively expensive for the average person to invest in.
​

#7: Flexible
Unlike traditional business, network marketing can be built part time, full time or spare time. The entire system permits for all three time models to work.

#8: Powerful Support System
There are basically two systems to leverage when you get into this type of business. The first is the company brand, systems, tools and processes. If you join the right company (preferably international established brand), you save yourself massive effort on this part.

The second is the leadership under which you connect. If they have the right support through mentorship and coaching, you cut short your learning curve so that what you could achieve in five years can be done in half that time or less.

#9: Determine your own Income
Because the model is known, incomes are predictable – if one is willing to put in the corresponding effort. Thankfully that can be demonstrated easily.

#10: Ready Made Business
This is literally a plug-n-play business. You simply register with the appropriate fees and voila – you are good to go!

If you have read this and really would like to connect to a company I believe meets the four key factors I outlined in the previous blog plus offers you these ten advantages fair and square, then message me here and we can get going.

In spite of what the naysayers and critics may have to say about the industry, network marketing has grown into a respectable size and generates more income annually than the film and music industries combined. In fact, network marketing currently matches the income generated by the gaming industry, that being just under $200bn a year!

This industry has been endorsed by leading entrepreneurs of the day including but not limited to Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Robert Kiyosaki and even President Donald Trump and of the list mentioned, some have even opted to invest in the industry too!

Like any other business, network marketing is “work” and will require the same attention and focus any other business requires. The unfortunate part for most people is that they were wrongly started or had gross misrepresentation from those who hardly understand the business itself and opt to use half-truths and exaggerations as a way to “recruit” peoples.

Besides all that, as an entrepreneur, I wholeheartedly recommend it. But before you get there, like all good habits, a bit of due diligence would be in order. For those of you not too familiar with the term, due diligence is the investigation that a business or person is expected to carry out before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or in this case, signing the dotted line and paying to start your network marketing business.

There are four things you must consider before you make your investment. These are critical to ensuring your long term success. It really does matter which company and leadership you get into. These four are the company, the pay plan, the position and the leadership.

The Company 

Be careful with which sector of MLM you get into. Statistics show clearly that the most successful distributors and companies are in the anti-aging, skin care, health and wellness sector. These have consistently produced long term powerful and great income generating companies as well as income earners. This sector also consistently has the largest share of the entire business.

Furthermore, you must also ensure the company has solid business founders and systems, processes and tools to assist you build your business well. After all, you are leveraging off a large company so its critical systems exist and are robust and tested.

The company should also be preferably DSA (Direct Selling Association) or BBB (Better Business Bureau) registered and also have been in existence for at least 5 years. The top leaders (earners) should be at least among the DSN top 200 earners in the world. If they are not there but boast of being in existence for long (anything above 5 years), it means their “breakage” is terrible and you want to steer clear! Breakage can be defined as the amount of money that potentially would be coming your way had you been in a different and more favorable pay plan (more later).

​Also, be weary with any company whose administrative work (processing orders and registrations, product importation and clearance as well as distributor management) is done by distributors rather than their own employees. This is an Achilles Heel and is a recipe for disastrous ends. Just avoid joining such companies until this part is being fully handles by company employees or agents.

​The Pay Plan

If the company does not have a Binary System, it’s pretty much ancient and will make you work your back side off only to have most of your income go to the company. Binary is without doubt the best Pay Comp plan today. However, you need to understand some critical truths.

What is the cycling bonus? How many cycles a week? At what level is it capped? Do they pay any matching bonuses? Is there a leadership/royalty sharing pool? And most importantly, how is payment made? What systems do they use to pay? Are you interacting directly with the company or through third party agents or worse still the actual distributors themselves?

These are huge factors that can make a difference between success and failure.

​Position

What level are you coming in at? What is your timing? At what evolutionary stage of their growth trajectory is the company? Growing? Plateaued or declining? It’s the difference between riding a wave based on critical mass being achieved at the start or else, finding a company on its way down which will mean being stuck.

Leadership

In my opinion, this is the “x” factor that can be the difference between 10x'ing your business and really growing into great income, or being stuck in MLM limbo. If you have a lousy leadership, even if the company, products, comp plan and position are great, it won’t help you much. So, the leadership for me is the ultimate factor.

Don't just join anyhow, especially if you are a professional. You want leaders that are making a huge difference with their support systems. That is the “x” factor that leads you to great incomes!

If you are reading this and really want to learn further about this business in a clear and concise way with no hot air or exaggerations, then simply click here.

Over the last few years, a lot has been happening in this our country of Zambia. Enough drama that, people elsewhere, would only see in a lifetime.

Life for the ordinary Zambians has become unbearably hard. The pinch is being felt even for the fairly well to do.  You see, when you have a lot of people living below the poverty levels, the rich will not be spared because the have nots will ask from those that have. That is why it is difficult to live a life of endowment in an impoverished land, unless you do not possess a heart.

If you do possess a heart, you will keep reaching out to help – if not one, then the other. You will constantly keep sharing. The Bible puts it this way “He who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little had no lack”. At least that is the way things should work.

There are some, even in families, that feel that they should be the only ones to prosper. This mindset is not good.  As long as your neighbor is in lack, then you will not enjoy what you have gathered. Let us try and give each other a hand up. This is also the reason why we buy from those ladies selling cassava or bananas on the road, even when we do not need them – to be of help to them.

Returning to the happenings in the nation, we have had the issues of

• Seer 1
• Tribal comments
• Ritual killings
• Gassings
• Vigilante groups torching and killing whosoever they deem to be perpetrators of the gassings and ritual killings

One does not need to be a keen observer to note that the country is in a state of flux. The situation that we find ourselves in is not good. A lot of the issues we find ourselves faced with can be taken in hand if the relevant authorities would speak or act timeously. Why do we wait for a situation to deteriorate before we begin to speak or to act?

I would like to share a very important lesson from scripture.

Never Allow Vacuums
1 Kings 1:1-6
Now Kind David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be found for our lord the king and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm”. So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king knew her not. Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying “Why have you done so”

The lesson in this is what I would love for us as Zambians at whatever level, to learn from.

While David was busy with Abishag – he was not doing what he was supposed to be doing, passing on the baton to the rightful person as per God’s instructions. Because of this, someone else who ought not to ascend to the throne made HIMSELF king. King David only had to ‘SAY’ something to stop Adonijah from doing what he was doing, but he did not. David had the authority. He was the king! Adonijah saw the vacuum and decided to fill it.

In the matter of the gassings, we have had a deafening silence from those with the authority to speak or act and control the situation. Because of this, the situation has been getting progressively worse.

​Leadership has not been provided and so others are arising to provide that leadership because of the vacuum. We heard Dr. Nevers Mumba rising up and providing leadership in this regard. He issued a statement and then declared a fast for Sunday 16th. If those that ought to do not provide the leadership, someone else will.

Then we heard the Government declaring a fast for the same day and now shortly after that the churches have made another declaration for a 3 day fast 20th to 22nd February.
This matter requires not only prayers – but requires action as well. 

The Vigilante Groups
Judges 17:6 states…
In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Chapter 21:25 repeats this.

I live in what used to be called Valley View but is now known as Mutendere East. This used to be an area where 5 acres plots were allocated to some people but the MMD cadres overrun, took over peoples plots of those that had not yet built or taken possession, demarcated those plots into 12 X 15 meter plots and sold them to the very willing public. I give this background because I am literally on ground zero with regard to observing what is going on.

Every night, you hear the noises of someone being caught and burnt or the vigilante groups of drunken youth going about looking for someone to lynch. I am almost sure that what is going on here is what is pertaining on the ground in other parts of the city and the country.

People are being killed every day – merely on suspicion of being a ‘gasser’.  The other day, a lady (Mika Mwambazi) was stopped on Great East Road by a group of men that looked like they were high on something, demanding to search her vehicle.  Fortunately for her, she drove off but not before one of the men shattered her rear windscreen with a brick.  She probably saved herself from a gang rape or even being killed. She drove straight to the police station and reported the matter.  I wonder whether the police did anything about this.

The vigilante groups are taking matters in their own hands because they see a vacuum. If we are not careful, those vigilante groups will occupy our streets and turn into a law unto themselves. They will turn into criminal gangs and will not be controlled. Why are we not curbing these activities now?

Why must we, as citizens leave in fear in our own homes and in our land?

​Where is the voice of authority in all this?  May those in authority please occupy their space well and take charge?

Mob Action – Our Responsibility

When a suspected ‘gasser’ is caught guilty or not, a mob descends on them and takes the law into their own hands. This person is beaten to a pulp and burnt by the mob – men, women and children! Since when have Zambians become bloodthirsty people? They bay for this person’s blood and are actually proud of their accomplishments after the deed is done.

Dear Zambians, if this issue needs to be sorted out, we must get to the root of the matter. The only way we can do so, is by interrogating the very people you are killing. So even when these people are arrested by the police, you follow and torch the police post. 

What sort of thinking is that?

• That dead person will now not reveal who sent them, that’s for sure
• That police post will have to be rebuilt at some point using tax payer’s money

If a mob can lynch people based on mere suspicion, then we are all (including those lynching others) vulnerable to that same suspicion and subsequent lynching. If only those in authority could speak to the public and educate them, they would understand. Please occupy your space, speak out.

Effect of the burnings on the Zambian people

Let us not, for a minute, think that our society is going to be left unscarred as a result of the mob actions we are taking. We laughed the South Africans to scorn over their xenophobic attacks. We thought that they are heartless people.  What is the difference with what we are doing?

Our national conscious will become seared and killing will become the order of the day and will become meaningless. Most of the people being killed are innocent. Their blood will cry out from the ground to their Creator.

​We shall not come out clean in this whole thing.

Those in a position to do something – please speak out; do something before we go into deeper trouble than we already are! There is a spiritual consequence to pouring out blood. Let the church rise up strongly and condemn these acts, let the political leaders speak, let the police speak out and act, let the public speak out. May the voice of reason rise in Zambia!

Division along political lines

The country is deeply divided along political lines. Everything seems to boil down to the fact that one is either in support of the ruling party – the Patriotic Front, or in support of the main opposition – the United Party for National Development.

As Zambians, we seem to have lost the capacity to reason as we support our preferred parties and candidates.  Even when they do something wrong, we seem to support them blindly. Even when the other side does something that is right, we boo them.

I have seen a trend on Facebook where we have some people that continuously pour scorn on the ‘other side’ as if their life depends on it. Views of their naysayers are deemed to be nonsensical and not to be entertained at all – even if they are logical. Remember that we are a multi-party nation and people are entitled to their opinion. It is not he that speaks the loudest that carries the day. Remember that you are not the ultimate repository of wisdom, yours is just ONE of the opinions. When you do express it, please do so in a less derogatory manner otherwise you begin to sound like a clanging symbol.

Rather than just pouring scorn on the other side, debate and show cause as to why your view should carry the day. That is maturity. Let us not do politics like that fellow citizens. Let us not fall into the “we are always right” trap and point fingers at one another. Let us reason together. Let us occupy this space like mature people.

​May those that are heading their parties give guidance to their members.

Division along tribal lines

I am of the view that this is a tool that is being used by politicians to support their candidature. My appeal to Zambians is that, let us not allow this. Outside of the political arena, we do very well as One Zambia, One Nation.

I would even go as far as to say – let us decampaign anyone promoting voting on tribal lines whether they are in our preferred party or not. Let us agree that Zambia is bigger than any political party. The political parties found Zambia and they will most likely, leave it. Before the political parties were, Zambia was.

​Let the voice of reason prevail in the nation!

The Seer 1 Saga 

In Africa, we are a deeply spiritual people – whether Christian or otherwise. We believe in “something.”  Africans are by their very nature superstitious people. This then is the reason why someone will come and say to you that when you see a cockroach in your house or a fly sitting on your wall, it could be a force of darkness sent against you. You must bind it – and since you have no way of knowing whether this is true or not, you go ahead and do so. We also believe that to ‘sit’ or occupy a certain position – Chieftainship, Ministerial post, Presidency or even at CEO level, you must be protected and re-enforced with certain powers.

The problem with this is that when you go to get those powers, you will rely more on those powers than on your ability and capabilities in order to deliver. You feel that the ‘powers’ will see you through.  Needless to say, that your delivery will be below par.

We heard Seer 1 stating the fact that certain people had gotten powers from him and that he would name them unless they returned the powers.

So far, I have only seen one fairly unknown person mentioned. 

Why did Seer 1 not engage these people privately before coming to rant in the public? Why did we, as Zambians, pay so much heed to this incident? The whole nation was interested with these goings on as we were baying for the revelations of those that went to get powers especially by those looking for the downfall of some of those that we hope will fall.  Even I held my breath! 

How many man hours were lost in the process?

The Law of Correspondence states that “Your outer world is a mirror of your inner world”. It is also stated “As it is on the outside, so it is on the inside”.

​If you took a typical poor man and gave him a million dollars, it is more than likely that within five years they will be worse off than before, in short they will have lost all the money they were given. Why? Because the Law of Correspondence can be summed this way, “your outer world always corresponds with your inner world”. If you give that poor man money, although his outside may be rich in appearance, he does not have the corresponding intrinsic wealth on the inside that would help him retain that wealth. Money always follows value? Remember the previous laws we studied? The Laws of Belief, Expectation and especially Attraction?

Nature cannot be cheated. You may temporarily change the circumstances outside but you cannot change the true value of something except it is altered internally – with significant addition! So, sooner or later, the money does not stay, there must always be a balancing of the equation, nature abhors a vacuum! If the value within is less than the value without, money will leave (hemorrhage) until there is a balance.

In short, the poor man will waste his money on things that do not see a return on that investment until they become dead broke and back to square one. Why? Because they do not have the value factor that keeps the money coming back and even attracting more money!

Have you ever wondered why whenever people borrow to start a business, the failure rate is extremely high (at over 90% default on repayments and repossessions at almost the same rate)? The answer lies in this law. The business simply hasn’t yet manifested the potential wealth into actual external value that generates the cash flow necessary to pay off the loan.

In short, they are not yet tested. Their value is yet to manifest. Meantime, the loans become due within 30 days of borrowing, which is too soon.

​So, in simple terms, no matter how much money you give a poor man, as long as they do not drastically alter their inner values and being (remember Be – Do – Have), they will always inevitably get back to being broke and poor!

Interestingly though, this illustration is also true with rich people. If you took your typical self-made millionaire and strip away all his wealth and then drop him in the middle of the poorest neighborhood with nothing but the clothes on his back, guess where he will be in another five years?

You guessed right, he will either have gotten back all his wealth or else will be on the way to doing so. Why? Because of the same reason with the poor man, his intrinsic inner values are greater than the outside, and this means that the money and wealth must start flowing on the outside to correspond and match with the inside.

Truly the roots determine the fruit. Riches may come to anyone, but only wealth stays with those that have the true inner corresponding value that keeps it. This is why personal development is so important. You want to be wealthy? Then begin to change your inner world! You must unlearn everything that you knew before and then relearn what will get you on the journey toward lifetime wealth.

Begin to think positively, think rich, and mimic the habits and behaviors of the rich. Learn and do exactly what they do. In fact, Anthony Robbins shows that if you mimic the activities of successful people to a tee, it is only a matter of time before your replicate their results.

This is truly proof that the Law of Correspondence works! Your station and position in your life is in correspondence with your inner world! Is your inner world inundated with messed up poverty programming? Are you a victim of your environment? Is your background such that you have chosen to hold on to all that bad thinking? Or are you going to do something about changing it right now?

Again, if you want to change your outer world, change your inner world!

​It is the law of correspondence that showed me clearly that our wealth and riches do not require outside circumstances – no, they instead require inner changes that get us started on the “be-ing” what we want to see. If we want wealth, then we need to get thinking like the wealthy, then we also need to add value internally.

So then, your future is in effect a blank cheque, you get to decide how much you want on yours. Do you want to remain poor, in effect; keep thinking and doing whatever it is you have been doing in your past. But if you want to become rich and go on to become wealthy, you have what it takes – change your thinking, change your inner value!

Unless you crawled out from under a rock, I am certain you have at least heard about this particular law as it was made famous by a special documentary presentation entitled “The Secret” which was launched on Oprah, not to mention the fact that it has been peddled by virtually every bookshop under the personal development section!

In the same book and documentary, one law that is studied at length is this “Law of Attraction”. This law is not new as it has been discussed by many and is also tackled fully by Napoleon Hill in his groundbreaking book “Think and Grow Rich” and “The Law of Success”. In fact he is the first one to present it in a detailed way and then Norman Vincent Peale came and elaborated on this concept further with his own bestseller “The Power of Positive Thinking”.

​There is an underlying pattern.

What you allow your mind to dwell on – expands. It starts with thoughts; these thoughts become feelings (we know all this because we tackle it under the Laws of Belief and Expectation). When we dwell on and think so much about something, it will dominate all our thoughts, these thoughts affect all our actions which affect our results.

​But there is something even more subtle but is very true, if we think about something all the time, we then tend to speak about it as well. When it becomes an obsession, then in time we give that item enough power to literally materialize!

In Matt 12:35 Jesus declares literally that if one has a heart filled with evil, it will “fling” forth evil whilst a good heart will bring forth good things. The Greek word ekballo signifies bringing into existence through ejection, as in forcing out, expelling, plucking out or thrusting out! Now think about it for a moment. Proverbs 18:21 declares that death and life are in the power of the mouth. Here the word used for “power of the tongue” (yawd) literally means an open hand! This signifies a hand that has ability to manipulate and either draw or send away whatever is spoken.

Think about it!

God created all humanity by His Word. We are created in the image of God thus we are technically gods but with a small “g”. If God could create by His Word, then we can to a minor degree create by our words.

When we speak by faith that which we believe and mean it, then it immediately has power to manifest! Not only will it manifest, but it will even draw all resources necessary for it to take place. Jesus says…

Mark 11:23 (NKJV)
23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says’

​Notice the word “says” occurs three times? Nothing is by chance in the Bible. The fact that Jesus declares repeatedly “says”, tells you that what we believe and speak, shall surely happen.

Now, the strange part about this Law of Attraction is that it too is neutral, if your belief system is negative and tempered with much negative thoughts and experiences and you believe these negative thoughts, you will attract the very thing you fear into your life. How many times have you heard people say “Just as I thought!” or “My worst fears have been fulfilled!” You have heard of “self-fulfilling prophecies”, right? These are statements you make or think about yourself (whether positive or negative) that in time happen exactly the way you say it.

You always attract what is in harmony with your thinking or thoughts! It seems our minds emit “vibes” or “energy” in the ethereal plane that has power to lock in with like-minded energy which in turn begins to move “things” from the “unseen” world into the “seen” world.

​Why does God ask us to pray always, to make supplications, to bring petitions before Him? Our prayers bring into play this Law of Attraction and work in conjunction with God to bring about the good we seek. On the other hand, if we always focus on the negative, speaking failure and misery, we activate these energies in the ethereal plane (heavenlies) and sooner or later, they materialize. 

And by the way, when speaking these words, if you pray from a negative standpoint then the words you pray manifest, even if you don't want that. For instance, if you are ill, don't pray or speak words like "I banish sickness and cancel death and decay from my body - in Jesus' name!" Instead pray or speak words like this, "I call healing and invite life, health and wellness into my body - in Jesus' name!"

Since all is neutral in the universe, the very words bring about their manifestation - so be very careful with what you speak even in your prayer time.

In order to attract the right things, you must become the right things! Be what you want to see, think what you want to see, feel what you want to see, speak what you want to see and sooner or later, you will attract and thus become that which you want to see!

​Next week we will be looking at the Law of Correspondence.

In the 1960s a teacher was given a roster showing the actual I.Q. test scores of the students of one class, and for another class a roster in which the I.Q. column had been (mistakenly) filled in with the students’ locker numbers. The teacher assumed that the locker numbers were the actual I.Q.s of the students when the rosters were posted at the beginning of the semester.

After a year it was discovered that in the first class the students with high actual I.Q. scores had performed better than those with low ones. But in the second class the students with higher locker numbers scored significantly higher than those with lower locker numbers!

Isn’t it amazing that many people end up settling for what life and their environments throw at them instead of what potential they have inside? This challenge is what has made the majority of people live lives without expectation, settling for events and circumstances to do the bidding. This is further exacerbated by the comments and opinions people have of them, as if opinions ever mattered to an achiever!

Reminds me of an interesting cartoon I saw the other day that shows a fourth-grade boy standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with his teacher. Behind them stares a blackboard covered with math problems the boy hasn’t finished. With rare perception the boy says, “I’m not an underachiever, you’re an overexpecter!”

See, average folk always seem to care much about what people think, and what the news and economic indicators say. They are always worried about failure, and they tend to get worked up with what would happen if things did not work! Their focus is so placed in the negative that they inadvertently activate the Law of Expectation which basically states…
​

​So therefore what people say about you has an effect, but what you say about yourself has quadruple the effect. Listen, what kind of internal dialogue do you have within you? Is it positive, filled with expectation and always willing to see the brighter side of all events in spite of whether it is a step forward or a drawback?

Mindsets or Paradigms

Steve Covey of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” fame defined this term as being how one looks at something which then goes on to affect the way they think and subsequently act. Many people never achieve much in their lives because they have mindsets that are fixed on the negative. They go a step further and always expect failure even before they start. This has even been justified by quotes like “hope for the best but expect the worst”! What a terrible quote! I would rather say “Expect the best but have a contingency for any eventuality”. 

When you create a positive statement like that, your mind starts to see things differently. This then means that instead of saying “I am broke”, you say “I am temporarily set back”. Instead of “There is no money” say “There is plenty of money and I just have to figure out how to get it to come to me”. Instead of “It is impossible” say “It is difficult but achievable with the right knowledge and experience”.

Never allow yourself to be a haven of negative thought as this will always activate the negative side of the Law of Expectation. When you feel hopeless, it always affects your belief cycle which inevitably affects your output. This hopelessness is most prevalent in the hearts of those that are financially challenged or what the world calls “the poor”. I do not refer to poor in spirit, but poor in means. We all have the capacity and abilities within us to become wealthy if we choose to. If our desire is to amass wealth, then we need to work on the Law of Expectation so that we always are able to utilize it thoroughly.

Be especially watchful of what people within your environment (friends, relatives, news, people around you) always say about money and ideas to generate money.

Instead of allowing these negative words around you all the time, find people that are positive and likeminded, probably a club, or group, or team, or what Napoleon Hill calls a Mastermind Group and then connect to them, speak and share with each other, form a team and work with each other so that you negate the comments and info that your environment keeps throwing at you.

How? By your actions and results because you know better! Next we will be looking at the Law of Attraction.

​An American scientist once visited the offices of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen. He was amazed to find that over Bohr’s desk was a horseshoe, securely mailed to the wall, with the open end up in the approved manner (so it would catch the good luck and not let it spill out).

The American said with a nervous laugh, “Surely you don’t believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr? After all, as a scientist …”

​Bohr chuckled, “I believe no such thing, my good friend. Not at all! I am scarcely likely to believe in such foolish nonsense. However, I am told that a horseshoe will bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not.”

In many ways so it is with any area of your life. When you believe, it works! This is no strange notion even in the medical field, for there you have what is known as the Placebo Effect. This is when the patient believes so much in the treatment that they improve and even heal in some cases in spite of whether they receive real medicine or even water! The thing is that once they believe in the process of recovery, their mind locks into the idea and thus the healing process starts!

You always become whatever you believe you are!

​There is a concept known as the Belief Cycle. There are basically four items in this cycle commencing with Belief, Potential, Action and Results. This is called a belief cycle because it feeds on itself. In short, if you do not really have much belief in what you are doing, that has an effect on the potential within you. That in turn feeds into the kind of action you dispense, which gives you so-so results, which then confirms what you have been believing all along, that this whole idea you are trying doesn’t really work, which then reduces you beliefs which affect your potential and then the whole process spirals downwards to a point of no action anymore!

On the other hand, if you are full of belief and really expect the best; that will feeds into your potential which gives you the ability to take massive action which leads to massive results which then confirm your beliefs, which then causes your potential to increase, which leads to even more action! This causes an upward spiral and feeding that leads to great success!

The Power of Belief is so strong that most sports men and women including Olympics athletes are taught how to realize their full potential through a method known as Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP).

​We have learnt that the results we see always start in our minds, so how do we change this. NLP teaches what is termed the Four Point Formula For Success.

1. Know your outcome
Specifying precisely what you want is vital. You can use the outcome frame to fine-tune the desired outcome and satisfy the well-formed conditions.

2. Take action 
Unless you take that first step, and then the following ones, nothing happens to help you towards your outcomes, no matter how clearly they’re defined.

3. Have sensory awareness
If you have the awareness to see, hear, and feel what isn’t working, you can modify your behavior to steer you towards your desired outcome.

4. Have behavioral flexibility 
This point ties in beautifully with the NLP presupposition that ‘In interactions among people, the person with the most flexibility of behavior can control the interaction.’ Or you can say, ‘If it isn’t working, do something different.’

If our thoughts determine our results, then we need to focus on them and alter them. This process is actualized in the mantra “Be – Do – Have”

Be – Your internal state of being must see the result you want. If you cannot see it with your inner eye, then you can never achieve it at all. The process of success hinges here. Change thoughts – change results. Small hinges swing huge doors my friend!
Do – You must start to do all the actions that will lead to that desired result. NLP calls this process as “taking action”. Unless you take action you cannot tell whether what you believe is even possible. With action comes the much needed feedback that helps you make fine adjustments toward your destination.
Have – Finally it is inevitable that you will achieve what you desire, it MUST happen!
In closing, let me quote favorite statement…

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass!”
– Paul J Meyer

Change what you believe and you will achieve what you conceive. Next we will examine the second law of money, the Law of Expectation.

One of the greatest laws of nature that is felt daily and is exhibited throughout our lives is this law, the Law of Reciprocity or the Law of Sowing and Reaping. The Bible states that as a man sows, so shall he reap. The entire universe and all areas of man obey this one law. You reap what you sow! Every cause has an effect and every effect is brought about by a cause. So, if you want to be rich, that is an effect, that effect can only come about if the right causes are pursued and fulfilled. So, the big question, what are the causes that one can do to bring about success and wealth?

All results in our lives regardless of whether they are positive or negative results are always born of actions that we execute; all actions are born of feelings we have; all feelings are born of emotions we harbor, all emotions are born of thoughts inside our minds (or hearts)!

​Thoughts have the power to create or destroy. The Book of Proverbs states that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. That is so true. The thoughts that you allow to occupy your mind most have the most power to manifest in your life. Jesus stated that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and out of a good heart come forth good things whilst out of the evil heart are flung forth evil things.

Interesting eh? That means if your heart is preoccupied with evil things, evil thoughts, destructive thinking and low self-esteem, then your results will be the same. Why? Because all your actions will be born of what you feel inside!

Ever heard the term “he looked like he was rained on”? How is it possible that thoughts can affect posture? Well, it is very true that thoughts can and do affect posture, and posture in turn affect feelings and emotions.

​Let me tell you a story.

In the Discovery Channel’s The Dog Whisperer there was a dog that seemed so low and unconfident, always walking about with its head down and tail between its legs. It always kept in corners whimpering. When the owner took this dog to the Dog Whisperer, he simply took a small tether and tied the tail facing upward and to the head of the dog. Amazingly, within three days, this dog had completely changed its behavior. Even after removing the tether, the tail remained high, the head up, was more interested in the environment and was no longer cowering in corners. This is a classic case of how posture can affect attitude.
​
Ever noticed how in the army and in general etiquette classes they teach you to walk “with your head high, chest out, and arms straight”? It has been shown that posture has a way of increasing confidence and thus increasing output. This is the reason why when you wear a new shoe or clothes, you feel great. The happy good feelings affect your mood, your gait, your work and even your overall output – it improves.

In the same manner, don’t just think about money and generate money thoughts, but start to feel right about it. Get rid of all the negative thoughts you have come to associate with money. In Africa one of the most common thoughts is that money only comes through witchcraft and sorcery, or through luck, or that it is only oppressors and corrupt people that become rich.

​We have as people developed very negative associations with money and that has also translated into language. Statements like “I am broke”, “there is no money”, “things never seem to work for me” which then culminates into habits like hoarding and saving money for the sake of it with no specific aim to invest as well as being a miser.

The poverty mindset (always feeling like what you get today is purely from luck and may not come back tomorrow) gives birth to being a miser and hoarding. It also brings about an inability to invest and deny yourself today in order to benefit tomorrow, instead choosing to live for now rather than for tomorrow. This is the major reason why many poor people live and spend their money on liabilities instead of assets that can generate more money tomorrow. They also need validation from people outside to feel worthy rather than self-validation.

Internal dialogue that is positive yields positivity, so watch what you tell yourself.

Remember, every result was born from out of your thoughts, thus if you want to reap a harvest of money, change the thoughts you have now by changing what you allow into your mind daily.

In the next blog we will examine the second law of money, the Law of Belief.

​One of the most cardinal factors that can ensure our shot at success and see it manifest is by having the right mindset. This word “mindset” is also known as a paradigm, a term popularized by the late author Steve Covey in his runaway bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. For those not familiar with the term, a paradigm can be defined as the way one looks at something that will then go on to affect how they think, say and behave. In Charismatic Christian circles I would term it a stronghold. 

​There is nothing more powerful than how one sees themselves as perception always determines reality. Better put, attitude determines altitude. Your mindset (paradigm, stronghold) will always affect your thinking, how you think affects your feelings, what you feel taints your language (words), how you speak determines what you do, what you do has major impact on your results. Thus, the choices we make in life always stem from our mindset. So put it this way, thoughts – feelings – action – results. 

Now, if we want to be successful in our endeavors, we have to get our minds to think right. It is very important that we get your mindset into the right mode for money creation and money retention. Hence it is not just about creating the money through activities, but it is also creating the mindset required to retain the money.

​Money has its own laws too and if they are understood, obeyed and utilized, you will most certainly see more money come into your life and be retained. As we go about in life building and establishing our financial future and wealth, we need to also utilize the laws of money so as to retain that money once it comes our way.

With that said, here is an overview and summary of the 18 Laws of Money and a brief explanation of what each law is about. We will then be running a detailed series on each one of these laws.

1. The Law of Reciprocity
You reap what you sow! Every cause has an effect and every effect is brought about by a cause. All results are born of actions, all actions of feelings, all feelings of emotions, all emotions of thoughts! Thoughts have the power to create or destroy. 

​2. The Law of Belief
​You always become whatever you believe you are. In order to achieve anything of substance, you must transit through these three states. Be – Your internal state of being must see the result you want, Do – You must start to do all the actions that will lead to that desired result, Have – Finally it is inevitable that you will achieve what you desire, it MUST happen!

3. The Law of Expectation
Whatever you expect with confidence – will happen! It is for this reason that you need to deal with changing mindsets or paradigms. A Paradigm is defined as a way of seeing something (normally limited) that influences how we act, think and behave. Many are loaded with what is referred to as an “Employee” paradigm that stops them from ever pursuing and achieving their dreams. Environment also greatly affects how we view money and how we behave like in front of it!

​4. The Law of Attraction
You always attract what is in harmony with your thinking or thoughts. Take Stock, All the achievements in your life? – Take credit for them, All the failures and shortfalls? – Take responsibility. In order to attract the right things, you must become the right thing. Be what you want to see – never the other way around.

​5. The Law of Correspondence
Your outer world is a mirror of your inner world. The roots determine the fruit. Your station in life is in correspondence with your inner world. Again, if you want to change your outer world, change your inner world. The future is in effect a blank cheque, you decide how much you are worth and that is what life will hand to you!

6. The Law of Abundance
Money is in abundance and more than enough exists for us all, but to acquire it, one must observe and follow the laws governing its acquisition and retention. The universe is laden with all that God prepared beforehand and provisioned in your future. It is abundantly there, all you need to do is take action, and the resources will come!

7. The Law of Exchange
Throughout life, we exchange our labor for goods and services. Money is the medium of exchange by which this transaction is done. Money is the measure of value people place on goods and/or services. Your labor is viewed as a value/cost to someone else. The money you earn is the measure of the value people place on the abilities, skills, goods or services you offer. To increase the income you earn, you must increase the value you are putting in. Leverage your earning ability by improving yourself continually.

8. The Law of Capital
Your greatest assets in terms of cash flow are your physical and mental capital. Your most precious resource is your time. Time and money can be either wasted or invested. Learn to budget your time like money. Use a diary and a planner. Wherever you invest your time most is where you get the greatest return. The best investment is always to increase your earning abilities by investing in yourself (3% of your income). Always look for ways to increase your Return on Equity or Energy (ROE). This is done by improving your mental and emotional capital.

9. The Law of Time Perspective
The most successful people learn that the greatest achievements come from day to day activities aimed for the future – not for the immediate. Sacrifice today and be rewarded tomorrow. Be willing to accept that some actions today will only begin to bear fruit 10, 15 or even 20 years in the future. Others set in motion actions that they may not even see the results in their lifetimes. 

10. The Law of Saving
Only by saving regularly will you have set up the foundation that leads you to financial prosperity. Never spend this money on anything other than investing it – period. Pay yourself first – secure your future. Invest where your money is safe and guarantees good returns. Increase your financial education in order to know how best to invest your money (Increase your financial intelligence). 

11. The Law of Conservation
It is never how much you make but rather how much you get to keep that determines your financial future. In order to determine our accumulated wealth we need to do the following. Firstly – Work out your net worth (Assets vs. Liabilities – If positive or negative then that is your current value). Secondly – Divide that value by number of years worked. This is how much you have accumulated. Happy with the result? If not, then change what you are doing right now.

12. Parkinson’s Law
Expenses always rise to meet increased income! Financial independence and financial freedom come when we violate Parkinson’s law. Your expenses should never rise at the same level as your income, this is a sure fire way to secure your financial future within your working lifetime. Always invest 50% of the difference in extra income to maximize returns. Live on the remaining 50%.

​13. The Law of Three
There are three legs of financial security, these being savings, insurance and investment. To be safe from financial volatility, always have between 2 – 6 months of normal expenses in liquid form – easily cashed out savings. Insure yourself adequately to cover yourself against any eventuality that you cannot pay for out of your normal account. Invest by accumulating assets until the passive income from them far exceed your regular reciprocal income.

14. The Law of Investing
Investigate before you invest. Always learn about what you plan to invest in before you do so – develop the habit of putting off financial decisions for 3 – 7 days before committing. The only thing that is easy about money is losing it. Only invest with experts who have a proven track record of success with their own money.

15. The Law of Compound Interest
Investing and compounding that investment over time will eventually make you rich. 

16. The Law of Accumulation
Financial freedom is the result of years of accumulating small but vital actions/efforts over time which few ever see. As savings accumulate, your momentum will increase rapidly over time. (The start seems insignificant but with time the results are massive.)

17. The Law of Magnetism
The more money you save and accumulate, the more money you attract into your life. Money always goes where it is appreciated and properly utilized. A prosperity consciousness attracts money like iron filings to a magnet. It will always take money (value) to make money. What is money to you? A means to solve problems? A source of comfort? It is the means to and a remuneration for the giving of value through goods/services to others – the better, the more you accumulate

18. The Law of Accelerated Acceleration
The faster you accelerate toward financial freedom, the faster it comes toward you. 80% of your success will tend to come to you in the last 20% of your time invested – meaning only 20% of the results will be seen in the first 80% of the time invested! This is the reason why many quit early and fail to achieve success. Most people are always three feet from their proverbial gold when they throw in the towel.