Prosperity and the Gulfstream
2003 Boaz Rauchwerger
"In March of 1775 he was sailing home to America. He revisits a scientific problem that had puzzled him for years. The fact that it takes several weeks longer to sail west to America than east to England.
Taking a series of careful water temperature measurements as the ship crosses the Atlantic, he confirms the existence of a warm river of water within the ocean itself – the Gulfstream.
His accurate charting of the Gulfstream becomes crucial to navigation and is basic to our understanding of weather patterns to this very day."
This fascinating discovery was described in a PBS television special about one of our country's most famous American citizens of his time. He was one of the most extraordinary human beings the world has ever known.
When you drive your car, take a look at the odometer. In the process of wanting to measure the distance between certain points so that he might establish more efficient postal routes, he invented that instrument. To do that, he created an odometer that he attached to his carriage. He counted the rotations of the wheels and thus calculated the distance the carriage had traveled.
Those of us who've had to switch glasses often owe a debt of gratitude to him. He had his optician take the lenses from two sets of his glasses, cut the lenses in two horizontally, and then mount them back into his spectacle frames. The lens for close work was at the bottom of the frames and the lens for distance was at the top. Thus, he invented the bifocals.
A lightning bolt may give you a clue to this incredible person. However, you'll be safer in a building if lightning strikes because of another one of his inventions – the lightning rod. Benjamin Franklin thought this was his most important invention.
So what do the Gulfstream, the odometer, bifocals, and the lightning rod have to do with your prosperity? Quite a bit, if you allow Ben Franklin to assist you.
It's true that money doesn't buy happiness. However, when the rest of your life is well balanced, prosperity can add a wonderful measure of contentment and pleasure. If you're determined to help others, the poor cannot help the poor.
Thus, I teach people to change their relationship with money. Most people have a negative attitude toward money that literally pushes it away. Phrases such as "I never have enough money" and "I'm always broke" become imbedded in the subconscious mind and tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Money is attracted to people who have a good relationship with money. It begins with a simple affirmation: "I am a very prosperous person." In order to help you feel that way, I suggest you take Ben Franklin with you everywhere you go. In other words, carry a $100 bill at all times. Ben appears on that bill. See him as a mentor to prosperity – always there for you. This is not emergency money. It's your prosperity money. It will make you feel prosperous every time you see it in your wallet or purse.
There is an old adage that is absolutely true: whatever you see a lot of, you'll gather more. Thus, I suggest you place a $20 bill on the end table by your bed, on the counter in the kitchen, and on the counter in the bathroom. If you have teenagers, tape it down real good.
Most Americans need a little plastic surgery – cut out those credit cards. When you buy on credit, you're borrowing money from a very expensive bank. Get used to paying in cash. The mind sees money in a whole different light when you pay in cash. Keep one credit card, with a small limit, just for emergencies.
I'm not suggesting that people can't use credit cards responsibly. It's just too easy to rack up huge credit card bills and the payback becomes very expensive.
Another valuable point, in your relationship with money, is to get an envelope and label it "My Fortune Fund." Put a dollar, a five, or a ten-dollar bill in it every day. When you have enough to open a savings account, do so. Then, every week deposit whatever is in the envelope. This is not for vacations or mad money. It's your permanent Fortune Fund.
The Gulfstream, thanks to Benjamin Franklin, became crucial to navigation. Having a good relationship with money can help you better navigate through life. The odometer calculates the distance between points. A productive attitude toward money can shorten the distance between where you are and where you want to be financially.
A discussion about bifocals is meant to help you see more clearly some mistakes you may be making in your outlook about money and prosperity. Where does it say that you cannot be an expert money manager and that you cannot attract more of it?
The lightning rod is symbolic of what I trust might have happened when you read this column – to jolt you into taking some different actions so you can get better results.
Allow Ben Franklin to help you.
A Daily Affirmation of Courage
I am an expert money manager. I am a very prosperous person.
Article reproduced with permission from Boaz Rauchwerger. You may reprint any of these articles in any publication or Web site so long as you credit Boaz Rauchwerger as the author and include this Web site address, www.Boazpower.com.