Control

For the past year or so, I've been mulling over my approach to the world. I used to live by the credo (which I still like) that "The best way to predict the future is to create it." I certainly believe that this has truth to it, insofar as it points out that you have to take some steps to go down any road. The part that I'm coming to terms with is the part that implies that you can control what happens in the future. I'm more in the belief now that you can certainly influence it, but the biggest influence you have is actually on yourself and on your response to the future.

One of the best thing things I've read on this subject is actually in today's Saipan Tribune, written by my friend Walt. Here's what he as to say:

Many people are frightened by the prospect of change because they fear losing control, but that's only because they've mistakenly bought into the illusion that they even have control. The truth, however, is that the only thing you have complete control over in this life is how you respond to the things you have no control over. You cannot control people, the situations they create, or anything else, but you can choose how you will respond to those people and situations.

Abundance

I saw this on Walt's blog. It totally resonates with me, so I'm posting it here to refer to periodically. I don't limit his use of the word "wealth" to financial wealth, but rather think of it as general abundance and and a sense of well-being.

The following is an excerpt from Happy Pocket Full of Money By David Cameron.

"Cause others to experience wealth massively, increase their wealth consciousness massively, and you will experience wealth massively. Look at life today. Any business that deals with the increasing of people’s productivity and connectivity always becomes a very big self-sustaining business. It may not be a perfectly good business, but it is big and self-sustaining. Software, networks, transport, electronics, and such businesses improve people’s productivity and
standard of living and in return, they grow. But that is only a scratch on the surface. Even more magnificence will come our way when we start building businesses that deliberately are designed to give rather than receive. Businesses designed to cause first that other people get wealthy. Future businesses will be designed to cause growth that is true growth and not growth with serious side effects somewhere else. These businesses will cause elevation of populations
from a lower standard of living to a higher one, and elevations in their consciousness and well-being. The more you cause others to have in wealth, the more you will have in wealth, effortlessly."