Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m saying it early, because today’s issue will be your only Breakthrough Marketing Secrets email of the week.
I’ll be taking some time off this week to spend with family, and I don’t want to be trying to juggle and mix in these essays throughout as well.
(And no, I won’t have any big Black Friday sales or anything like that — this is really the ONLY email you’ll get from me until next Monday.)
Whether you’re in the US or some other corner of the world…
Whether you’re working this week or taking time off…
Here are a few thoughts and feelings I encourage you to keep in your heart and mind this week…
Love one another.
Give love, even when you disagree with someone.
Give love, even when they frustrate you.
Give love to those close to you, yes.
But also give love to strangers, and to those who come from very different backgrounds and live very different lives than you.
Be grateful.
Every morning when you wake up, the new day is a gift.
Every breath you take is a gift that should be cherished.
Every moment, every experience is special.
Every thing and person in your life is a privilege that should not be taken for granted.
To be here, right now, is the most incredible opportunity in the world.
You can honor that, or you can abuse that.
You can live with light and life and love and lead the world to truth, beauty, and goodness… Or you can treat others like shit — both in what you do, and what you don’t do.
I talk a lot about making money and business and all that jazz.
But that’s all worthless if you don’t have love in your life. It’s all worthless if you’re a shitty person. It’s all worthless if you trample all over others to get there.
I’m all for making money — don’t get me wrong.
For one, having it (and the security and resources it brings) is a whole lot better than not (and thus experiencing insecurity and poverty).
But also, because I think money is actually very neutral in the cosmic sense.
Some say “money is the root of all evil.” The Bible — the source of that quote — actually says “the love of money is the root of all evil.”
I’ve heard it said — and I think this is very true — money makes you more of who you are.
If you’re a horrible person who takes and takes and takes from life with no gratitude or generosity, having money will only make it easier for you to do that more.
If you’re an incredibly kind, generous, grateful, thankful person who desires to do good in the world, doing well for yourself only makes that so much easier.
(Take the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — funded by them, Warren Buffett, and others. It’s tackling more big challenges than most of the world governments, and it’s only possible because these two families and other like them made a TON of money through business pursuits.)
So, while I’ll continue to give you a steady stream of great ideas, strategies, and market-proven tactics to make money and grow your business…
I want to take advantage of the “theme” of the holiday this week to weigh in on being a good human being.
And through your actions, helping others to be good human beings as well.
Last thought.
In our house with three kids (the oldest, 7 1/2), there’s a lot of sibling fighting and frustration. Normal kid stuff.
The one lesson I’ve come back to most often, and that my kids will grow up having drilled into their head, is The Golden Rule.
And no, I’m not talking, “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
Rather, “Treat others like you want to be treated.”
They get it intellectually.
They’re working on applying it (kids’ brains struggle with that a bit — that’s normal, healthy development).
But by the time they’re young adults, I’m certain they will live it and use it to guide their decisions and actions.
In the meantime, I think we as grown ups would benefit from trying to remember that rule as much as possible in our lives, as well.
It’s not always easy.
But the end result is that you enjoy more fulfillment and life satisfaction. And you make the world a little better place.
I’m truly thankful for you as a Breakthrough Marketing Secrets reader, and look forward to continuing to serve you through the end of this year and into 2017.
Love is the biggest breakthrough,
Roy Furr