Why is Prosperity Lacking in Groups?

There is a hidden undertow in every business that undermines prosperity. It’s a phenomenon that creeps into all groups unless very careful attention is paid to how the group is managed. It’s known as Social Loafing. This is the natural tendency for most people to not exert themselves as hard in situations where they are working in a group. The exertion goes down as there are more people involved in the task.

Prosperity and Effort in Groups

The theory is that people don’t try as hard when they feel like their efforts are reduced by other people in the group who dilute their efforts. But it also points at a more important aspect of human nature that makes perfect sense. We are wired or encoded to always attempt to reduce the energy or resources we expend. Of course, if we were always trying to exert as much energy as possible, we wouldn’t have reserves. It’s always going to be the ones that learn to exert the smallest amount of energy that have more energy left to reproduce and proliferate.

The implications for business, government and societies are profound. It means that unless there are steps taken to counteract this phenomenon, any group will develop an increasing number of parasites that exert as little as possible until the group fails. I’m afraid we are seeing this take place on a global level in Europe, the United States and other developed countries.

Prosperous Solutions?

Interestingly, the solution for this problem is to create competition that reaches down to the individual level. The more that each individual is held individually accountable for their performance or individual contribution, the more motivated they become and the more they produce. This is not just a theory. It is science.

So whether you run a business, a team or a family, it’s imperative that you understand the phenomenon and the solution to prevent it. Go to the prior links and read about this and think about how this applies to you or your business. It’s also an interesting thing to think about in relation to your choices for the country as it moves forward on it’s journey. Are the laws, benefits and structure making us more accountable or making it easier for people to live off the system without being accountable.

So as you seek more prosperity, learn to manage the Social Loafing tendency and create more of what you want.

Sincerely.

Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute Schools of Polarity Therapy, Massage Therapy, Cosmetology and Aesthetics.

Prosperity is a mind set that transcends suffering.

This Veteran’s Day morning as I was eating breakfast and looking out at the Isle of Shoals, a police car slowly passed with it’s lights flashing. Slow is a relative term because behind it came two runners who were going faster than most people ride a bicycle. In another 2 minutes the third place runner came by, then the first female runner and a few men, then the first senior runner and so on until large numbers came by.

In the mix that followed there were all types. Most were either injured, out of shape, not natural runners, old, young, pregnant or just being social. There were the couples who ran together and enjoyed it and the ones where only one was a runner and the other was doing it for the relationship but it appeared that it was not positive for either of them. And then there were the runner/walkers who seem to love group activities but were not that interested in running.

Almost all the runners shared one common trait: They were overcoming suffering.

The elite runners not only had the right build for running but also had a lot of experience with suffering. As one long distance running coach told me, “There is a level of performance that is a result of natural inclination, good coaching and training, but the elite runners have also mastered suffering at a higher level than others.” What he meant was that there is a threshold that everyone must break through to reach the top echelon of performance. No one is exempt.

How to Reconcile Listening to Your Pain with Achieving Prosperity

This is the biggest and most important lesson of all. There are a lot of New Age and esoteric presenters that talk about listening to your pain and following what you love that may not be correct in their message. Yes, pain is an indication of something being challenged and it may mean something needs repair. But to avoid pushing forward because of pain is not the correct response. The correct response is to learn from the pain and correct what’s producing it, not to abandon what you are attempting to achieve.

There is nothing more precious in life than to have a clearly defined “clear” vision that translates into a “vital” mission and to have the ability to follow it. We see people constantly have a “fuzzy” vision that translates into a poorly articulated mission that fizzles at the first sign of resistance or pain. This is what holds the majority of people back from creating a prosperous life. Without a strong direction that drives you, it’s hard to have the desire or the commitment to push through the pain and discover your potential.

Mastering suffering is key to achieving your full potential and prosperity

To master suffering takes energy and commitment. And most of all it requires the mental and emotional discipline to focus on the desired outcome so it becomes the most important thing.

A tangible example I have noticed was after some very extensive dental procedures as the Novocaine was wearing off, I sat down and started writing an article that was very intense and focused on mission. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was 2 hours past due to take additional pain killers. It wasn’t until I stopped writing that I realized this. As soon as I stopped writing the pain went from a 3 to an 8 our of 10. I took the medication and started writing again until the pain medication kicked in. Within 2 minutes of starting writing, the pain was pushed out by the concentration on what I was doing.

Now there may be those who say you shouldn’t need to suffer to succeed and I say that in fact, when you talk to most successful people that is the case. But the reason is that they have been so focused on their mission that they didn’t notice the suffering. That’s why many successful and prosperous people are good at many things. Often they achieved a high level of prosperity in another area, either as a student, athlete or some other endeavor like music or art, at an early age. They developed a level of concentration doing something they loved to the point where they pushed through pain without realizing that’s what was happening.

For example, when you watch an accomplished guitarist, what you may not know is that there is a high degree of pain that goes into playing. The strings cutting into the pads of the fingers as well as the contortions that the fingers go through is very painful. Other instruments have similar challenges. Whether it’s the pain of managing your breathing in abnormal patterns or holding your facial muscles in positions that are painful after long duration, there is a lot of pain during the learning process. That pain never goes away but as you learn to play at higher levels the music takes you over and the pain recedes during the performance.

The point is that once they have learned to master the process of focusing at a very high level that is beyond pain, that same skill is naturally applied to everything they do. So when they take on a new endeavor, that same discipline automatically occurs and they are able to move to very high levels of prosperity in the new mission. (Please note: The use of the word prosperity is used to mean an abundance of skill and/or knowledge in the fulfillment of the mission)

So as you move into creating your future, it’s very important that you not let discomfort be your guide for the direction you are moving. It’s more important to develop a clear sense of what you want and then move forward through the obstacles until you reach the level of success that fulfills your potential. This is the path to true prosperity in all you do.

Be well and prosperous,

Kris Stecker, Spa Tech Institute

p.s. For more information on prosperity, be sure to check the other posts on the site that focus on both the beliefs that limit prosperity as well as specific skills you can use to have a more prosperous future.

Watch this video. It will change you life!!!!

This video as well as every awesome experience you have changes your brain and energy field. Music, visuals, emotions and experiences that are awesome change you FOREVER! It’s through awesome experiences that your entire being aligns with a much larger and more expansive reality. This is at the heart of prosperity.

Watch the video multiple times. Let it sink in. Let it change you. Let it expand you. And then look at the world through new eyes and ask to be shown Awesome in your life.

When you open to awesomeness you will find yourself on the verge of tears and laughter all the time. The more you perceive awesome the more you open and let in awesome and the more awesome you become.

The first step in having an awesome, prosperous life is to let awesome in to your life. Seek it out and consume it with your senses as deeply as possible. For example:

• When there is a beautiful sunrise or sunset, stop and take it in, deeply and completely. Don’t just take a picture. Watch it as it changes and transforms and goes through subtle and constant change. Look for the “green flash” and feel it inside of you. Perceive that the sun is not rising or setting but that we are on the surface of a revolving sphere. Can you feel the revolution as you watch the sun appear to move?
• When there are big waves, grab a Boogie Board and go out into them. Experience the strength of the water, the power of the swell, the force of the water. Feel how far this power and force has traveled and connect with the source of the energy.
• Watch as a child takes in something awesome or creates something awesome in a song, play, or story. Ride the wave of imagination and absorb the power of the moment that this small creature, who didn’t exist once is now a creative being that is tapping into something that is timeless and eternal. Then watch them when they are sleeping. Watch them very closely and marvel at the awesomeness of them breathing, growing and changing right before your eyes.
• Stand on a summit or the edge of the Grand Canyon and absorb the scale, sounds, feelings around you. It’s even better if you hike it as well. Make the goal to absorb as much awesome energy as possible, not to get done as soon as possible.

Recommendations for changes that will help you connect with more awesomeness are:

• Remove mindless media. Reality TV, celebrity train wrecks, fear, loathing, anger, drama and violence are all the antithesis of awesome. The more you eliminate it from your diet the more awesomeness you will absorb.
• Drugs that lower your vibration and awareness are robbing you of awesome experiences. Junk food, alcohol and any number of other drugs are all powerful anti-awesome, anti-awareness substances.
• Exercise more. It opens your senses and if you do it in nature, puts you in awesome settings. Even a small stream of water, flowers, animals and smells contain awesomeness.
• Get out of the house and away from your screens. Life in front of computers, smart phones and tablets can be source of information but true awesome usually comes from being out in the world.

The really important thing to remember is this: When you consciously align yourself with awesome experiences and influences, it will jump start your prosperity perception. It all hinges on perception. You can only absorb what you can perceive.

Make it a priority. Every moment counts. Break out of the mundane and become addicted to awesome. Become a maven of awesome and wake up everyone around you. Make it your mission to both absorb and share as much awesome as possible.

Do it all the time and you will see your life change in powerful ways.

Kris

The following headline is pretty daunting.

Global economy in worst shape since 2009

So how is this good news? We have been dealing with unemployment of over 8% for more than 41 months. The Federal Reserve is keeping the stock market afloat by dumping money into it (thereby creating yet another bubble) and with a global economy there is no where to hide. And therein lies the good news.

For the past 300 years we have been moving towards a global economy. The pace has accelerated with each new transportation and communications breakthrough. The last 30 years have seen a rapid increase in all areas with outsourcing and more countries and people entering the global economy. Look at the wealth in China, India and many other countries in the past 10 years. It’s astounding.

What’s happening now and how it is a good thing?

First, as production shifted to countries with lower costs, the countries who lost the production had to adjust. It appears this was done by inflating currency to make it appear that we were still at a high standard of living. It also involved borrowing money from the people who we were giving our money to.

Second, it integrated production in such a way that most countries are economically dependent on the success of the other countries they do business with. When countries were isolated from each other, conquering a country was a viable way to increase your wealth. As the number of isolated countries/economies decreases, the ability to gain wealth comes from increased cooperation instead of from vanquishing your neighbors. Shared interests creates security.

What does this mean for your prosperity?

It means that we are reaching a place of equilibrium. The biggest shift in the economic distribution has happened in the past 10 years. It means that the rest of the world is starting to catch up to us with their production, consumption and regulations. This will make it less profitable to do business in other countries in the foreseeable future. There will be less outsourcing and more retained value in the future.

It also means that the value of money will begin to normalize which will lead to less volatility. This one still has a few years or even decades to go and there will be pain associated with that in this country. We will continue to see our prices increase as the value of our money decreases and many people will have to pull back on their lifestyle.

But the good part is this: We are getting closer to the end of the disruptive cycle and entering into a new phase of the harmonious cycle where we can focus on a more reliable future. Of course, weather, natural disasters and the possibility of a rogue nation destroying human progress is always close at hand. And there will be many events that seem discouraging. But in the big picture, the global economy is maturing and with maturity comes stability.

But what does this have to do with your prosperity?

Thank you for your patience. There are so many ways this is good for you.

This is particularly appropriate for Independence Day.

For those of you who don’t know me, I decided to retire from work that was meaningless back in 1983 at the age of 28. I had already had a lot of great experiences and had done a lot of what I wanted, including working in the race car industry, the bicycle industry and several other things that were a lot of fun. I spent a summer hitchhiking around the country and spent a lot of time in the outdoors, doing music and doing sports. Then I spent a year working for Travelers Insurance and it was a major compromise of who I was. That’s when I decided to retire and ever since I have been having more fun and accomplished more than I would have any other way.

The new retirement can be a powerfully enriching time that goes far beyond what our parents experienced. But first, let’s look at what the old retirement really was. It’s a rather somber thing to consider but stick with it (or skip over it) and we will get to the new retirement.

Retirement used to mean leaving a profession or business that you had been in for most of your life followed by years of playing golf, vacationing and stretching your pension until you die. But for the majority of people that was never true. It was a fantasy that was sold to people to get them to continue to do work they hated or that was toxic to them. “Just hang in there until you retire and it will all be worth it.”

Meanwhile, they got high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, depression or other conditions that made the “golden years” a series of giving their money to doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. This was a high price to pay at the same time that many people are seeing their pensions devoured by inflation and business bankruptcies. Now they find themselves competing for jobs as Walmart Greeters or other menial jobs just to make ends me.

Enough of this. Let’s get to the good stuff. The New Retirement.

The new retirement is filled with creative and interesting opportunities. It can be the most significant part of your life with more meaning and a larger contribution to your well-being and the well-being of the community than anything you have ever done before. At the heart of it is a sense of mission that drives you forward and makes everyday interesting and exciting. And because you are doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work. It feels positive and creative.

The beauty of the new retirement is that it makes you healthier and stronger. It is typically more balanced and doing what you love is a powerful message to your immune system to take good care of you. When you are fulfilled by what you do you will find that you automatically follow healthier patterns with eating, exercise and rest. Happiness and higher energy are natural offshoots of this process.

First, decide what you want to retire from. Most people want to retire from commuting, stress, loss of control and many of the other things that are associated with the work environment.

Second, decide what you don’t want to retire from. Some suggestions are your creativity, having fun, making a contribution and being with people you enjoy.

Third, don’t wait to retire. Do it now or as soon as you can. Life is very short. Everyday is precious. Don’t wait to create what you want. Do it now. You can. It’s possible and doable. You just have to know what you want and then make a plan so it happens.

Start by imagining what your perfect life is like. Think about what you enjoy doing. Start by doing a treasure map to get more clarity. Don’t judge whether you can or can’t have it. Instead of being a master of limitation be a master of imagination. Remember that every great idea and success story didn’t exist until someone created it and the first place they had to create it was in their imagination. So start imagining what you want right now. It’s free, there’s no tax and no one can take it away from you.

As you perfect your imagination of your perfect life, you will begin to see how you can create it. It’s a phenomenon of thought that the more you focus your attention on something, the more you will notice things that are associated with your focus. It’s so simple that most people miss it.

As you begin to perceive things differently, the reality of creating what you want will come into focus. This is where it get’s really interesting. As you begin to realize that you have options, you will also start to notice the inner voices that will block you from moving forward. These are the negative tyrants that were implanted in your mind while you were growing up. This is what has been holding you back from doing what you love and fulfilling your potential.

There are ways to vanquish these petty tyrants that have held you back. It starts with you deciding to get rid of them (and any of the people who reinforce them) from your life. This is your next test. Do you really want to prosper and retire from the things you dislike or are going to be complacent and allow your life to suffer. It takes courage to separate from familiar things, even when they are things that are holding you back from what you want.

Throughout this process, having a support group or Mastermind group to help you stay focused is ideal. Working together to define your goals and stay focused can be very beneficial. Think of it as creating a personal board of directors. It’s a powerful committee that can change your life.

But it starts with you deciding that you want to do what you love instead of what someone has told you is what you must do. It starts with you deciding that you are going to start living your life now instead of waiting for a day that may never come. And it starts when you understand that you will be much more successful once you retire than you will ever be compromising your integrity, creativity and life force to fit into a role that is inappropriate for who you are.

I look forward to assisting you as you declare your independence from slavery and create the life you were meant to have.

Kris

Some will cheer and some will jeer. The Occupy Wall Street, T.E.A Party, Arab Spring and other movements are flashpoints that deserve consideration rather than reflexive reactions. Understanding what is happening is the path to your prosperity in whatever form you desire.

Key to all movements is this: It is an organic process. All organisms, whether they are animals, civilizations, economic or political systems, societies, corporations or religions are subject to certain organic patterns. They are in a constant state of flux and change. Change is the norm because everything is energy and energy is always in motion. And at the heart of all manifestation is the flow of energy.

This is a key point to be understood: The more energy moves the more prosperity there is because the more manifestation there is. For instance, a battery holds potential energy but it’s not until that energy is set in motion that you can create heat, light or movement. A seed is full of energy but until the seed is activated it is just a seed. Once the energy is set in motion something grows and can produce thousands or millions of seeds. So energy in motion is vital to manifesting prosperity.

Understanding that organizations are energy and change is energy in motion is the starting point for understanding why it’s important to pay attention to movements that show change. What has to be in place are several components for a movement to exist. There has to be an organism with systems that attempt to maintain balance, something that is leading to imbalance and a mechanism for self correction of the organism. This is the same process that takes place in a healthy body. When something is out of balance, the body creates an infection to attempt to bring the system back into balance.  An infection can produce heat, discharge and discomfort and consume energy from the body. Sometimes the imbalance can be so severe that the infection consumes the organism and leads to death. There are counter measures that can be used to manage the infection so it doesn’t kill the organism in most cases. Does any of this sound like what’s happening in the world today?

At the core of most infections is discomfort. It’s how the organism becomes focused on the infection to find the cause and the remedy. That is what we may experience in our response to different movements that come up in the society. It’s our opportunity to examine what is the cause and the possible solution. How we react is the most important part. How we react determines the value of the outcome. We have many options: Learn, ignore, deny, stifle, experience or experiment. Depending on the path we choose leads us to the outcome we experience.

So how can we use Occupy Wall Street, T.E.A. Party or other movements to increase our prosperity? It starts by watching your initial reaction and learning about yourself. What does your reaction to a movement tell you about what your assumed positions are on the issue that is presented. What can you learn about the way you perceive and move in the world? What is your relationship to change and evolution? How do you manifest your being and mission in the world? These are all extremely important starting points for understanding what your opportunities are to grow and manifest more of what you want in your life.

One consistent theme of most movements is that a group of people are moving from victimization to actualization. This is a powerful and exciting prospect for us as a civilization. Victimization is a form of slavery. Whether it’s from a government, society, economic system, religion or belief, no civilization can prosper while people are enslaved. It may give the appearance of thriving for a period of time but every resource that is enslaved is not able to bring their full creativity to the benefit of the civilization. The civilization with the highest creative participation will always be the most successful civilization.

And herein is the basis of prosperity. Prosperity is the natural offshoot of creative effort. And creative effort comes when people believe they are the source of their abundance.

Often there appears to be statements that people feel they are entitled to have more. It’s expressed in many different ways but at the core seems to be the feeling that something that they think they should have is not there. It manifests as statements that the government is taking too much of what they produce or the wealthy are not giving enough back, but underlying the message is that, “We are entitled to more than what we are getting.”

I completely agree with the underlying message and have a very different view of what it means.

My view is that what people are really upset about is that people have become separated from their most basic entitlement or birth right: The ability to be connected with source. This is a deeply spiritual and fundamental core entitlement that we are born knowing and have lost in this materialistic culture. Our education, economic systems and cosmology have created a focus on a material and sensual experience that is enslaving the majority of the civilization. The debt that we are experiencing is a debt of connection to source. Source is the Alpha and Omega. It’s the well spring of creative and generative energy. It’s the thing that makes us whole and healthy. Without it we are simply living a life where we feel enslaved to paying bills and getting stuff.

The challenge is that our addiction to the material world is the hardest kind of slavery to escape. It’s deeply ingrained and our survival (on the physical plane) appears to depend on the very thing that enslaves us. That’s what’s exciting about it. That’s what makes this such a worthwhile challenge to overcome.

The problem isn’t really Wall Street, Capitalism or the wealthiest 1%. They are just the symbols of the problem. The problem is our self enslavement to not knowing how to manifest what we want in the world. We haven’t acquired the tools or understanding to learn how to connect with our source creativity and create what we want. If it was really about the 99% against the 1%, Steve Jobs would be the poster child of the movement. But he isn’t and I believe it’s because people see that he was connected with his creative source and was able to create what they want.

In fact, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates and others could never have created all the cool things people love without capitalism and the flow of money (energy) within the economy. So it’s important to get beyond the symbols that stand for what people are protesting against and are not really the issue.

So how do you gain your true freedom and connect with your source so you can learn to manifest yourself fully? That’s what the rest of http://blog.prsoperity.spatech.edu is all about.

I hope you are able to get fully connected and manifest all of your creativity and abundance. We all need to manifest together to create a better world. Keep up the good work.

Sincerely.

Kris

This may push a few buttons but here is an interesting thread from Facebook:

SO,LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT…If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get 12 yrs. hard labor. If you cross the Afghanistan border illegally, you get shot. Two Americans just got eight years for crossing the Iranian border. If you cross the U.S. border illegally you get a job, a drivers license, food stamps, a place to live, health care, housing & child benefits, education, & a tax free business for 7 yrs.

Me: Ironic?

Linda: we wonder what is wrong in this Country…

Me: Just for clarity, I’m pretty sure that many of the people who come here illegally are good people who are simply doing whatever it takes to take care of their families. They are risking their lives to make things work. I suspect we are cut from the same clothe.

Elle: Ireland, England, Greek, Italian and a full blooded MicMac through the borders of Canada allow my daughter to live in this beautiful free country. My only fear is that our generousity may humble us. Everything in moderation

Laurene:  My grandparents came here from Italy. Nothing was given to them for free. They paid their way in and worked their tails off to survive. If you ask me…I wish they stayed in Italy.

Kris: One thing that made this country prosperous is the ability to move about freely to follow opportunity. I wonder what would happen to world wide prosperity if there were no borders?

Susan: this is true…..I am proud to be in a country that respects life, and cares for people regardless if they were born here or not. The system I agree is not perfect but we are showing other countries the way. what needs to happen is to reduce the greed of our leaders and focus on reducing excessive spending in the wrong direction. I also feel we as a people need to be more creative and take charge of our own lives. I see many very talented people doing nothing with their gifts……..Think big and creative. Find a need and fill that need. You can’t change everything in life but you can change YOU and how you see things and react to your surroundings. Be the one to make the differance. Who said you can’t suceed in life just because all the rules have changed!!!!!! I plan on making a differance by staying positive, not negative………………

[Comments at time of writing]

Interestingly, these comments were made by job creators. Every single person has created at least one job (their own) in the past 3 years and some have created many more. This is powerful. Notice the way job creators think. Pay particular attention to Susan’s thinking. She is a very strong job creator.

What’s the Answer? What’s the Question?

The issue often gets focused on the wrong thing. The problem is not immigration. The problem is the welfare state or an entitlement mentality. We should have a way for hard working people to come into this country. Making it hard for them to get in is a Darwinian bargain that insures that the hardest working and biggest risk takers are entering the country. These are exactly the people we want to attract. These are the people who will be the most successful and the most likely to create additional jobs in this country.

But the safety net is what’s draining the country of life force. It’s too easy for people to take advantage of it. When interviewing people for positions over the past 3 years, it was clear that a surprisingly large percentage preferred to stay unemployed for as long as possible. They were taking an extended vacation from working that was being paid for by the government (i.e. tax revenues from businesses and 40% borrowed money to be paid back by us, our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren). They were playing the system and more worried about if an extension of benefits would be approved rather than getting creative and motivated to make something happen. The people that were doing this were not the legal or illegal immigrants. It was mostly the third and fourth generation Americans that have developed the entitlement mentality.

Entitlement Mentality Trap

On the one hand there are people who really do need support. But there are a lot of people who are making decisions based on the support landscape. Take a look around and who do you see opening and running small businesses like childcare, landscaping, small retail stores, salons and restaurants? And for each one of these small businesses that opens, how many of these people also employ 2, 3 or more additional people? If you think about it, at 10% unemployment, theoretically all it would take is 1 in 10 employed people to create at least 1 new job and we should be at 0% unemployment.

Ultimately, many of these people have lower rates of pay but because they are willing (and thankful) to be able to work more hours, they end up making money. And they invest that money. Categorically, they don’t go out and spend it on fancy clothes, cars or big houses. They invest it in other businesses that family members start, thereby creating even more jobs.

But somehow the American Dream got hijacked to being about imposing hire minimum wages, more benefits, more taxes on anyone who has worked hard to build wealth and an entitlement state that cannot support all the promises that have been made. Until the entitlement mentality trap is disengaged, the country cannot prosper.

Why Prosperity of Illegal Immigration?

Oddly enough, who do you think is going to be a stronger, more creative, more successful worker? Someone who grew up in a wealthy family that could afford to pay off the right people so their children can escape their country of origin or someone who is willing to risk everything, survive a dangerous desert crossing and if they gain entry, do whatever they can to become successful. Who is going to be better at identifying and using opportunity: Someone who has grown up in the lap of luxury and had everything given to them or someone who has had to scramble to make ends meet. While one is thinking about their inheritance the other is looking for opportunities. Who will create more jobs and more prosperity?

It would be amazing to think of a world without borders. After all, that is a major source of prosperity (both economic, genetic and cultural). The US thrives because of the openness of commerce within the country. There would be an adjustment period but eventually the world would also be more prosperous when energy is going into solving the need for water, energy, healthcare and food instead of going into defending borders.

Distrust is very expensive.

So isn’t it time that we stop vilifying the motivated and innovative people who are trying to work here and address the real issue which is all the people who are unwilling to pull their own weight?

Be well and prosperous.

Kris

Happy Independence Day! This is a great day to address a vitally important concept. This post may be controversial to some and make perfect sense to others. 

There is a direct link between independence, accountability and prosperity. Independence is what makes this country successful. Independence drives innovation and invention. To understand why, you need to look at what independence really is and one of the best examples is the bold step taken by the founders of this country.

What did they really demand independence from? Remember, the signers of the Declaration of Independence were all businessmen in one way or another. They were people who were committed to building a successful and prosperous venture. Even though the Declaration of Independence states many important and vital ideals and values, at the core of the issue was independence from the overbearing taxes and interference in business of the new colonies. Many of the colonists were upset that the fruit of their hard work was being taken from them to support a government that was domineering and not responsive to their needs. 

It’s important to remember that the predominant reason the majority of people came to the colonies was for the opportunity to create prosperity. Europe was stratified by rules, government and a class system that made it almost impossible for people to create a prosperous future. Their opportunities were so limited that they risked a very dangerous and uncomfortable ocean passage that ended with landing in a wild and untamed location where life was tentative and there were many hazards. Many died of illness and exhaustion. But they were committed to prosperity. This theme is at the heart of the pioneer life. In fact the word “pioneer” means to establish oneself in a previously barren area (which could be a place or an area of thinking).

In this hostile and dangerous environment innovation was stimulated to the point where the colonies went from survival to early prosperity. When that happened, the English government saw the opportunity to impose taxes and other measures that would redistribute the wealth back to England. At the same time the government was out of step with the needs of the colonists. The government kept imposing more restrictions on trade, freedom of expression and many other things that were at the heart of creating prosperity.

When the colonists asserted their independence from big government, it was extremely dangerous but also very stimulating. It was a huge risk that could have crushed our budding prosperity. But more importantly, after independence was achieved, the United States of America was set up to prosper by restricting the central government and leaving the power in the hands of the people. This is changing very rapidly.

Which brings me to the point, at last, of the relationship of independence, accountability and prosperity. If you look at the rest of the world you will see that with rare exception, the most independent countries are the ones with the highest prosperity. The ones that are heavily controlled or regulated by the government have much lower prosperity. The reason is simple: Innovation flees regulation. And innovation must be present to create prosperity.

But why does there seem to be a constant drive towards creating more regulations? Why do governments grow and take over? There are many reasons but probably the biggest is that independence requires a high level of personal accountability in order to succeed. Accountability is uncomfortable unless people are willing to be responsible for their actions. Most people don’t like to be held accountable or take responsibility. It’s much easier to make others accountable. It’s psychologically safer to have others be responsible. That way if something fails, it’s, “Not your fault.”

And therein lies the problem. In order to be prosperous, you have to be comfortable with failing. You have to be responsible for all of your actions. You have to be willing to take risks that don’t always succeed. And you have to be accountable to yourself for your success and your failure.

We are at a historical moment in our destiny. 52% of the voters have signaled that they want the government to be responsible for our prosperity. And the government has taken that permission to create more regulations and redistribution of wealth. Which means that if you want to be prosperous, you will have to work even harder to break free from this mindset and move into a deeply independent consciousness. But not only will you have to break from the mass mind and be independent, but you will have to lead everyone around you to a higher level of accountability and responsibility.

One of the important concepts taught at Spa Tech is that blaming others will never make you successful. The only route to success is to take responsibility and maintain the mindset of a pioneer. Allow your mind to be independent from the group think and look for areas that are barren where you can create something new. And practice accountability every day. The more you own the outcomes of your actions, the more prosperous you will become.

In Prosperity,
Kris

p.s. I look forward to your comments and questions.

After my last blog on Start by Asking For What You Want many people are asking, “What is treasure mapping?” I’m so glad you asked.

Treasure mapping is a really simple process that allows you to get more clarity on what you want and creates a visual affirmation that allows you to continually reinforce receiving what you want. There are whole workshops on treasure mapping by people that are in the business of helping people fulfill their desires.

There is no right or wrong way to do a treasure map. A treasure map can be done on a large poster board or in a book format. I prefer the large poster board so you can hang it on the wall opposite your bed so it’s the first and last thing that you see every day. However, if you travel a lot, the book is a better format.

You can do this by yourself, with family or a friend or with a group of friends. A treasure mapping party can be really fun and multiply the focus on the creation for your future. Doing it with your family can be really great if everyone is very supportive of each other. The only thing you do not want to do is have people, who are critical of you or your dreams, be part of the process.

Once you decide on the format (book or poster board) you will need scissors, glue or tape and a bunch of magazines and brochures that reflect your interests. For instance, if you like to ski, get ski magazines. If you like cars get car magazines. If there are people who represent qualities of yourself that you want to develop, get magazines that have those types of people (performers, yogis, artists, healers, etc.). If you are treasure mapping your wedding get a lot of magazines on weddings and honeymoons or vacations.

Now you are ready to start. It’s best to allow at least 3 hours but all day is even better. Or you can do several segments of time. Begin by clearing and relaxing your mind and stating your intention to let your subconscious assist you. You can either be random or you can do a treasure map for a specific area of your life.  You may be focusing on relationship, housing, travel, work or anything that is important to you.

Now start looking at the magazines that attract you and start clipping pictures, headlines and anything that you like. Suspend judgement and just go for it. If it’s a big boat or house, don’t let your thoughts interfere. Don’t think about cost or practicality. Just let your subconscious pick things that you like. As you do this watch your thoughts. Be mindful of the inner voices as they expose your deepest fears or reflexive patterns that prevent you from having what you want. There is often extremely valuable information in these thoughts. You can learn a lot about yourself very quickly.

After you have a pretty good pile of clippings it’s time to move on to the next phase. Start to sort them and decide which ones you like and arrange them on the page. Don’t glue them yet. You will want to be able to move them around. As you do this you may find that there are some things that you want to add so you go back to the magazines and look for specific things to fill in the gaps. Again, watch your thoughts.

At a certain point you will feel satisfied that there is enough on the page or board and you like where things are positioned. Now it’s time to glue it down, look at it and share it with others. (Of course I expect there will be a lot of sharing throughout the process if you are with family and/or friends.) Talk about why you chose the different things and why it’s important to you. Sometimes you know and sometimes it’s just a feeling. It’s all good.

You have completed the first step of your treasure map. Like life, it’s never completely done.

It’s good to find a place for your treasure map where you will see it frequently and have time to meditate on it. As you contemplate it, remember that nothing is as it seems. It may be that the big house next to the ocean is not really what you are looking for but it does represent having a feeling of enough space and peace and calm. Maybe the space is a case of creating more space in your existing house by removing things that you don’t need or isolating things that are noisy like televisions or other noises (like kids?). Or maybe you need to get outside near the ocean more and the house represents this.

The important part is that you have created a temporary record of what feels good to you. You can see it and it increases your awareness of what you want to manifest. The more you see it, the stronger the knowledge of wanting it becomes. This clarity helps you to manifest it more quickly.

So there you go. You have done your first treasure map. You can do this as often as you like. Yearly or at least everyo couple of years it’s good to do it again. And keep the old ones so you can see how much you have manifested. Just seeing that you have manifested it lubricates your manifestation abilities.

Please send me your stories and epiphanies from doing your treasure maps. Your comments will assist all of your fellow travelers on the road to prosperity.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. As always, I look forward to answering your questions and sharing anything I can that may be helpful.

Kris Stecker, President and Owner
Spa Tech Institute
http://spatech.edu