Discussion on the-richest-man-who-ever-lived
Ted
CHAPTER 1
How the Richest Man Who Ever Lived Can Make You Happier, More
Successful, and Wealthier
Imagine going from a below-average wage to a personal income of more
than $600,000 per month! Imagine losing nine jobs in your first six
years after college, and then, on your tenth job, building more than a
dozen multimillion-dollar businesses from scratch, achieving sales of
billions of dollars. Imagine doing all of this by following specific
steps taught by Solomon in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. In a
nutshell, that is my personal story. Now think about it:
Before: Earned less than half of the income of the average American
wage earner.
After: Income rose from $18,000 per year to more than $7 million.
Before: Diagnosed a hopeless corporate failure with a success rate of
0 percent.
After: A twenty-nine-year career success rate of over 60 percent in an
industry where the average success rate is under 1 percent.
And just as convincing to me is what happened when I acted contrary to
Solomon's advice. On three occasions, I violated three of his
warnings and lost millions of dollars through bad investment
decisions. Had I followed Solomon's advice, I would not have lost a
penny. I ignored his advice on relationships and watched one of the
happiest marriages in America fall apart. Then, following Solomon's
advice on relationships, my marriage was restored and today is happier
than ever!
If following Solomon's advice had worked only a few times in the
course of my life, we could call it coincidence. If ignoring his
advice and warnings had resulted in a few minor setbacks, we could
call it chance. But when following his advice has created such
significant personal, business, and financial success year after year
for me and for countless others, and failing to heed his warnings has
caused heartbreaking personal and financial disasters, even the
heartiest skeptic must admit what wise men and kings and queens the
world over once acknowledged-that Solomon was the wisest man who ever
lived.
Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe,
Solomon reveals "laws of living" that invisibly govern all aspects of
life.
Every time you step on board an airliner, the physical laws of gravity
and aerodynamics govern your ultimate destiny. If your pilot and the
airplane operate in accordance with those laws, you will safely arrive
at your destination. If for any reason whatsoever they do not operate
in accordance with those laws, you will return to the ground, one way
or another. It doesn't matter how you feel about these laws, whether
you love them or hate them, whether you choose to ignore them or not;
they still exist and they will govern your flight. Fortunately,
pilots, aeronautical engineers, and aircraft designers fully
understand these laws, and thus they are able to use them to great
advantage. They are able to build and fly aircraft that move us
quickly, safely, and comfortably to our destinations. If they were
ignorant of these laws, no airplanes would be able to fly.
Just as there are physical laws that govern the universe, there are
laws of living that are just as sure and true. It doesn't matter if
you love them or hate them, they still exist, and they will govern
your life. Solomon reveals these laws in the biblical Book of
Proverbs, and more important, shows us how to use them to our
advantage. The laws of gravity and aerodynamics have always existed,
but until they were learned and understood, they kept the entire human
race on the ground; once they were discovered, they became the very
basis for achieving human flight.
The laws of living are as old as human life itself. Being ignorant of
them only restricts your ability to achieve genuine happiness,
fulfillment, purpose, and success. Many people act in accordance with
some of these laws coincidentally, without knowing or understanding
them, and they gain a level of success or happiness by doing so. But
more often than not, ignorance of these laws creates insurmountable
barriers to sustained success and fulfillment. On the other hand,
those who learn these laws and how to use them in their flight through
life will achieve a level of purpose, success, and happiness that
others can only dream of. The purpose-driven life will become the
purpose-accomplished life.
The Prayer of Solomon
Solomon was born around 974 B.C. and was installed as King of Israel
by his father, David, shortly before David died. Solomon was twelve
years old. Solomon was terrified of ruling Israel, afraid that he
didn't have the wisdom to do so. According to the Old Testament, God
appeared to Solomon and asked him what he wanted. Solomon answered,
asking only for wisdom and knowledge so that he could rightly judge
the great people of Israel (I Kings 3:9; II Chronicles 1:10). God then
told Solomon that because he had not asked for riches, wealth, honor,
the life of his enemies, nor a longer life for himself, He would give
Solomon more wisdom, knowledge, riches, wealth, and honor than any
king before him or any king that would come after him. What was
promised was delivered. Solomon's wisdom, success, and wealth
increased beyond imagination. In terms of wealth, some have suggested
that in today's dollars, he may well have been a "trillionaire." In
addition to his gold reserves worth hundreds of billions of dollars in
today's market, he owned 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots,
and kept 12,000 horsemen on his payroll. Rulers of nations throughout
the world sought his advice, and paid dearly for it. However, by the
middle of his life, he began to violate the laws of living, its
principles and strategies that he so wisely articulated in the Book of
Proverbs; as he did, his success and happiness vaporized. Fortunately
for us, he recorded many of his laws for living in the Book of
Proverbs.
Cracking the Solomon Code
Although each Proverb provides an obvious insight, often the real
treasure of a Proverb is buried deep beneath its surface. Solomon
implores us in chapter 2, verse 4, to search for wisdom and knowledge
as we would search for silver or buried treasure. To do this, we must
often look deeper beneath the surface, at the background of the
Proverb, its context, and even nuances of the Hebrew words that make
up the original text of Proverbs. In many cases, we can find added
treasure by looking at the converse meaning of a Proverb. And last,
but not least, we must look at the broader spirit of the Proverb and
not just the narrow meaning of the literal statement. As we do this,
we not only discover Solomon's laws for living, we find the silver and
buried treasure he talked about-treasure that will last beyond our
lifetime.
I'm not the only person who has achieved his impossible dreams by
following Solomon's strategies. I love reading biographies of those
who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments, both in modern times
and throughout history. As I have studied their lives, I have
discovered that their successes, too, were realized by actions and
attitudes that reflected Solomon's teachings, even though some may
have never read his writings. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison were all readers of
Proverbs in their youth. But even in looking at the lives of modern
icons such as Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Helen Keller, Steven Spielberg,
and Oprah Winfrey, we see that they have achieved their impossible
dreams by doing the very things that Solomon advises each of us to do.
I've also seen disasters befall men, companies, and nations when they
acted contrary to Solomon's admonitions. Adolf Hitler was able to
bewitch an entire nation because they ignored Solomon's warnings.
America was caught off guard at Pearl Harbor. Recently, the executives
of America's seventh-largest corporation drove it into the largest
corporate bankruptcy in American history. All of these events were
brought about by violating a handful of Solomon's admonitions.
What Can Solomon's Wisdom Do for You?
So what can Solomon's insights and teachings do for your career, your
relationships, and your personal life? No matter what you think they
can do, they can do infinitely more. Here are just a few of the
rewards Solomon says you can look forward to when you follow his
advice.
The Benefits of Solomon's Strategies
· Knowledge
· Discretion
· Good judgment
· Preservation and protection
· Success
· Better health
· Longer life
· Honor
· Financial abundance
· Favor of those in authority
· Commendation and promotions
· Financial independence
· Confidence
· Strength of character
· Courage
· Extraordinary achievement
· Personal fulfillment
· Great relationships
· A truly meaningful life
· Love and admiration of others
· Understanding
· True wisdom
Solomon gives us powerful strategies and life-changing tactics for
achieving extraordinary outcomes.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that what you're about to read is
simply a collection of general principles and poetic platitudes.
Solomon was far too wise to waste his time and yours with such
meaningless generalities. His writings provide precise steps that can
be taken in your personal and professional life to produce astounding
results. In this book, I focus on the strategies and steps articulated
in the biblical Book of Proverbs that I have applied to the business,
personal, and financial areas of my own life. After we examine
Solomon's advice in each chapter, I will then offer some simple
techniques that I have used to implement his advice in my daily life.
At the conclusion of each chapter, I've added a section called
"Knowledge to Wisdom," with specific exercises to enable you to apply
Solomon's advice in a practical and powerful way. Do this, and you
will begin to experience a greater level of success and personal
fulfillment than you have ever imagined. No matter how successful you
may be right now, your future is about to get a whole lot better. Let
the adventure begin!
CHAPTER 2
The Key to Winning Every Race
Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before
kings.
-Proverbs 22:29
Become the One in a Thousand Who Achieves Incredible Outcomes
In any endeavor we undertake, or any goal we pursue, we can experience
outcomes that are incredible, great, good, okay, poor, terrible, or
catastrophic. In my fifty-plus years, I have experienced all of these
outcomes personally, professionally, and financially. Studying the
lives of many of history's most successful people, I discovered that
they, too, have experienced the gamut of these outcomes in one or
more areas of their lives. But in the areas of their greatest achieve
ments, without exception, they have achieved incredible outcomes. And
every one of them achieved their incredible outcomes because they
learned and utilized one simple, yet incredibly powerful, skill. This
skill was their key to achieving their impossible dreams. George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Clara
Barton, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Sam Walton, Walt Disney, Bill
Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg are just a few of the
people who have used it. The fact is, whenever it is used, it
ultimately produces incredible outcomes. Moreover, incredible outcomes
are almost never achieved without it.
Unfortunately, less than one in a thousand people fully utilize it.
The good news is that it is a skill that can be easily learned. And it
can be used by anyone, regardless of their background, education, or
IQ.
I'm talking about the skill of diligence. Most people think they
understand what diligence means, but nothing could be further from the
truth. When Solomon talks about diligence, he's talking about a trait
that is as rare as a ten-carat diamond. The reason it's so rare is
that true diligence runs contrary to human nature.
We all have traits that are part of the human condition. These traits
produce our natural drives, inclinations, strengths, and weaknesses.
Diligence, however, is not one of them. In fact, the trait common to
all humans is our desire or drive for instant gratification. We want
as much as we can get, as fast as we can get it, with as little effort
as possible. That is our nature. We all have a natural inclination to
follow the path of least resistance. Fortunately, despite our natural
inclination, we can choose to follow a path of greater resistance and
become diligent in the pursuit of any endeavor, project, or goal. And
if you develop the kind of diligence that Solomon refers to, you can
achieve incredible outcomes in any important area of your life.
Solomon's Concept of Diligence (It's Not What You Think)
My computer dictionary describes diligence as "a persistent and hard-
working effort in doing something." I love the word "persistent";
persistence is certainly a part of diligence. "Hard-working," on the
other hand, is not the most accurate term to use when trying to
understand Solomon's meaning. I'd prefer to use the phrase "smart-
working." If I need to cut down a tree and try to cut it down with a
hammer, that would be hard-working, but it certainly would not be
diligent. It could take me hours, even days, to chop down a tree with
a hammer. On the other hand, if I use a chain saw I might cut that
same tree down in minutes. I would not be working nearly as hard, but
I'd be working a lot smarter. My computer software lists the following
words as synonyms of diligence: meticulousness, conscientiousness,
thoroughness, and carefulness. Although all of these qualities are
important aspects of diligence, they do not fully convey Solomon's
meaning.
To fully understand what Solomon meant by the word "diligent," we need
to add those qualities to Solomon's words found in Proverbs 20:11:
"Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure and
whether it be right." The key words here are "pure" and "right."
Solomon uses the word "pure" not just in the sense of a moral or
ethical value, but rather about work in its purest form. It's more
akin to a mining term than an ethical term. Solomon's mines repre
sented a tremendous portion of his wealth; he often used mining terms
in his writings. And if you're mining for gold, what do you do? You
dig a lot of dirt, you find a big rock, and you take that big rock and
subject it to a tremendous amount of heat. This melts all of the
impurities. What's left behind is pure gold. That is the "pure" side
of diligence. It's getting down to investing one's days, hours, and
minutes in that which brings a pure return on the time and effort
invested.
The other side of diligence is the "right" side. It's not just about
working at something with persistence and by working smart. It's about
doing it right-expeditiously, efficiently, and effectively. In other
words, doing it on time to the highest standards possible, regardless
of what is demanded or expected. It means bringing creativity,
persistence, and even other people and outside resources into the
effort to achieve an extraordinary outcome.