I was rich for 3 last days, this weekend and Easter Monday that is. I mean really RICH. Not money wise for that I care too little almost not at all, but happiness wise. For once I did NOT wonder about or plan "what should I be doing on the weekend". I've grown a bit tired of always planning and "trying to find me SOMETHING to do", when deep inside I already know what I want to be doing.

It's just that we know what would make us happy the most, but we avoid it and act as if it was invisible sometimes. So we try to find something else to keep us busy with, to spend our time in some reasonable way. Usually from fears of what would other people say or not believing in ourselves, reasons are many.

I heard Bashar say, do whatever feels like the highest joy at any given moment and finally managed to drop all the believes of how inappropriate it might be for my age, how inapplicable for every day's life it may be - And I did it. Fearless, doubtless, unplanned - come what may.
It may appear it wasn't much to some, but to me it was the world. In all its simplicity, I turned my phone off and just stayed home, played computer games, listened only to my favorite music, danced, sung and laughed so much and when the night fell in outside, party mood has taken over me so I opened a bottle of a fine alcoholic drink and was having the greatest time of my life so far.

I didn't need anyone, I didn't need my usual reality, I didn't need the world. I felt no urge to go out and socialize or talk to people, or see anyone at all. I woke up when I felt like it and stayed awake until I felt asleep. And just gamed on in-between. And even though it lasted for 3 days, it feels like it was a few seconds long dream I just had when I woke up this morning. It was amazing, time and worries ceased to exist. Boy, did I have the time of my life!

Would I do it again? I would never stopped in the first place if that was possible.

Also, one interesting change happened somewhere during that time, I no longer feel embarrassed to say out loud that I just love to play computer games. And I don't mean only just love, I mean together with bodybuilding it's the only thing that I find my interest in. No need to make excuses to avoid being called nerd or lowlife.

"Following your highest joy sets you free" ;)

do you speak of social values
the rule of customs to guide choice
what golden calf are you presenting
who gave the word for this to be

how much do you take with you
when your vital breath can
no longer breathe,
when all that remains are white bones

yes, what wealth do you sacrifice yourself for

Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html

if you really are rich(money) how can you live with your self when poor exist? when you can live with your self then you are really rich. money is men creation and it brings inequity. it could be use in a better way for the benefit of all. some will judge and say that i am a dreamer. but we are the one creating this reallity in this world. maybe one day people will get it right. and we will not need to struggle make conflict and war and do what we hate. be able to stay in the truth with love and make this world like we all would want it to be a place with no inequity a place of safety for every one best interest.

They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid.

http://bible.cc/ezekiel/39-26.htm

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/3-10.htm

To me, the question was never, "Are you willing to be wealthy?" It has always been "Are you willing to let God run your life?" My father was a Christian. He gave me five very important gifts,

1. Read the Bible. All your answers are there. This Guidance will make you happy.
2. Have your own business
3. He gave me a good education
4. Taught me to be self-sufficient
5. Use the Bible as your daily Guide in living your life.

He also said that the Bible is a living Book to be read and interpreted by each according to his own; AND that the Bible was NEVER to be used as a club to get other people do what you think they should do!

I was a precocious child. Dad sacrificed to send me to a fine private school where I could focus on learning. Among other things I learned there were other religions besides Christianity.

I remember asking Dad, what would he have done differently, here, if when he got to Heaven, he found that another religion was right, instead of the Christian God?

Dad replied that he would not have lived any differently because living by God's Word was the best way to live, and that it was up to each person to search his heart and decide what God's Word meant to them.

In later years as I began, in earnest, to study the foundations of religions, I came to understand that there are very similar underlying beliefs, so, like Dad, I respect other peoples' religions. We all have the same Father, anyhow. There is beauty in All religions because there is beauty in God.

I watched Dad grow from a one-man printing shop, to a very successful newspaper publisher, following his principles. They made sense to me. He wanted me to take over his business, but I had my own path. I suggested he sell his business and go play for the rest of his life. He did. And I did.

My two book companions were "Think and Grow Rich," by Napoleon Hill and "The Bible," by God.

We lived on a farm. A small farm. Dad's parents had been very wealthy. Granddad was a whiz at the stock market, but lost everything in the Depression. So Dad wanted us to be self-sufficient.

When I was ten, Dad bought 20 chickens, Rhode Island Reds, and announced that I was in the "egg business." His business model was simple, feed and water your chickens ervery morning. In the afternoon gather the eggs and sell them. Put the money in a cigar box and when you have enough for another bag of chicken feed, buy the feed and do what you like with the rest of the money.

BUT if you spend all the money instead of buying feed, your chickens will starve and die and you will have nothing.

It was a great beginning for me. After feed, egg boxes and a few other necessities, I had an income that was about ten times the allowance of any kid I knew. I remember when bought my own bicyle, it had belonged to one of my rich kid classmates. It was two years old. He wanted a new one and his father told him to sell the old one (which was in perfect shape). I paid him four dollars. The new one cost about ten times that amount. This was also a lesson to me, I could buy a very good used item at a huge discount from someone who had to have THE new expensive, latest model.

I also learned to pay cash for what I wanted unless the asset would make me more money than the cost of the loan payback.

Our farm was in a poor area. With my new-found wealth I suddenly had a lot of poor friends! Wanting to "borrow" money. At first I was naively generous, my Father told me a handshake was an agreement, but found that not only did no one ever pay me back, they got mad at me when I would not "lend" them more!

I offered to take them in as partners, there was more room in the barn for more chickens, but no one wanted to get up early in the morning and help me feed the new chickens! They just wanted my money. They did not want to work.

I still get up at 5:00am and love it!

I asked my Dad about Biblical quotes to help the poor. He said that I should interpret "poor" in my own way. Did it mean "poor" in spirit? Or what? Were their lives better from my "financial gifts"? No. In many ways they were poorer. They had some toys, from the money I had "loaned" them, but could not buy batteries, so they destroyed the toys when I refused to "loan" them more money.

If you want to know about how to happily make money, read, "Rich dad, Poor Dad," by Kiyosaki Pay particular attention to the part where Rich Dad hired the two young boys, by the hour, and what happened when they came to him for a raise. You don't need Kiyosaki's other books or tapes. Just read and re-read that book.

If you want to understand the real lifestyle of the typical American self-made millionaire, read "The Millionaire Next door," by my friend Tom Stanley. See if you can spot me in there :).

Also Napoleon Hill. Read "Think and Grow Rich," and "Pray and Grow Rich," I don't suggest that you buy tons of these authors' other books, etc. They all say the same thing. Better stay with one book and read it than a shelf full that you don't read.

I will close with a quote from Richard Bach in "Illusions! The Adventures of a Reluctant Messaih"

And [the Messiah] said unto them, "If a man told God that he wanted most of all to help the suffering world, no matter the price to himself, and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man do as he is told?"

"Of course, Master!" cried the many. "It should be pleasure for him to suffer the tortures of hell itself, should God ask it!"

"No matter what those tortures, no matter how difficult the task?"

"Honor to be hanged, glory to be nailed to a tree and burned, if so be that God has asked," said they.

"And what would you do," the Master said unto the multitude, "if God spoke directly to your face and said, 'I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.' What would you do then?" And the multitude was silent, not a voice, not a sound was heard upon the hillsides, across the valleys where they stood."

A lot of us are willing but this is something very interesting to ponder. Just what does someone wealthy do to keep and grow his wealth? There would be investing and watching the stock markets every day I think every hour of every day they need to be in touch with the stock quotes even.

Then there are taxes and running a big business, you would have employees under you and maybe even a foreman to handle all the small things but you have a president and vice president under you that you must keep happy not to mention the stock holders of your company.

Then you have to schedule business meetings and keep appointments, meet with advertisers for your company and decide who to hire.

This is just things I can think of from my small business magnified like 100% of what it must be like.

In other words it is hard work being rich and it is not just 8 hours a day 5 days a week either.

So when we really try to see into that life and think of being rich we need to as well be willing to accept "time is money" and every moment we are either gaining or losing money so we need to constantly keep on the ball.

You would have to almost constantly be working on creating value for humanity, if you don't your competitor will.