it was a system put in place to keep us in our box. Treb talks about this here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwPkGakVJs

love n light

rob

I agree with LapisLazuli. I really don't aspire to make it in this world, not in the context of this question. Not any more.

To be judged successful in terms of the size of your wallet, your mouth, your house, your fist? Not for me. I don't understand people who live like that. I used to try, but now I just keep clear. :)

For me, it's more of a gentle, daily optimum that qualifies as making it: Things like exercise and good food, meditation, fresh air, rest. Get myself into the Votext and see - how much joy I can wring out of every single day? The kindnesses I give and receive. The new knowledge and awakenings that have become a regular feature in my life. People looking forward to hearing from me? Did I provide any joy, comfort, or wisdom? That is a good day's work. Turned away from allowing something stupid to drag me down? That's progress. Did I hear I love you today? Did I say it?

These are my measures now, but I'm learning to let go of even these if they don't serve the moment. I know that if I just keep myself in the Vortex as much as I can, I am everything I need to be, for myself, and for anyone around me.

Businesses compete for search engine rankings, but Google is not rewarding the hardest or fastess, or most ruthless website.

Google is rewarding quality and uniqueness, and I believe Google is an intelligent organisation with benevolent values at it's core - a smarter internet.

Life seems to function similarly to the internet.

So aim for the same thing - qualities, and uniqueness.

This kind of success is slavery
Remember all of the time we're worked overtime, expecting something in return. It's the same way many driven people live their lives. Realying on the Universe doesn't acknoledge this, or expect us to be slaves or ruthless task masters.

I recommend Robert Greene's, 48 Laws of Power, and Machiavelli's, The Prince for advice in "ruthless success." The books give good insight into how some people play this game. Perhaps, the Gordon Gekko types would use this.

Consider the Dathan's advice for success, because it seems very relevant today. "I am here because I bowed lower than my brothers before the Egyptians. Now the Egyptians bow low before me," Dathan, The 10 Commandments. The slave and master are essential to each other, and the best thing we can do is not play that game.

Hi Jai, To be strong and ruthless will attract strong and ruthless people into a persons life and they will forever think that they need to be more strong and ruthless to make it. It is a vicious circle without end.

One can be kind and loveing but firmness and a strong character are required in todays compatitive world. Yes one must be able to say the word no with conviction when required.

In your case think Jesus Christ. Loveing, kind but firm and authorative.

It is said it is a cut-throat world or a dog eat-dog world. In business, this seems to make sense. If we consider the Gas prices here in the USA, you can see one store selling gas and next thing is across the street someone else is selling the same gas for more! So he is selling the same gas and making a greater profit off of the gas you buy.

They are in competition with each other to sell you the highest price gasoline. Each has to try to outdo the the other to make the greatest profit. But that is the basis of capitalism and what makes it so great is that we have that option of selling to make greater and greater profits.

The only problem is with this is that we can not say oh if gasoline cost this much I am switching to the competition and buying nasoline instead (nasoline does not exist by the way.) So we must pay if we want to drive because there is no competition for gasoline, we either buy gasoline or don't drive.

@Jaianniah, your question is multifaceted. I personally have felt this way until few years ago, And although, I understand what you are saying, you have like six questions in there and some contradictions within them:)

Here are my two cents...

I personally don't think that the default personality of successful people is ruthless, a$$hole, mean and evil! It just seems that way because those are the ones most people read/watch/follow and are most featured in media! Just like the default personality of 'non-successful' people is not that of kind, gentle, harmonious, generous either.

Someone recently told me that if you were not strong and ruthless, you would not make it in this world. Is this true?

No, it's not true, unless you are referring to 'making it in this World' professionally, then to a certain degree it is true. This depends on your definition of 'making it'.

In fact, you'll be surprise to know that, the few ultra-successful people I know, also ask the same question:) Just because they are doing it doesn't mean they're happy' about it:) They choose to live that way. Good for them, I say.

When did our world become so "competitive"?

It always has been competitive. And it always will be. That doesn't mean you have to take part in that competition. If you don't get it, the other guy is gonna get it. Right or wrong, it just has been that way. In professional World, you are fighting for the same customers/clients/consumers so competition is unavoidable. In fact, from a consumer point of view, competition is great as he has more options to choose from.

What does it take to "Make It" in our world today?

That also depends on your definition of 'making it'. There is no minimum or maximum requirement to 'make-it', depending on your idea of 'making it', it can be 'do nothing' to 'do whatever it takes'. There are very content people with very less, there are also very dis-content people with outrageously 'more'. There is no upper limit! This is a personal/individual bar-setting.

This is hard for me. I do not measure success like other people. I almost hate the way our media has become.

I think here, you are comparing yourself with others. If you do not measure success like other people (like I don't) you should not let the media or other people affect you. I know it is difficult as the media in Western countries and increasingly in Eastern countries are awestruck with wealth/celebrities/overnight millionaires etc., it is achievable. I personally had to re-calibrate my own definitions few years ago.

This is increasingly more difficult as now, the information, news or otherwise, is almost unavoidable, but think about it this way, when a alcoholic goes sober, the bars, the liquor stores, the beer TV commercials, the drinking people are still there, one has to navigate without letting it all affect your sobriety. They'll always be there.

And here's the thing: They don't think they are doing anything wrong. In a way, they are not making people alcoholics now are they! They are within their rights to do business (aggressively or not)!

It is in this context, you can be strong and ruthless. Stick to your beliefs. Pick what you want to follow and ignore that which doesn't serve you.

What happened to our gentleness and patience?

It's still being practiced!And it always will be. Maybe not so much in business but most people don't open their businesses because of charity. So to a certain degree it is expected there. Over the years, I have learned to separate my personal and professional lives. That's the only way, IMHO.

Why must I be considered to be too strong and ruthless at all? Isn't it better to be gentle with people-- or does that not fit the "formula" for success"???

I don't think it's a question of "formula" for success. Lot's of strong and ruthless people are utter failures (Hitler???) and just being gentle does not help either (Mother Teresa??). Not everybody is going to come to you for your gentleness, most of them will come to take advantage of you being a nice person.

Also, I would not dismiss the great achievements people have gifted our physical World either. Almost in all major inventions/discoveries in human history, there was ruthlessness, business strategy, out- manoeuvring competition, monopolizing etc.

We wouldn't be on this site had it not been for a guy whose ambition was to put PC in every home on the planet or the guy who came up with World Wide Web:) or commercial Aviation, telephony etc.

If you've read/ watched Bill Gates or Mark Zukerberg's stories, they were unwavering in their business pursuits. As per these stories they were strong and ruthless as well:)

And this is not a new thing. Almost all of our mythology reflects competition, strategy, obsession with staying ahead in the World.

I personally think, the human race doesn't know what they want (not all of us, but most of us). We will protest until it gets to our hands and then we get so used to it that we cannot live without it:)

I think separation of Who I am, Who I am expected to be and What I do (for a living) is a must. I think all of us have to be aware of this separation consciously.

Being part of the business world I can say yes and no to your question Jai.

No, you don't have to be ruthless.

It's really a myth! I see several ruthless people and they're only good for a few years in the business I'm in. They are usually people in their 30's who "think" they have to be that way in order to get ahead and impress their boss to get promoted. Instead they "age" quickly, their family lives suffer (if they even have one), and they burn out after 5 yrs (ish). Alot of them are cowards as they get their subordinates to do the dirty work for them out of fear for their jobs and they blame others if something goes wrong. They're people you don't really want to be around as they "radiate" misery.......but they get results.....although based on fear!!!

Yes, you have to be strong.

If your not strong, people (employees/customers) will walk all over you and take advantage of you. To simplify it, being strong is really the ability to say "NO!"

Yes, you have to be Aggressive

If you have 2 employee's at 2 separate companies and one employee starts making phone calls to clients starting at 9am when they arrive at work, and the other employee would like to relax before even thinking about making some calls or might leave it till the afternoon.....well the more aggressive go-getter is going to be the one making the money. You have to make an effort (big or small) to get money.

Society

(This is a brief explanation as to why it's hard to get ahead....)

The world is "OWNED" by a very small group of people and they control the Governments, Banking systems, financial institutions.....they decide how much you pay "for everything!!" and they decide how much money the average man will have. They don't want people coming up "out of the pack" and taking away their power and control......

Society is "designed" to keep the "general population" a little bit above the "revolution level!"....(except seniors who are too old and scared to revolt.) Give the people just enough so they can feed themselves, and not revolt and take their power away....it is absolutely "designed" to hold you down......and it's been designed that way for thousands of years.....so don't get freeked out that this is something new.

(This is also how Corporations are designed)

If anybody does really well they will "tax" it back from you. Property tax is just another word for "rent." & "Working extra hours is just a heavier income tax".....AND its a crime for the "General population" to not pay tax!!

It's a Lose/Lose situation.

So what do you do???......

....understand the following:

...You will "NEVER" get rich at your job alone!

...Everybody who "is" rich has "multiple" sources of income....not just one!

...The only place you can get money in this world is from "other people."

...If you buy cheap discount clothing you will "stink" of "cheap" in the eyes of "other people"

...Money (Eg: expensive clothes) attracts Money

...How much money you make is "TOTALLY LINKED" to how good you feel about yourself!!

...You "DON'T" have to re-invent a new product or service with an incredible business plan behind it......No, you can use an already existing product or service and make it "slightly different"

finally....

...If you spend hours each day watching TV or playing video games or "doing nothing" you have absolutely no right to complain about not having enough money.

Even an extra thousand dollars a month is enough to take a huge financial weight off your shoulders and lets you start enjoying life!!

To better understand:

$1000 every month......or:

$500 every 2 weeks....or:

$250 every week.....or:

$50 every day (5 day week)

Is there something that could earn you $50 per day extra?....that's all it would take to make life so much better.

I came across the following from www.spiritualchannelling.com and immediately thought of this question. Tony Neate has been channelling HA, a source of higher consciousness for fifty years! Below is what HA has to say (if you want to read the whole thing it is in the channellings archive bit of the website entitled "The Pathway to the Spirit"). HA starts off talking about the vulnerability of flowers and butterflies and then goes on to talk about humans.

"Human beings, feeling themselves to be fragile, to be weak, cover themselves in a kind of shell for protection, feeling that this is the way to cope with Earth life. But of course what happens is that that shell, far from serving them, becomes not only divisive between one human being and another, but it separates the person, the human being from their own spirit. Think about that!

This entire planet is full of needy human beings who need love, need warmth, need nurture; all are needy. But the way to receive what is needed is not to hide beneath a shell, a protection, to create some kind of a barrier. That is a false protection. The way to receive what is needed is to be acknowledged and to feel the vulnerability - that is like the snow that falls from the sky. It is so soft it comes into all the cracks and moistens the earth. Vulnerability is that softness, the delicate bloom on the butterfly’s wings, the petal that allows beauty to come into form.

For your beauty to come into form there needs to be no barrier. There needs to be a pathway, if you like, whereupon your own divine spirit can flow down into this incarnation. It needs not to be impeded. It needs a soft way. When you weep you allow yourself to soften. Your tears create a smooth watery pathway for spirit to enter. Your tears release some of that hard artificial shell that serves you not.

You may wonder how you can survive in a world of turmoil and turbulence. The way to survive is to work with your environment, in the same way that the flower and the butterfly survive in their environment, by being with it, flowing with and being a vulnerable expression of the Godhead. It is quite hard for many human beings to realise that their softness and their vulnerability is perhaps the greatest way to reach soul consciousness. They shut their own soul away, using an illusionary strength, a toughness that becomes hardness."

So the answer for all of us is not to "toughen up" but to flow a little more. Jaianniah don't put a protective shell around your so obviously warm heart.

a deception spawned by
Lucifer to lure men
or an intellectual

creative human thought
of limited brightness
that so called deductive

or inductive thinking,
justifying the means
to get to an end