Think and Grow Rich is STUPID. Preparing and Showing Up is Better.

Reality is much more awesome than you could ever dream possible.  And reality doesn’t give a flying leap about you. Or me.

There was/is an author, Richard Bach who made a career writing fictional books that said you could do anything. Everyone should read these books, especially Jonathan Livingston Seagull (the book, not the person who should read the books).  In these beautiful stories, you were only limited by your imagination and everything was connected together. BUT this IS NOT reality.  The idea that you can do anything by “believing” sounds so pleasing. If only you truly believed you could make your plane fly into the mystics of the universe and you could do and be anything you want. 

This is like the horrible “Think and Grow Rich” books. If any book should be banned, it should be that book. (I don’t think it should actually be banned) Ugh! The idea that you can think yourself rich just seems so enticing. If I believe that my next song is going to be the number one hit, and I truly, truly believe, then it’s going to be a hit.

And of course that’s stupid. This Think and Grow Rich mentality is designed to make you feel guilty for not succeeding. So if you don’t succeed, it would be your own fault because you didn’t believe hard enough! Nope! My song won’t be the number one song in the World for so many reasons and none of it has to do with my skills or the quality of the song (well, probably that too). This could be that I don’t have the marketing budget, I don’t have the right style of music, I’m not wearing the right clothes, and of course the big reason…randomness.

So No. Sorry. Reality is much different than you imagine. There’s 8 billion people just on this planet each striving to do what they want. And these people clash every day. And these people are part of a bigger reality.

Let’s take a different look. You are part of a large ecosystem. You can work within that environment, but you cannot “think” yourself into winning the Kentucky Derby. And don’t get mad at yourself or blame yourself for it not happening.

But there are things you can do to increase your odds. Thinking about what you actually want is important, but don’t sit there and think. Do something, anything, to move you towards what you want. So having a goal can help. Without an objective, you are just walking through the woods, which doesn’t sound too bad.

1. Prepare as much as possible by learning as much as you can. 
2. Practice for the real event
3. Put yourself in positions where you can be seen, heard, and interact with others
4. Be open and say yes as much as possible
5. Use what you have and what you can do
6. Repeat this process and improve.