***The $67,000 Question

Years ago when I was into body building, I couldn’t resist attending a training camp by the big guy. I mean the BIG GUY—A old Shwarzenneger. This was well before his Terminator and Governator days. At the time, he could barely speak the king’s English; nonetheless he won the “Mr. Olympia” title seven times. . . went on to become a Hollywood action film hero — an icon, really . . . a fabulously wealthy real estate owner . . . and, Califo ia’s highest elected official. A old began with a lesson on how to build bigger biceps, explaining that he doesn’t see his biceps so much as muscle mass, but rather as “mountains.” He flexed his right bicep, licked his left index finger, and then touched the tip of his right bicep with his wet finger. He paused for a moment, and then said, “Every morning I get up, flex my biceps, and touch the tip of them with a wet finger … marveling at them like they are mountains, knowing they are growing bigger and bigger.” A old’s point was this: you have to do “the work before the work” in order to guarantee results. You have to do the inner work and pull your mind and spirit in alignment with your dream before you can successfully do the outer work, the physical work that bears fruit. The purpose of the “work before the work” is that you need to convince yourself that you can, in fact, accomplish your dreams. This means getting your mind, body, and spirit all in agreement. This “triad” becomes an energy source that can break through any obstacle standing between you and your goal. I took A old’s tip back to Boston with me and put it to work in my real estate business. Here’s what happened. I was looking at a dilapidated house for sale, debating whether it was possible to renovate it and sell it for a profit. I wet my fingertip and touched the house as I walked through the dingy, crumbling rooms with a broker. When I touched the house, I imagined it fully renovated and sparkling clean. I also imagined realizing a $45,000 profit when I sold it. I made several more visits to the house, each time performing the same “wet fingertip” technique — touching different rooms and imagining them fully renovated. Within a week, I felt fully convinced and aligned, so I made an offer on the house. It was accepted. During the several months it took for the renovation to be completed, I continued the wet fingertip technique every time I went to the house to check on the progress. Several months later, I sold the house for a $67,000 profit. The wet fingertip worked! Our successes are real only because we convincingly decide they are real. The opposite is also true: our ongoing struggles are real only because we convincingly decide they are real. Want to change your world? Begin now, by using your imagination and your fingertip to get the inner work rolling. When the inner work is done successfully, the outer work – the action – comes easily. So here’s the $67,000 question: will you try the technique? Do you have a technique that you’re willing to share with us? Thank you and blessings