CHAPTER 1
A Glimpse into How It All Started
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. — Lao Tzu
If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then unto me. — William Shakespeare
I'm a Christian, so I go to church regularly. On one occasion, the pastor said that King Solomon had asked God for wisdom and understanding and that God had given him not only the wisdom he asked for but also wealth. I followed the advice my pastor gave me, and I started seeking God. My determination and curiosity allowed my spiritual mind to develop, even though the seed I sowed didn't produce anything immediately.
Much like a real plant, spiritual growth takes time. It may take months before the ground thaws enough for results to be seen. Even if the situation doesn't seem so at first, things will eventually come to fruition, though perhaps not in the way you intended them to flourish.
The seed I planted didn't turn out the way I anticipated. While others were reaping a bountiful harvest, my seed was just still a seed, and it seemed that planting it had been a fruitless effort. Things weren't happening the way I thought they should. I looked back and searched within myself to see where I had gone wrong or what I had neglected to do. I discovered that my understanding and ideas were flawed; I was being pulled in a new direction. The road I was on was unfamiliar and not one I would have chosen on my own.
• Growth takes time. Even if the situation doesn't seem so at first, things will eventually come to fruition.
There Are Consequences When You Ask
No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. — Barbara De Angelis, author
I once had a business partner whom I trusted because we had been friends for seventeen years. He encouraged and inspired me to go to church. We worked to build the clothing store we owned and to create a positive reputation for it.
After I planted the seed, I prayed for wisdom and understanding. At work the situation became complicated; my business partner and I started to have problems. The disagreement was irreconcilable, so we decided to part ways. He was supposed to buy out my half of the business. After our partnership ended, I waited, but I never heard from him. He never came through on his promise to pay me for my half of the business.
Soon after dealing with my ex-business partner, a sister at church came up to me and gave me a book called The Secret. As I read The Secret, I became aware that I am the power. I realized how I had built successful businesses in the past and that my inner strength could enable me to do so again.
The book made me aware of the power that was always there — the riches within me. That's how I started on my journey — by studying and applying these books to my life; this is how I saw results. I came to understand that human beings need to plant the seed of wealth so that the harvest can follow and so we may reap what we sow.
While reading The Secret, I also slowly came to a realization, and I started seeking God in a more earnest manner. I learned that there are abundant resources in the universe and that we need to let go of one thing to embrace another. I recognized that I needed to walk away from the business with my friend. There's always something more, another opportunity waiting — you just need to have faith to claim it.
The Secret has done a lot for me. It enlightened me and gave me a better understanding of how to apply my faith to my life. If I possessed faith, I could be anything. The book asked me whether I wanted to be a millionaire, and my answer was yes; I decided to be a millionaire. Then my studies began.
• You're the power.
• Plant the seed of wealth for the harvest to follow.
• Release what isn't working; there is another opportunity waiting.
The Method
It is the food which you furnish to your mind that determines the whole character of your life.
— Emmet Fox
When the solution is simple, God is answering.
— Albert Einstein
You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.
— Zig Ziglar, master motivator
It isn't necessary to be religious for positive thought to work, but spirituality helps in all things. The Bible is my navigation system; it is my guiding light. I rely on what is written in the Bible because what has kept me going forward in difficult times is my faith in God and the promises I have from the universe.
I watched the business I'd had with my partner from the sidelines. It didn't do well after I left — which taught me that whatever energy and thought you put out into the universe will be reflected back. I was the person who'd helped the business grow, and I'd been the one responsible for the business turning a generous profit.
When I left that partnership, I didn't know how I was going to make it. I had no clear direction in life; I didn't know where I was going or what I wanted to do next, but I didn't let that deter me. Because of what I went through then, I'm now the owner of the Millionaire Mindset Club. It was no easy feat, and I had to go through a lot before I got to where I am now.
For four years, I locked myself up and researched, reading one book after another on prosperity and wealth. After reading Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, a good friend gave me $40,000. With this money I opened a boutique not too far from my previous store, in an area my friends and I called "the desert" because it was like the middle of nowhere, a residential area with slow business. I knew I had to do something, or else I would see this new endeavor fail before it had even had a chance to succeed. I sat down and got my think tank going.
One morning I decided to go door-to-door. I dressed professionally and started walking around the neighborhood. I knocked on every door, and I told everyone I was a black female entrepreneur and that I would love it if he or she would come check out my new store. I also handed out fliers to everyone I saw everywhere I went. I was passionate about the outcome of my business, and this showed.
I never back down from challenges. I'm someone who persists until the end. Within a few days, all that hard work paid off as my business began to boom. Soon after that several stores opened in the area because I had set the trend. My store was a success!
I had worked in retail for most of my life. When I arrived in the United States of America, I worked in a men's clothing store a Jewish family owned. I ended up renting the property from them; it was my first business. My thoughts became positive things as I attracted the business to myself. I had always seen myself owning a business. When the Jewish family returned to the country, they gave me the opportunity to buy the store, so my partner and I took the offer.
My retail experience taught me that satisfying customers' needs is necessary. A surefire way to meet a customer's needs is to talk to them. By making a customer feel welcome and important in your store, you've made him or her feel safe enough to purchase something from you. I encouraged customers to come back and always maintained a cheerful disposition. People came into the store just to chat or browse, but they always walked away with a purchase.
I learned from other entrepreneurs around me, especially those in the Jewish community, who treated their businesses as extensions of themselves and their spirituality. They taught me how to be an entrepreneur. I wove my business life and my spiritual life together, and I prayed at my business every day. It was a wonderful experience.
• Be patient. A seed will grow when conditions are favorable.
• There are abundant resources in the universe; if something isn't working, let it go.
Decisions
There will come a time when you believe every-thing is finished; that will be the beginning.
— Louis L'Amour
The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.
— Emmet Fox, author
I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.
— Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychologist
Everything has a beginning, and that beginning is in the mind.
I strongly believe that the trick to success is in the mind because whether good or bad, we attract what we think. We must imagine success to be successful. Don't let the boundaries of mental limitations hold you down. The world is abundant, and you have to believe in its abundance and that you deserve it. We all deal with situations that give us opportunities, and every individual should make the right decisions to benefit him or her in a positive way. Why is this the case?
The choices we make have consequences, which we call the outcome or the effects. The results are either beneficial or not, making it easy to narrow everything down into two simple categories. Decisions can bring about abundance or induce scarcity. Decisions can result in self-actualization, or they can result in lack of achievement, which leads to disillusionment, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness.
In every scenario there are possibilities for success. We have the framework: our decisions could lead to success and victory or to the circumstances of failure and frustrating disappointment.
• The choices we make have consequences.
• We have the ability to attract success and victory or failure and disappointment.
Self-Evaluation
The unexamined life is not worth living.
— Socrates
Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.
— Tony Robbins, life success coach
There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you're capable of living.
— Nelson Mandela
I'm a philosopher and prosperity teacher. I believe that whatever I read is something I was already aware of in my mind. People who know me are surprised to hear me make this statement, but when I read books, they confirm what I already know. These books are my best friends because they have opened my eyes and guided me to a better life. I learned that people keep looking for money, but wealth is already within them — they need only to open their minds.
I started to be more focused on studying the law of attraction and The Secret to empower myself. I joined a networking company with a millionaire club. The person who had enrolled me told me that if I got other people to join the group, I would become a millionaire as well. I attended all the seminars and surrounded myself with entrepreneurs and people who could motivate me to attain my goals. Although I didn't know it yet, all these ventures were preparing me to be a prosperity teacher.
I started the Millionaire Mindset Club in my basement. Most of the people who joined with me did so because of the energy I exuded. My executive team member from the networking company once said to me that the company's seminar wasn't a social gathering; people should be signing up with the company, not the salesperson. However, when I asked some of the people why they were attending the seminar, they told me they were there not because of the company but because of me. They said they liked my vibration, my energy, and how I motivated them.
Hearing this statement from so many people was a confirmation. I knew I had a calling, and I needed to heed that calling. I must help and guide people who aren't sure what they want or where they are going. Now some of the people who had joined the networking company because of me are part of the Millionaire Mindset Club, which teaches that thoughts control destiny.
Knowing your calling is necessary because not knowing your calling — your purpose in life — is the main reason millions aren't living up to their true potential. Everyone has a different reason for being here. Everyone should be pursuing something he or she is good at, something that makes him or her happy. You should spend your life serving your passion, what keeps your light burning. You know you're on the right track if you feel something is missing when you're unable to follow your passion. If you pursue something you're good at, something you're passionate about, you'll never lack motivation or success.
Some people find pursuing passion to be troubling and ill advised. You may lose family members and friends because you have some ideas that are out of the norm. Family and friends may encourage you to stop dreaming and to be practical, maybe because they think only a few people can make it big. You'll have to act like it's impossible to fail. Picture it this way: imagine yourself in the middle of the ocean; far ahead of you on the horizon is an island. You don't just give up and go back to the shore where you started. You need to swim forward; don't look back.
Keep moving forward until you reach your goals; don't let negative things get the best of you. When everything looks pitch black and you feel stuck or like you're never going to succeed, visualize yourself reaching your goal. This is something many successful people go through, including me.
Never surrender. Never give up.
• We attract what we think; imagine the success you want.
• People keep looking for money when wealth lies within.
• Discover your calling; that is the road map to your goals.
The Passing of My Mother
The mark of fear is not easily removed.
— Ernest Gaines, author
Do it trembling if you must, but do it!
— Emmet Fox, author
I am consumed with the fear of failing. Reaching deep down and finding confidence has made all my dreams come true.
— Arsenio Hall, actor, talk show host
I promised my mother at her funeral that I would take care of my two youngest siblings. I did it on my own, without any help. My mother had visions; she could see things before they happened. She was a strong woman and my hero because no matter what circumstances life threw her way, she never gave up and persistently stood up for what she believed in.
When my brother died, however, my mother was greatly affected. She wallowed and dwelled in her grief and suffering. I can clearly remember the day my mother died; I received a call from her that same morning; she told me she was afraid. She said, "Debbie, there is someone out there who is coming to kill me." Upon hearing those words over the phone, I was dumbfounded. I was in shock because it was the first time in my entire life I'd heard my mother talk about her fears. I'd looked up to my mother my whole life. She was very strong and never seemed to be afraid of anything.
Fear has a crippling effect on people. It has the power to paralyze your mind and hold you back. I believe my mother's negative thoughts caused four people's deaths — including her own — because she sent negative thoughts out into the universe.
Whenever she couldn't find her sons, she constantly worried about their safety, even when there wasn't a reason to be worried. We lived in a very volatile area; we heard gunshots every night. Her thoughts created what happened to her and my brothers.
The law of attraction was at play here, a law that is real and not of the devil. If it is practiced positively, prosperity will be abundant within your life, regardless of your religion or ethnicity. The books I read enlightened me and helped me to focus on the agreeable. To attract positive things to you, it is necessary to have a positive mind. Once you establish positive thinking, you will attract anything you want.
