The best-kept secret to financial wealth...

Contrary to popular opinion, creating unlimited financial wealth won't come from chasing more money. Now don't get me wrong, I can help you make more money--plenty of it! And if the statement above seems counterintuitive to you, then that's exactly why you and I need to spend more time together. Check this out... A recent Gallup poll posted in USA Today found that 55% of those surveyed state their families are worse off financially today than they were this same time last year. This is the highest number since 1976, and it's an eleven-point jump since February of this year. Interestingly enough, in the very same survey, 26% say they're better off than they were a year ago. What gives? How is it that in the same economy (with the same government officials, the same war, same gas prices, same housing market) that one group thinks their finances are doing poorly but another group actually believes things are better? Now you might think that the 26% are just some of the more privileged few... maybe. But just suppose there's more to it than that. The answer to this question resides in a money paradox that a distinct few understand and most may never grasp. We'll get to that in a minute. In my new book Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, I share the little known truth that, while many people believe wealth is equated to vast sums of money, if you trace the root of the word wealth back to its origins, it literally translates as "well-being." Now I know you might be thinking, "Well James, if I had more money, I'd have more true wealth and well-being!" But studies show that this is not necessarily the case... In fact, most often it's not. A recent survey posted by US Private Banks surveyed individuals with a net worth of $38 million or more. Of those surveyed, 65% stated that they felt "financially insecure." Now get this... These are people with a net worth of at least $38 million! So maybe it's not just the privileged few that are feeling better off than last year. Think about it, if you have a net worth of $38M and wake up in the morning feeling financially insecure... with wealth being defined as well-being, are you truly wealthy? The obvious answer is a resounding "No!" Many Americans believe that a new president is the answer to our situation. Many believe that dealing with the oil and gas companies will make things better. Even more think that if we get out of the war in Iraq, all will become harmonious. While all of these issues may have an impact, they are in no way the answer. So what is the answer? What will bring more financial well-being into your life? The answer resides in the thoughts, feelings and actions of you as an individual. First, shift your focus of attention. Get your mind and continued thoughts off the economy and all the problems being pumped into your home by the mass media. As difficult as this may be, those who are truly wealthy--financially and otherwise--choose where they place their attention and stand guard like a watchdog at the gates of their mind. Peter Lynch once stated, "I don't spend more than 15 minutes a year thinking about the economy." Lynch's results speak for themselves. Stop. Just stop for a moment and think rationally... There's no way in hell that any company's true worth can fluctuate as dramatically on any given day as the New York Stock Exchange would indicate. It's nothing but an opinion--and other people's opinions are only predictions if you allow them to be. There's a principle in our universe which states: Energy flows where attention goes. So consider this: Where are you directing your energy and attention every single day? Regardless of what you answer, your current results will tell the truth... for your results are a reflection of you. Second, stop chasing the money. Science tells us that everything is vibration, including your thoughts, feelings and actions... And yes, even your money. Now think about this... If you're constantly thinking, feeling and acting (what I call going "3 for 3") as if you "need more, need more," what's the real message you're sending out energetically? You guessed correctly if you said the message is, "You don't have it." The universe hears the real message at the level of vibration and states, "Your wish is my command!" As a result, you'll end up living your life always wanting but never having. You'll never get financially wealthy with that strategy. Third, be grateful for all the good that currently exists in your life. If all things are an energetic vibration (which they are) and energy flows where attention goes (which it does), then to place your consistent attention upon the things for which you're grateful is one of the most powerful things you can do. Unlike the message of "I don't have it," when you place your attention with gratitude on all the goodness that currently exists, it's like stating, "Thank you for this. Send me more." When you get grateful, the universe sends you more to be grateful for. Finally, consistently focus on providing more value and service to the world. Take the attention off of "What can I get?" and place it upon "What can I give?" If you want to have more, give more. Winners always give ten times more value than they ask for in return. Doubt me? Look around. I challenge you to find a millionaire who's not surrounded by six-figure income earners. Likewise, find any billionaire and they'll be surrounded by multimillionaires. Why? Because you only profit handsomely in life by providing service and value to others. In other words, you'll only get your big dreams by helping others get theirs. I recently shared the stage with billionaire Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines. There were two things Richard stated that really reinforced what I knew to be true. First, he stated, "I've never done anything in my life to make money. I just always ask, 'Is it going to be fun?'" Next, Richard stated, "Money is just a convenient way of keeping score." If you truly understand this principle, you'll realize that in a capitalistic society, the amount of money you have (or don't have) is directly correlated to the depth and span of the value you provide. So here's the money paradox I mentioned earlier: The greatest way to attract and create more money (or anything for that matter) is to not need it. Now think it through again... If you need something, the real message you're sending out is, "I don't have it." Your neediness is like a raging bonfire, and you're throwing another log on it day after day, hoping it'll go out. The only way to squelch the fire of your lack of financial abundance is to not feed it. Just continually focus on providing tremendous value and service. Henry Ford so wisely put it years ago, "Money will never be achieved when sought after directly. It only comes as the by-product of providing a useful service." Truth is timeless. Get your attention off the economy and your problems, stop chasing the money, become continually grateful for all the goodness you currently have and consistently think, feel and act (going "3 for 3") on what you can give versus what you can get. You'll have true wealth and well-being in every area: relational, mental, physical, spiritual and yes, financial. And just like Branson and so many others who have figured it out, you'll have a lot of fun doing it. That's Harmonic Wealth, my friend, and that's what we all want. To your continued wealth and happiness, James Arthur Ray President/CEO James Ray International, Inc. P.S. Dive more deeply into the true meaning of wealth with my latest DVD, Harmonic Wealth: The Movie... When you do, you'll save $5 off, now through July 22, 2008. Click here to watch the trailer...

My 200th Blog Post: Have you received your "economic expansion" check yet?

This so-called "economic expansion" check is a tax rebate being offered to 130 million households in the United States. At the same time, there's talk of creating a "gas tax holiday." The first three words that crossed my mind when I heard about these two items were, "Please wake up!" In Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, I quote that approximately 70% of those who win the lottery end up flat broke within a few short years. There's a reason this occurs, which I'll discuss in a moment, but before I do, please understand... I totally empathize with you if you're in a tough financial situation right now. I've been on the very verge of bankruptcy twice. And that being said... Do you really think these band-aids are going to solve the real issues? I mean seriously, a few hundred dollars per family to "stimulate the economy?" Wasn't spending money we didn't have in the first place the very thing that created the sub-prime mortgage issue? Do you think it's remotely possible that this rebate is an attempt to potentially quick fix an issue it's taken years to create? And how about a whopping $25-$28 dollar savings per person on a "gas tax holiday," while Exxon is posting record earnings? Shouldn't the focus be on cutting energy costs through more efficient use of our resources? So what's the solution? The solution is a shift in consciousness, both individually and collectively. To begin practicing "3 for 3" in a new direction... to think, feel and act differently than we've done to date. Then, and only then, will we see our personal and collective lives transform. In Harmonic Wealth, I discuss what I call the "now person" and the "later person." I submit that the "now" mentality is a major cause of many of our worlds current level of suffering. The "now" person wants all the spoils and returns immediately. This person is driven to do what feels good in the moment and is therefore a prisoner of his or her moods. The "later" person develops self-mastery and commits to living his or her values above and beyond moods. Over the long-term journey, the "later" person does what's necessary to guarantee they get what they truly desire and deserve. When asked, most people would tell you that they want more power, energy, money, health, fitness, love, harmony and well-being, right? These outcomes take focus and commitment over the long-term, don't they? In other words, to get what you want, you often have to do things that you don't like... And most people aren't willing to do the things they don't like. Do you follow? The "later" person develops self-mastery because they condition themselves to like to do the things that bring them what they want. Please read, re-read and understand that last statement. Paradoxically, by focusing upon their true values and desires (and living them!), the "later" person actually has more joy and harmony right now than the "now" person who is a prisoner of their moods, habits and lack of discipline. By delaying the pleasing activities short-term, you end up with pleasing outcomes. Be very aware of activities that feel good in the moment but don't move you toward your pleasing outcome... Activities such as lounging in front of the television, skipping the gym or spending more than you earn can be very seductive. Pleasing activities or pleasing outcomes... Which will you choose? Which will the world choose? By mastering your mood to like what brings you the results you want versus just doing the things you like, you create the life of your dreams. What will a "now" person do with a rebate check or a break in the gas tax? You guessed right if you said they'd most often do more of the same thing that got them in a limiting situation to begin with. A pleasing activity will capture their attention... and once again they'll want it now. This is the exact reason why people who win the lottery are broke in a few years. Anything you're given that you don't have the ability to create on your own will quickly be taken away. The age-old adage about giving a fish versus teaching to fish comes to mind. When we teach to fish, we shift the consciousness of the student and life is never the same. You see most of us want our life to transform right now... maybe even yesterday. We're addicted to the idea that we can get maximum return for the minimum effort. During one mellow afternoon, I remember sitting by the ocean in Hawaii with my family watching a cruise ship in the harbor. We were eating and chatting about anything and everything for several hours in the sun. None of us were paying much real attention to the cruise ship over our food and conversation, and by appearances, it was sitting motionless. Yet after an hour or so, we began to notice that it was actually turning around. After a few more hours, it completed a 180-degree turn. This is a great metaphor for life. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a lifetime. To make a lasting impact on your life and develop true harmonic wealth, you must clearly define a course and have the discipline to stick with it over days, months and years. Your life is not a speedboat that can turn on a dime... Your life is much more like the cruise ship that takes miles and miles and hours and hours of focus and commitment to move in the direction you've chosen. Once again, this takes a shift in consciousness... A shift in how you consistently think, feel and act. All profound shifts in our world, individually and collectively, begin with a shift in consciousness. The question we must ask ourselves individually and collectively is not, "What pleasing activity can I perform right now to do what I like?" It should really be, "What can I do right now that will guarantee I have pleasing outcomes?" And, "What has to happen for me to like doing the things that get me what I want?" Only when we begin to ask and answer the right questions (personally, as a nation and as a world) will the solutions emerge. Then and only then will we personally and collectively create Harmonic Wealth... True harmony and well-being in every single area. To your continued wealth and happiness, James Arthur Ray President/CEO James Ray International P.S. Order my bestselling book, Harmonic Wealth, today, and I'll throw in 3 bonuses for you: an online study guide, an online video course and a free online viewing of my new movie...