The Parable of Talents by Brian Tracy

The Parable of the Talents is the primary reason for wealth or poverty throughout history.

Reasons for Rich or Poor
Why do some people retire rich and most people retire poor? This subject has fascinated philosophers,
thinkers, mystics and teachers throughout the ages. There have been many
cases of hundreds or thousands, and even millions, of men and women
starting with nothing and going on to become financially independent.
So, naturally, people are curious to know how their successes happened
and what the common rules or principles are so that they, too, can apply
them and become wealthy.

Why People Become Rich
One illustration of this key principle is called the Parable of the
Talents. In the Bible, it says, "To him that hath, shall more be given,
and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not, even that which
he hath shall be taken away."

Accumulation Leads to More Accumulation
What does that mean? In the modern world, we say the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The fact is,
though, people who accumulate money tend to accumulate more and more.
People who don't accumulate money seem to lose even that little bit of
money they have. Why should this happen? The great success principle,
the single idea that explains human destiny is simple. It says that you
become what you think about most of the time.

Control Your Thoughts
And whatever you dwell upon grows in your reality. You create your entire world based on the
things you choose to think about and how you choose to think about them.

It just so happens that wealthy, successful people fill their minds with
thoughts, words, pictures and images of wealth, affluence, success,
productivity and solutions to problems in the marketplace most of the
time. These thoughts trigger the reticular activating cortex, the part
of the brain that makes you more alert and sensitive to things that you
have decided are important to you.

Activate Your Reticular Cortex
For example, if you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you will start to see news and information about
mutual funds everywhere. Mentions in newspapers and magazines will jump
out at you. These notices have always been there, but now you have
sensitized your brain to pick them up and draw them to your attention
with far greater frequency and vividness. This is the function and power
of your reticular cortex.

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