I had a conversation with a rich man the other day who happened to also be a relative. He is also a very religious man who knows all the motions by heart and goes above and beyond to demonstrate them.
We have a lot in common when it comes to work ethic. Matter of fact, at the start of our conversation, he said that we could make a great team working together. He told me some of his secrets to gaining great financial riches. He told me of his strategies for investing and even what to look for and how to do it. Long story short, it was a great conversation, I learned a lot.
He then presented me with the old nine-dot test where you had to connect all nine dots with four lines. From memory, I completed the puzzle. Then he said to do it with three lines. Although a bit more challenging, I figured out a way to do it and it worked without curving any lines.
The take away was that to be financially rich, you often have to think and be outside the box. Then I asked, “At the beginning of our meeting, you said we would make a great team. How can we make that happen?” His response was, “I have rules. One is not to work with family.” To that I have concluded that a man of great wealth due to his outside-the-box way of thinking has subjected himself to the biggest box a man could ever put himself in by limiting who he does business with on the grounds of relationship status. A man well versed in a religion whose leader commands that we take care of our families, not watch them suffer. A man who has been privileged to possess earthly tools to guide those close to him, but chose to encapsulate himself inside a box instead.
Rich or poor, life is a challenge. We all face obstacles. We all need help from time to time. Building walls and enclosing yourself in boxes is not a healthy solution. What was it Reagan commanded? “Tear down this wall.” I might add, build a bridge in its place and watch opportunity flourish.
Rules are boxes. If you are going to think outside the box in hopes of making something happen, you have to actually be outside the box.
Carpentry Life 