Today I would like to share a parable with you. A parable is a story that has a lesson within it. This parable came to me by way of Bob Ritchey and the Win the Game of Money Institute. I really enjoyed the lesson to be learned here and it is something that I had touched upon in an earlier blog. Bob explains my thoughts on this subject far more eloquently than I had and I thought it was worth passing along.
Many hundreds of years ago there lived a king. He had ruled for many years and, looking around, he saw that other kings had left statues, paintings, and castles to distinguish themselves. He too wanted to leave something behind to distinguish his rule. But he wanted to distinguish himself from all the other great kings that had ever lived. He pondered how he could do that. What could he leave behind that would be “unique” and “set him apart?” He noted that all of the other kings had left behind material things. Great works of art or feats of engineering. Finally, he decided that he would leave to mankind something truly unique. Not a statue or a temple, which he felt were mere attempts to satisfy one’s own vanity. He would leave mankind THE TRUE STORY OF LIFE.
He summoned all of the wise men of his Kingdom and told him of his plan. He ordered them to go out into the world and to spend the next five years researching and seeking the answer. At the end of five years, they would each return to the Kingdom and write down what they had discovered.
All of the wise men went out into the world as commanded and for five years they sought the answer to their Kings’ question. When the five years had passed, they returned to the Kingdom one by one. There, they met in a great room to discuss their findings and start writing down the TRUE STORY OF LIFE. Finally, after another five years had passed, the wise man told the King they had completed their work. They wheeled out a large table and presented it to him. On that table were twenty large, thick books containing THE STORY OF LIFE.
The King looked at the table and shook his head. He told the wise men that it was way too long. That no one would ever read it. They would have to condense it down to something easier to comprehend. The wise man spent another five years at the task. At the conclusion of which, they once again went to the King. This time they presented to him one very large and very thick book. Again, the King looked at it and shook his head. He told them that it was still too long, and they would have to condense it one more time.
Another five years passed. Finally, the wise man came to the King once again. This time they presented him with but one page of parchment, and on that one page there was but one sentence. The King read the sentence and smiled broadly as he pronounced that the sentence was in fact, THE TRUE STORY OF LIFE. The sentence read:
THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH!
One of the biggest mistakes people make, and the gurus take advantage of, is the belief that a person can become wealthy in a short period of time with very little effort. They try to convince you “that you can get something for nothing.” If this belief is on your Belief Window, make an effort to remove it immediately.
The road to wealth is long and oftentimes tedious. There are no shortcuts. Be prepared to work hard and put in the effort. You will find that the rewards are worth it.
Thank you to Bob Ritchie and the Win the Game of Money Institute for such a great story. If you want to learn more go to http://winthegameofmoney.com. I will make it a point to mention to Bob that I plagiarized his work the next time I see him. Until next we meet remember to swing for the fences.
