Episode 48: Who’s that Napoleon?

MAK: Grant, this season has been pretty awesome. I’ve learnt so much, and it’s been fun learning the different lessons on how to grow wealthy.

 

GRANT: Agree.

 

MAK: Do you think there was a rich dad, who was a chariot builder living in an average mud house next to other people who didn’t know he was rich?

 

GRANT: Never thought of it that way. But, it’s clear you’ve been paying attention. It’s also clear that several of the lessons are very similar. But, did you know when we spoke about Babylon it piqued my interest.

 

MAK: Why? Did you find some interesting facts about the city or something?

 

GRANT: Well, I found out that King Hammurabi really built the city up, and was a great leader.

 

MAK: Didn’t he also create a number of laws to run the city which were pretty unique for the time? He tried to make things fair, but it sounds like he didn’t always succeed.

 

GRANT: He did a lot of construction too. He built up the walls of the city and encouraged trade in the region, as well as science.

 

MAK: Things really flourished under him. It became the biggest city in the world and he united Mesopotamia.

 

GRANT: Dad would probably love to hear this. Later on, Nebuchadnezzar came in and ruled. He supposedly built the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”.

 

MAK: Why are THEY special?

 

GRANT: Sounds like they were crazy beautiful, built on tiers or steps and were one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. And… it’s the only one of the 7 they couldn’t find.

 

MAK: That sounds mysterious.

 

GRANT: Agree. Some really cool stuff, for sure. And, I didn’t realize the Tower of Babel is actually the Tower of Babylon, now that’s a story.

 

MAK: Of… Biblical proportions.

 

DAD: Nice pun.

 

MAK: In the book of Genesis it explained why we have different languages in the world. Definitely worth a read.  You know dad “babels” about finance sometimes.

 

GRANT: Mak, you’re on a roll!! He does when he goes deep into the money thing. When that happens, I don’t understand him at all.

 

MAK: Well, he’s not “babelling” this season, I’m really getting it. You know he has always talked about the Money Mindset. Maybe we should learn a bit more about that.

 

GRANT: Since I don’t have that one clear, we should definitely get some more info.

 

MAK: Sounds good to me!!

 

MAK/GRANT: Dad, we want the Money Mindset. (Pause, pause) Can you tell us what it is exactly?

 

DAD: Hi yaaaaa! WAAAA…

 

MAK: Did you hear that?

 

GRANT: It’s Saturday and he’s probably finishing his favorite Karate movie, “Pull your Wagon”.

 

MAK: Grant, you know dad wouldn’t be happy if you said that, disrespecting Bruce Lee like that. It’s “Enter the Dragon”. And…

 

GRANT: I know, I know. Bruce learnt Wing Chun and not Ka-ra-tay. Ok, I got it out of my system. Do you think he’s down there learning some martial arts or doing that “routine” thing again?

 

MAK: If he is, we need to catch him after the movie and before he starts his meditation and visualization.

 

GRANT: Yeah, he’s not a happy camper if we interrupt him when he’s in “his trance”. I can hear the movie’s over, time to go. Hurry.

 

MAK: Hey dad, what’s going on?

 

DAD: Not much, you know sometimes on a Saturday morning, I really need to get my “Zen” on AND watch Bruce Lee. It gets me pumped up, then I dive into my meditation and visualization routine.

 

GRANT: We were hoping to catch you before your Medi-visualization, and after your movie so we didn’t mess up your “Big Bang”.

 

MAK: Grant… It’s Yin Yang. It’s the philosophy of counterbalancing, interconnected opposing forces.

 

GRANT: Wow Mak, maybe I should call you “Grasshopper” (with accent) from that 70’s hit television show “Kung Fu”. Dad probably loved that show.

 

DAD: I did, because the old blind man hears “the grasshopper and the young man does not” (with accent). Think about that. (pause) Soooo, you caught me at the right time. What can I do to help?

MAK: You love talking about the money mindset. We were hoping you might be able to explain it to us.

GRANT: Is it that “humming” thing you do after your movie? Is that part of it?

DAD: Yes, kind of. The “humming” is actually called a mantra.

 

MAK: Did you say “Contra”. Like if you’re against something. Kind of like Grant is “Contra” homework?

 

DAD: No, it’s called a mantra, with an “M”. It’s a word or sound repeated to help you concentrate during meditation.

 

GRANT:  OOOOOOOOO mmm. That makes sense. I made it funny.

 

MAK: I’m ignoring that. So, what does meditation do for you anyway?

 

DAD: It does several things. It helps reduce stress and anxiety, it can help you sleep, lower your blood pressure. Those are all great things, but I like it for focusing my mind.

 

GRANT: Dad, I get why you’d want to focus your mind in school, but what do YOU need to focus your mind on?

 

DAD: By thinking about those things I want in my life, it makes me more focused on making them happen.

 

MAK: So, your thoughts become reality. You think more about it, which makes you take action which gets you closer to your end goal.

 

DAD: Excellent. I’ve seen you do the same. You created a goal, you focused your mind on it, and then you achieved it. Isn’t that what you did when you wanted to get an “A” on that test last week?

 

GRANT: That’s true Mak, you did talk about it each day for a week before the exam.

 

DAD: I work on focusing on it 5 days a week. The Money Mindset is a lot of things. But, one of the biggest parts is realizing that thoughts are powerful.

 

MAK: Wow, did you just hear that? It said “Big Idea #1” (mimicking a low voice). What’s going on?

 

GRANT: Dad, is this another book you learnt from?

 

DAD: Yep, it’s called Think and Grow Rich.

 

MAK: Do you really believe that you can think and grow rich? Isn’t that like magic?

 

DAD: I absolutely do. It’s been a very important part of my journey. I have faith that when I do the right things, it gets me closer to my goal.

 

GRANT: WOOO. I heard that one. It said “Big Idea #3” (mimicking a low voice). Mak, you heard #1 and now, I heard #3. What’s going on?

 

DAD: You guys are hitting on some HUGE ideas from the book.

 

MAK: Ok, let’s start over.

 

GRANT: Is this a well known book?

 

MAK: When was it written?

 

GRANT: Did the author do any research

 

MAK: Do people believe it works

 

GRANT: Hey, the idea does sound a bit crazy. Think… and be Rich.

 

DAD: Those are all great questions. It’s Think and GROW Rich. I’m glad you’re asking questions, I definitely want to encourage it. First, it was written by a guy named Napoleon Hill in 1937.

 

MAK: Come on dad. That’s a long time ago, are these ideas still good today?

 

GRANT: Mak, we did hear about Bansir, the Chariot builder. Those lessons were set in a story thousands of years ago, and they worked back then and today.

 

MAK: I guess you’re right. So dad, what about the other questions?

 

DAD: Well, there are various estimates, but it looks like this book has sold over 100 million copies over the last 80+ years. And, it has 25 years of research in it.

 

GRANT: Ok, that’s a lot of sales AND research.

 

MAK: So, the first lesson is that thoughts are powerful, right? Wow, did you hear that AGAIN? Cool.

 

DAD: We learnt your mind is your most important asset in Rich Dad Poor Dad. Putting thoughts in your mind that are positive, have always been powerful for me.

 

GRANT: Do you have an example?

 

DAD: When I was younger, I truly believed I would never fly on an airplane or go to another country.

 

MAK: That’s silly dad.

 

DAD: I know, but it wasn’t until I saw my brother travel the world that I started to believe. Then look at what happened.

 

GRANT: You’ve been everywhere. France, Turkey, Argentina, Morocco, Japan…

 

MAK: Switzerland, Australia, Spain, Paraguay and many more.

 

DAD: You got it. For me, it all changed when I had that thought. In the book, thoughts are way more important than having money, education or knowledge. And, I REALLY wanted to travel too.

 

GRANT: So, you had a “burning desire” to travel.

 

DAD: Yep. You have to have desire, and ask yourself how bad you want it. That’s lesson #2. When your thoughts are mixed with desire they turn into actions.

 

MAK: That makes sense. It sounded like you clearly had it. Didn’t you drive your car from east to west coast looking for a job that would take you all over the world?

 

DAD: I did, and I almost gave up. But, I had just enough faith to hang on. And, I found an international audit job with… .

 

GRANT: Tupperware… the little plastic boxes.

 

DAD: You got it. Napoleon calls “Faith” the great equalizer. You focus on the positive stuff, write down your goals and reinforce the message by continuing to tell yourself you can do it.

 

MAK: Does that mean if you have faith, you have just as much chance of being successful as anyone?

 

DAD: That’s a really good way to put it. Sounds like you got it. You gotta have FAITH. Hey, I think we’ve heard this next one before. You need specialized knowledge.

 

GRANT: Is that the one that we have to know “our stuff”? Don’t invest in stuff we have no knowledge, experience or simply don’t understand?

 

MAK: Knowledge is more than school, but we can learn at the library, through conversations with people that know “their stuff” and through experience.

 

DAD: I’ve made this mistake, so I remind people that having a crazy big expectation for an investment return can get you into trouble. And, sometimes it’s FOMO that gets you in trouble. Remember?

 

MAK/GRANT: Fear of missing out!!!

 

DAD: You got it… Ok, are you sitting down? This is a big one. And, I believe we all can agree on it. In the book, it’s considered the #1 rule. I personally think kids have loads of it.

 

GRANT: Are you talking about fighting? We have loads of that in us.

 

MAK: Seriously G? Dad, since we’re talking about our minds and thoughts, I’m guessing it’s “Creativity and Imagination”. I got lots of that.

 

GRANT: Hey, I do too!

 

DAD: Creative Imagination, it is. I’ve seen it in your writing, your drawings and other things you’ve both created. Plus, I’ve seen how you approach problems differently than me.

GRANT: Mak, you made your quadruple chocolate pancakes, I would’ve never thought that was possible. And, they didn’t fall apart! It was amazing AND delicious.

 

MAK: Big bro, I loved your DNA helix made out of red licorice for your science project. I thought that had a lot of imagination, and when it was over, you could eat it.

 

DAD: You guys are starting to make me hungry. Did you know Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

 

GRANT: I agree, it’s just endless and creates so many new, interesting things, like video games. You need killer imagination to create the different worlds you play in, and all the enemies, powers and other stuff.

 

DAD: Creativity can be used in so many ways. Napoleon believed that you can see opportunities and their outcomes, which leads to inner energy and when put together with a plan can make you very successful.

 

MAK: So, if you use your creativity, you can take the three types of chocolate: White, milk and dark and make tens of thousands of candy bars with chocolate. Now that’s creative!! And yummy!!

 

DAD: You got a point Mak. Hey, this is a great place to stop. I think we can call this a “sweet ending”.

 

GRANT: Sounds good, but you never told us how many lessons Think and Grow Rich has. Did we cover all of them?

 

DAD: We only covered half of the lessons, so we’ll have to finish Napoleon’s book next week. It’ll give you some time to work on these 5 before giving you any more.

 

MAK: Grant, can you see my power? I’m thinking huge thoughts!!!

 

GRANT: My mind is focused now like a razor blade…

 

DAD: Perfect. It takes practice. See you next week.

 

MAK/GRANT/DAD: BYE.

 

Ben’s 2 Cents

Books open your mind. But, every book doesn’t resonate with everyone. Think and Grow Rich has been a wild success. This season’s goal is to expose you to some various books to encourage you to further explore. There are books out there that will speak to you at the right time, when you’re ready. Just like for my wife. We all need to continue our journey, and it will come.

 

I love this book, because I’ve found that the mind plays such a huge role in our lives. Have you ever met someone who seems to have everything, but is miserable. We don’t know what’s going on in their life, but I’ve found happiness is a choice. And, if you believe you can or can’t, you’re right. What a great quote, because the way we view the world is in our mind.

 

I know you’ve heard stories about someone who did the impossible, and it was related to their state of mind. Maybe they had to succeed or they would actually die. Others have been motivated to succeed for the sake of someone they love or had some crazy drive they couldn’t let go.

 

Thoughts are powerful. When you mix in desire and faith, ACTION takes place. Then, when you add some creative imagination and specialized knowledge, you’re in an awesome place to succeed.

 

I’ve had an amazing life, but Corona has possibly been the most challenging chapter in it. Without my family and a healthier mindset that was positive, grateful and optimistic, I believe it would have been much tougher.

 

Let’s learn from these lessons and work on them. The ones we’re drawn to, can be an entry point. So, keep the faith. Life is daily.

 

I’ll leave you with this thought. My life is much better when I use my mind to think about things I’m grateful for, envision what my life can be and think positively. I’m sure with practice you’d feel the same.

 

Thanks for being here, and we’ll see you next time for more Money with Mak & G. Bye.