What should you do when you have tried just about everything you could think of and nothing seems to work? There are always more options than the ones you can see. But how can you see them? Our radical approach fuses the practicality of science with the timeless wisdom of the Bible.

First, as a human you are a spiritual being that lives in a physical packaging called the body. You’re made up of both spiritual matter and natural matter. At death the two types of matter separate. The physical packaging gets recycled back to its constituent chemical elements and the spiritual matter goes back where it came from. The Bible says it came from GOD. Natural matter falls in the domain of what science can test and experiment on as per the scientific method. Spiritual matter operates by totally different rules. Details on how the spiritual world works come from the Bible. The practical implication of this is that your results and life experiences are not only shaped by the natural actions you take. Please watch this video about the spiritual world for more details.

There are two systems operational in the world today?

Second, your reality is shaped by your beliefs. They help you make sense of your experiences. What you may not be aware of is that there are two main systems that shape the meaning of your beliefs. One is the Babylonian system and the other is called the Kingdom of GOD (of the Bible) system. The former follows the Greco-Roman (or Hellenic) logic while the latter is based on the Hebraic way of seeing the world. The two systems are as different as night is to noonday and approach life in completely different ways. It is not that one is good and the other is wrong. They are meant to serve different purposes. We were raised to believe in the Greco-Roman system as the only way and that is why it is second nature to us.   

The Babylonian system is rooted in the belief of scarcity, that there is not enough to go around for everyone. It says, to survive, you need to go hunting and then lock everything you get behind an impenetrable security door. If you don’t, other hunters will seek to take it for themselves. In the world of scarcity, it is every man for himself and survival of the fittest. As Darwinism states, the strong thrive and the weak perish. This is the world of the super rich and the hopelessly poor. It is the world that you and I have known all our lives. We admit that it is unfair but take it as the way it has always been and will continue to be.

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in 2021 is a classic example of how the system works. As this article from The New York Times shows, wealthy people in the same country got better access to vaccinations than the people of limited means. Not only did rich countries corner most vaccine supplies, they also started vaccinating their less vulnerable youths even before poorer countries could start vaccinations of their highly susceptible elderly. This is how the Babylonian system works and will always work. Opportunities go to the ones with the best connections who can pull all the right strings. It is not always about merit.

The abundance mindset system.

The Kingdom of GOD (or Hebraic) system starts from a totally different premise. It says there is more than enough for everyone if you do things in a different way. The Bible calls the approach The Way. We call it The Certain Way.

“How can there be more than enough for everyone? That sounds crazy and devoid of any basis in reality whatsoever,” you may say.

The skepticism is understandable. When you’ve lived in darkness all your life, it sounds illogical that there are others who experience the light of day all the time. People who grew up in rich families don’t understand why poor people remain poor. Even the many raised in poverty don’t readily see how they can get out.

For the abundance logic of the Hebraic system to make sense, first, think of a standard grand piano. How many melodies can it make with those limited keys? Endless! Also, the number of natural resources on the planet has remained virtually the same for centuries but the quality of life has kept getting better.

What is the point? The problem is not the limitation in resources. It is the limitation in the creativity and inventiveness needed to release the abundance locked up in those limited resources, for the benefit of all.

The backstory – what is the basis for abundance and scarcity?

Let us look at it from a different angle. The GOD of the Bible created a perfect world that had absolute abundance and nothing negative. Man lived in that paradise called the Garden of Eden until he made a decision to rebel against GOD’s system of doing things. His rebellion introduced curses. Simply put, curses are like the dark cloud of bad luck that follows you wherever you go. Everything takes longer than it should, if it ever succeeds at all. Breakthroughs collapse at the last minute. Different generations of the same family are devastated by the same problems. There is an invisible but very real force that ensures you never grow beyond a certain point.

With curses clinging to him like crazy glue, man would henceforth struggle to get whatever he wanted and needed to live. This was the beginning of scarcity. Not only did curses subject him to disease and a lot that is negative and bad, they also led to the deterioration of his natural environment.

But GOD had a purpose for man and it needed to happen. What He later did was to call out a man named Abraham and made a deal, a covenant, with him. The promise was that if he chose to live according to His (GOD’s) system of doing things, He would make sure he would experience abundance wherever he was. That is, the abundance that existed before man rebelled against GOD, would be available to him if he chose to live according to His principles. This would happen irrespective of his natural environment.

The conditional blessings would continue down Abraham’s generations forever. Jesus Christ introduced a new covenant that drafted all the people of the world into that special deal between GOD and Abraham. A covenant is a contract where GOD is one of the parties. For example, marriage is not just a legal arrangement. It is also a covenant because GOD is one of the signatories. That is also true of parenthood.

The abundance promises of the Hebraic system are available to you today. But remember, they are conditional upon following GOD’s system. Here is the most important part: you don’t go chasing after the blessings they promise. You focus on meeting the conditions.

The conditions required for abundance.

There is only one requirement and it is called love. Love is far more than what you may think it is. Operating a business is an expression of love. Going to work is a way of showing love.

The condition is that you love GOD, yourself and your neighbour. You’ve heard of a love triangle before, right? You have GOD at the top and both your neighbour and yourself at the two bottom corners. GOD is your first love. He is the reservoir, supplier and teacher of love. It is from Him that you learn what love really is. You then demonstrate that love you’ve learnt, by loving those you come across. Your second love is the practical expression of your first love.

Contrary to what you see in the movies, love is not merely emotions. It is action that benefits both yourself and others. You use your talents and resources to add value to the lives of the people in your ecosystem. You offer more in use value than the cash value you receive in exchange. This is what successful businesses do. By improving the lives of their customers, they’re following the love model.

The key focus is to offer solutions. We spoke about how a piano with the limited number of keys can produce an unlimited number of melodies. The many problems in your ecosystems are crying out for solutions. To love is to offer a solution that adds value to the lives of others. As you do, the benefits that come back to you are both spiritual and natural. You have a duty to harvest the natural ones responsibly.

A person with the Babylonian mindset looks at the situation and asks, “How can I make the most money in the quickest way possible?” This is the mindset of a hunter. The Kingdom of GOD system looks at the situation and asks, “What is the best way to improve the lives of those in the ecosystem?” This is the mindset of a farmer. First you add value and only then do you harvest, consciously.

What many don’t realise is that the business system of trading and exchanging goods is a Biblical invention. It is a powerful way to express love because it is focused on providing solutions that add value. Love does not mean giving things for free all the time. It means improving lives, giving more in use value than the cash value you take in exchange. The more you help others get what they want, the more successful you become. It is not just a matter of having the best product, you also need to manage your finances, production and logistics processes optimally. Individuals who become successful over decades and companies that thrive for centuries abide by these Hebraic principles, even if they don’t necessarily realise it. They also align with the principles of how the natural world operates. They understand marketing, finance, supply chain and manage their operations prudently. Many professional athletes who are good at what they do end up broke because of poor management.

Because of our Babylonian outlook, we don’t want to go where there are problems. The only exception is when there is quick money to be made. The Hebraic outlook says problems represent potential opportunities. The time horizon needs to be medium to long-term.

Positioning. What benefits are you known for?

Your positioning matters. What are you known for?

In Marketing terms, positioning is described as the set of benefits and attributes that consumers think of when they think of a brand. What do those in your communities think of when they think of you? What benefits do they get when you show up? This is your positioning. Companies spend millions making sure their positioning is what they want it to be. They’re purposeful about it.

What this means is it is not enough to just be good at your craft. You have to make others know that you are that good. Sales don’t go to the best product. They go to the product that consumers think is the best. History is littered with excellent products that died because nobody knew they existed or prospective customers were not sure of their value to them.

I remember the case where this lady from the sales department, let’s call her Sally, called me in a panic and asked for a favour. She had forgotten to load some information into the computer system and wanted it done urgently. The only problem was, according to the process flow, I was the one who could create the product codes she needed. Though I was very busy, I dropped everything and spent the afternoon creating those codes. I didn’t have to. I chose to. I chose to be a problem solver who would alleviate her frustration. From that day, our relationship became so much closer. That’s the power of the mindset of love that looks at how you can provide a solution. 

Be prolific in being a problem solver but don’t force your solution down the throats of others. You don’t have to do many things. Choose one of a few things that matter to your ecosystem and be the go-to expert on them. Always think of ways you can alleviate the frustrations of those in your communities (markets). How could you amplify their joy? The point is not for them to like you. It is for them to know you’re a reliable and versatile problem solver. When they have a problem that you have a good solution for, they will come to you. Remain true to your positioning. Excel and be consistent. Be as focused about it as big companies are.

Also, identify influential decision makers and make sure they know about your great work. Build relationships across the board. Make sure the managers who will be making decisions about your career know who you are and what your aspirations are. Don’t just be a number to them.

What I used to do in my corporate days was to have a career discussion with my boss’ boss twice a year. The objective was two-fold: to get his take on what areas I needed to get better at in prepararion for my promotion, and to make sure he understood what my career aspirations were. People can’t fight for you when they don’t know you or what you want. Don’t forget, relationships are spiritual and you express them through natural means.

Seek to understand the frustrations of those in your ecosystems and tailor solutions that address those frustrations. Broadcast what you offer and how it can add value to their lives. This is what love is but only if you’re fair and don’t rip people off. Give more in use value than the cash value you take from them.

Love is about offering solutions that add value. To do that well you need to develop relationships, not only with those you hope to sell to but with everyone. The best boss I ever had would always take the time to chat to security guys at the entrance, about how their sports teams performed over the weekend. He similarly volunteered to do small projects that would create opportunities for him to talk to senior executives. He understood the power of relationships. Obviously, no amount of butt kissing will help you if you’re not good with your core offering.

Be absolutely clear what solution you offer and deliver on the promise. This is what love is. It is the foundation of how you positively exercise spiritual power and create abundance. Don’t forget to broadcast your successes to the world but not in a prideful manner. Simply let them know how your unique solution can help them.

Contrasting the two systems – the farmer vs the hunter

In the Babylonian world of the beliefs and mindset of scarcity, success comes to those who think like hunters. Their primary objective is to look for opportunities to harvest. It is the world of cut-throat competition where the means justify the end. You give only when doing so will open opportunities for you to get more in return. Engaging with those who appear to have nothing you need is a waste of time. Relationships are transactional. It is perfectly okay to ruin the careers and opportunities of others to advance your own interests. Everything is about you and what is in it for you in the short-term.

The Hebraic abundance mindset shifts emphasis away from the individual to the ecosystem. When the ecosystem thrives, the organisms in it also prosper. The hunter mindset scans the environment for what is ready for harvest. The Hebraic system says you need to think like a farmer. First identify problems and then put plans in place to build solutions based on your capabilities. You reject instant gratification in favour of delayed gratification. You take the medium and long-term view. The system encourages relationships with other players with whom you share the ecosystem. This logic sounds foolish to people steeped in the Babylonian way of thinking. Are you also thinking how this logic could not work?

A hunter just takes down what he wants and hopes there will be more to hunt the next time. The farmer does not make such an assumption. He understands that his continued success requires that the ecosystem is preserved. He thinks in terms of generations.

The practical implications when it comes to your finances.

Let’s look at your finances. How long have you been working? How much would you have accumulated if you had been saving just fifty bucks since your first income? You didn’t do it because you said you’d make a plan later. In the short-term, the amount was too small to be worth your while. You thought like a hunter who wanted what was ready to harvest.

The Kingdom of GOD system says if you take the medium to long view, things look completely different. Make a decision now to build wealth for your future generations. The formula says earn, save, invest and protect what you have built. As soon as you start earning, you also need to start saving the little that you can afford to save and continue doing so for as long as you are alive. Saving hundred bucks a month might look like a waste of time but when you do it over five, ten or twenty years, you end up with a valuable asset.

Many people don’t have productive assets because they don’t have the savings with which to buy those assets. Building wealth is primarily not about money. It is about the principles. Money is merely a vehicle through which you align with the principles to get what you want. Remember, don’t chase the blessings. Instead, focus on meeting the conditions and the blessings will be the inevitable outcomes. If it is fruit you want, no amount of meditating on the fruit will help you. What you need is to follow the established principles of the tree lifecycle.

Start by making yourself familiar with the principles that govern that which you want. Then make a commitment to align your spiritual and natural actions with those principles. It is alignment with principles that produces results. The tree is merely a vehicle through which that truth is expressed. Your job and career are merely the avenue through which you put those principles to work.

Do you want your relationships to be fruitful and filled with joy? Find out what principles are applicable and align with them. This is what makes a farmer successful. A hunter, on the other hand, focuses on the latest fad to help him bag the big one. When it comes to your career and life goals, have you been focusing on the latest fads? If fads contradict principles, your victories will be short-lived. Violating principles will always result in unpleasant consequences. The punishment may occur immediately as with gravity, it may take decades as in the case of a bad diet or not be noticed for centuries as we’re now seeing with climate change.

In summary

Contribute towards improving the lives of those in your ecosystem. Offer a solution that improves the lives of those around you. The promotion goes to the one who demonstrates she can perform at the higher level of the new position. For a while, she has shown to those around her that she meets the conditions. 

The hunter mindset of the Babylonian system and its related beliefs of scarcity are holding you back. There is abundance around you. You don’t see it because you’re looking for what is ready to harvest in the short-term. Change how you see the world. Start thinking like a farmer. Position yourself as a problem solver and let the world know how good you are with what you do. Always deliver on your promises. This is what love is.

This is how to become successful and experience abundance. It is not an event but a lifelong process. You will come across many challenges but these are mere pointers to aspects of your character that need cleaning up.   

The question you need to be asking is how to align your beliefs, mindset, thoughts and actions with applicable principles. Get rid of the belief that says you will prove yourself after they give you the opportunity. Instead, understand the frustrations of your market and position yourself as the solution provider.