It was Henry David Thoreau in the 1800s—the transcendental era of literature, if you’re a literature major—who wrote in Walden: “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” Of course if he were writing today, he’d say, “The mass of people or persons live lives of quiet desperation.”

And it was Socrates, who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C., who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Our theme today concerns both of these. Not much has changed in all the years that have gone by since.

So here’s what we find. How did Thoreau get his unique observer point of view, his vision? Instead of being purely a participant, he was a participant-observer. No, I’m not suggesting you do what he did and go out and live in the woods to create and examine life. You can live in the midst of the hustle, as Socrates did.

All Socrates said was that the unexamined life was not worth living—in other words, the people who live like animals, the people who live from day-to-day, the people who never realize that they can have more than a job, can do more than whatever the authorities, the culture, the conventions, the government, are giving them to do.

Then there are those who realize, like Socrates, that reflection, that meditation, can give you those insights that will allow you to realize that you are the creative force in your life. You are the “E” in the E = mc² formula that contains that HoloMagic c² factor.

We’re always talking about asserting your Inner Eagle. The only way you can do that is if you know you have one, and if you participate with it, and if you exercise it. And your first efforts at exercise may be weak, may be feeble, may not be very effective.

But as you continue to grow, you will have more and more power and dominion until you will realize that you create your life almost absolutely—though not in a vacuum, because there are large forces that move through. But you do create your life.

You see, the majority of people live lives of quiet desperation, but you can live the examined life, and create the life, the affairs, the career, the level of success, the level of love, the level of contribution, the mark you make on history, the legacy you leave, that you desire. If you desire, and put it into action consistently.

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Ted Ciuba, “living legend” and bestselling author of The NEW Think and Grow Rich, is one of the world’s top human potential trainers. He helps people find, define, and actualize their passions to transmute their intangible desires into real money. To find out more about Ciuba, how he can help you, and to collect $297 worth of free gifts, visit www.HoloMagic.com

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Publishers and website owners - You may freely use and publish this article as long as you publish it in its entirety, including the resource box.

One creative breakthrough can make a giant difference in your ability to contribute, and in your ability to receive the rewards that come with contribution. I’d like to give you a personal example from my own life and affairs. Again, this is metaphorical for you in your own career.

If you’re a regular listener to the audio articles these print articles are based on, a series that we call the Sub 4Minute Extra Mile, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of background noise and that they come to you from different places. And sometimes you heard the wind, traffic, people passing by.

Usually, these articles consist of one point, driven home, explained so that you can benefit by it. One message per day—that’s the whole idea.

But you know, I tried to work with this idea for a year, when I was thinking studio. I’ve spent most of my career doing recordings in the studio, because you can control the environment. You’ve probably heard my audio program of The NEW Think and Grow Rich. I know you’ve heard a lot of other interviews I’ve done, and you’ve probably seen some of my videos.

The thing with the Sub 4Minute Extra Mile was that when it was studio time, I’d come up with all these excuses. “Well, I gotta have my script ready,” and “I’ve got to be prepared,” and “I’ve got to be at the top of my game.” And you do have to be where the studio is, where you’ve got your equipment.

Then I had one creative idea! I thought, “Wait a minute, I can get a high-quality, hand-held digital voice recorder!” So I got a small one—by the way, I think it’s called SpyTech, and I do recommend it. It’s from Thomas Publications, in case you’re interested.

But all of a sudden, when I chucked away the idea that production had to be perfect and it was content that was important, I saw that I was denying people my message. Because of my own have to, how to, I was not able to do the what that could benefit them. One creative idea—”Wait a minute, it doesn’t have to be perfect!”

In fact, maybe I’ll just feature the fact that a good number of these articles will be done on site, and now my ability to contribute is much more fun. And many of the articles come about with inspiration from the moment, from the place, with the sounds of the place.

Now, not all of them, of course. We still go in the studio, and we still do a lot of places, a lot of other things. But if you were to listen to the audio message this article derives from, you could probably hear a bus behind me at this point, and people passing by.

One creative idea can revolutionize your life, your affairs, your business, your ability to contribute, and the consequent rewards you can receive.

Does it have to be perfect? Well, let me ask you this—what is the perfect day for you? I know that the day is perfect for me if it’s snowing, if it’s sleeting, if it’s hot, if it’s day, if it’s night, if it’s windy. In other words, they’re all perfect.

One creative idea can change the dimensions that you’re working in, and you can contribute more and receive more.

The door is closed on that one!

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Ted Ciuba, “living legend” and bestselling author of The NEW Think and Grow Rich, is one of the world’s top human potential trainers. He helps people find, define, and actualize their passions to transmute their intangible desires into real money. To find out more about Ciuba, how he can help you, and to collect $297 worth of free gifts, visit www.HoloMagic.com

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Publishers and website owners - You may freely use and publish this article as long as you publish it in its entirety, including the resource box.

I once met a gentleman who was from the State Attorney General’s office in Texas, where they had the famous McDonald’s hot coffee case. Now, you know they call it “hot” coffee for a reason—and this lady, as you may remember the story, purchased some hot coffee and spilt it on herself.

I mean, who’s going to put a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee between their legs and use those same legs to operate the foot pedals without inviting disaster?

Of course, our society is not going to make her accept responsibility for that. Again, I’m reminded that so many societies do it so differently.

In our society, even though she is the one who spilt the coffee, she didn’t have to take the responsibility. But she is clearly the responsible party. What in the world was she doing putting it between her legs in a Styrofoam cup that can easily twist when she had to brake or when she had to accelerate?

But here she was. She won some millions of dollars because she purchased a cup of hot coffee, and it was hot and scalded her. And of course they did the research, and they found that the actual temperature might have been two or three degrees hotter than somebody in their infinite wisdom decided would be best.

So let’s now take all the responsibility away from the person who purchased what was clearly labeled hot coffee. I don’t know about you, but most people realize it’s hot, unless they want iced coffee or cold coffee. Most people think that cold coffee or lukewarm coffee is anathema. I hate it!

But again, we are rewarding behavior. We’re rewarding the crybaby society, we’re rewarding trying to blame society, to put it on others. And this gentleman from the State Attorney General’s office felt justified—now, this was years later, and he felt justified.

He explained to me that this and that was fair, especially those millions of dollars, because all that was was the profits that McDonald’s makes worldwide on their coffee sales in a single day. So apparently, they didn’t hurt McDonalds.

No, but they did hurt the nation. They did hurt this lady, by sending a clear message that you can be a crybaby society. You’re not responsible for participating in what should be a dance, and you can get rewarded again.

Now, I’ve spent a lot of time in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Panamá. Those are my three favorite Latin countries. You can’t imagine the roads, the sidewalks… I mean, we’re talking Third World, buddy.

And if there’s a big, gaping hole in the sidewalk, which there is a lot of times—well, if you were to try and sue some homeowner, some corporation, some government for that, you wouldn’t even get into court.

I mean, it’s a laughable idea. What would they say? You were walking down the street. There was a hole in the sidewalk, or there was some uneven place that people could trip on. So? You are an adult. Case closed.

Same thing with driving into a pothole. The attitude: “It’s there, you should avoid it.”

Do not buy into what the blame society tells you. And this again, comes from high levels. I don’t even want to go back to where its origins started, because it’s not a thing that I’m going to get involved in. I’m talking to you, the achievers; do not buy into the blame society. Accept responsibility on your own.

And you know what I’d encourage you to do? I’d encourage you to visit India. I’d encourage you to visit the Dominican Republic.

And I’m not talking about a resort, where you fly in, where you’re met at the airplane door and you’re scuttled through in a group and you get on an air-conditioned private shuttle bus, and then you go to the resort that has six to ten restaurants and you spend all four days of your time there. You don’t even see the world.

I’m talking about getting out in the world, engaging, mixing, and really seeing how the other half lives. Your self-confidence will soar. Your sense of responsibility for all you create will make you a creative, productive individual.

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Ted Ciuba, “living legend” and bestselling author of The NEW Think and Grow Rich, is one of the world’s top human potential trainers. He helps people find, define, and actualize their passions to transmute their intangible desires into real money. To find out more about Ciuba, how he can help you, and to collect $297 worth of free gifts, visit www.HoloMagic.com

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Publishers and website owners - You may freely use and publish this article as long as you publish it in its entirety, including the resource box.

Let’s talk a little bit about refunds. Well, let’s start where the process begins, with sales. I want to talk about one of the wisdoms they teach us—that in the business environment, we’re all salespeople, but some people have a specific responsibility.

Those, of course, are the ones who get rewarded most highly in any organization—the salespeople. And the business owners, who of course are salespeople, even when there is a synergy, a MasterMind, a complimentarity, where everybody does their own particular thing. They always say, “Reward the behavior that you want to encourage.”

In other words, if you want to encourage the dollars that come into the organization, you award your commissions based on that. You don’t award them based on the number of sales calls people make, because they can make a bunch of sales calls just to get extra commissions when they really didn’t put their effort, heart, strategy, and consciousness into making more sales.

Now, back to refunds. I had a lady contact me recently from Norway, for a product purchase that she made two years ago. And of course this happens to be in a recession, when people are looking for money. And I thought, as we’d say in Texas, “What a piss-poor excuse for a human being.”

She wants to run through something two years ago that oh, by the way, she said she didn’t get. She also threatened me with the law in Norway. What’s happened there is that the crybabies of the world have been rewarded and rewarded, and easy refund policies rewarded.

The credit card companies reward, so that now, the consumers and customers have gotten worse and worse.

By the way, it’s not all that way. You may know that I’ve spent a lot of time in Colombia. When you take something out of the store there, it’s yours. In Panamá, when you take something out of the store, it’s yours. You better open up the box and make sure everything works before you leave.

But in America and the developed countries of Europe, we have trained people, and reward people for being babies.

Now, it started out as a good idea, right? Consumer protection is a solid idea. A 30-day warranty or 60-day warranty is a good idea. But people take it to the extreme, which is what’s happening here. With this lady, it’s been two years. She was lying in saying she didn’t get the product; we have a signed receipt.

Of course, it didn’t have any effect other than for us to get a few laughs and double-check the delivery receipt.

But you see what’s happened. And a lot of this is happening in America, too. You’re familiar with the long lines around the bailout brigade, right? We’re telling people…”It doesn’t matter how badly you screw up, how badly you screw consumers, how poorly you handle your own affairs.

That you bought a house that you knew you couldn’t pay for in three years when the rates went up, and now we’re going to rescue you.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a crybaby, disempowered society.

Practically speaking – right now you do live in a crybaby society, but you don’t have to participate! You can opt out of the crybaby society.

Be courageous, stand on your own two feet, do the right thing. Because everybody receives the results, inevitably, of their own behavior.

Be strong, be brave, do the right thing, and you will stand tall.

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Ted Ciuba, “living legend” and bestselling author of The NEW Think and Grow Rich, is one of the world’s top human potential trainers. He helps people find, define, and actualize their passions to transmute their intangible desires into real money. To find out more about Ciuba, how he can help you, and to collect $297 worth of free gifts, visit www.HoloMagic.com

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Publishers and website owners - You may freely use and publish this article as long as you publish it in its entirety, including the resource box.