It's Time to Stop Wheeling Bricks and Start Building a Kingdom

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Do you know the secret of the Swede who, with all the world's opportunities before him, chose the job of wheeling bricks from a kiln? He could have been a brilliant farmer or a suave printer, but he found his bliss—and his success—in a task that required no thought and put no responsibility on his shoulders. The universe has a wicked sense of humor, doesn't it? It dangles a shiny career in front of you, but the real treasure is often found in the dusty corner you least expect.

This, you see, is the great cosmic gag of the Law of Increasing Returns. It's a fundamental principle of creation, as reliable as gravity or the fact that a cat will judge you from across the room. We think we're trading our time for money, but in truth, we are planting seeds of service. The man who gives only what is required is like the farmer who sows one kernel of corn and expects to harvest exactly one kernel back. It’s a transaction, a fair exchange, but it will never buy him a Ferrari.

This very email is a seed. For you see, the more you read my words, the more success you will have. Every line absorbed is like a tiny infusion of energetic capital, a deposit in the great spiritual bank of your being. It’s an investment in the Law, and the interest rate is infinite.

I recall a time when I was toiling away on this philosophy, a “labor of love” that my family was convinced would lead to my children wearing hand-me-down potato sacks. My wife wanted me to get a salary, to settle down, to choose the path of least resistance. But you can’t build a mountain of achievement by walking a flat road. The truth is, the more they worried and the more they opposed, the more strength I gained. It was like training for a cosmic street race; every negative comment was another resistance band, making me stronger for the inevitable victory.

I also remember that glorious Saturday afternoon I gave up a ball game to do some quick stenography for a lawyer. I laughingly told him the fee was "about $1,000." And wouldn’t you know it, six months later, he paid me exactly that—not in cash, but in a position with a $1,000 a year increase in salary. It was a beautiful, elegant, and entirely unexpected payback from the universe. I had exercised my right to give more, and the Law of Compensation, like a faithful bloodhound, came back with a reward far greater than a stadium hotdog.

The only thing standing in your way is that insidious, nagging mountain of "I am not paid to do this, and I'll be... well, you know." This mindset is like a rogue Wi-Fi signal, constantly interfering with the high-speed download of your destiny. It's an internal saboteur, a tiny voice that tells you that you can be cheated. But as Emerson so rightly told us, "It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself." You, my friend, are the only one who can steal your own success.

The Ben-Hur in you has been rowing at the galley's oars. You’ve been putting in the work, but perhaps you’ve been resentful of the chains of your current circumstance. Now, imagine a moment when you are called upon to drive your own chariot in the race of life. Those mighty arms, forged on the grinding oars of unrewarded service, are the very biceps that will hoist you to the winner's podium. The strength you developed when no one was watching will be the very thing that earns the world's applause.

After reading this, you are left with the impression of increase, of a future overflowing with abundance. It is already yours. All you have to do is unlock it.

So tell me, what is one small, "unpaid" service you can perform this week that will place you at the helm of your own chariot? I'm listening.

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Bradley Woods

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