The stick figure that explains why you’re broke (and how to fix it)

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Success isn't a lottery ticket. It isn't a lightning strike that hits you while you're sitting on the couch watching reruns of The Office. Success is a system. It is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. That word "progressive" is key—it implies movement, sweat, and a little bit of grit. If you apply effort for two days and then take a nap for three weeks, that’s not progressive; that’s a hobby.

We need to talk about the architecture of your mind. Picture a drawing that looks like it was sketched by a five-year-old: a large circle with a horizontal line through the middle, balanced precariously on a smaller circle. This is the "Stick Person," a map of human personality that is far more valuable than any treasure map Nicholas Cage ever stole.

The top half of the big circle is your Conscious Mind. This is the captain of your ship. It thinks, it reasons, and it has the incredible power to accept or reject ideas. It has free will. But most of us use this captain to stare at the waves and worry about the weather.

The bottom half is the Subconscious Mind. This is the engine room. It is the spiritual side, the emotional powerhouse. Here is the catch: the Subconscious is totally deductive. It cannot reject an idea. It has no sense of humor and it cannot tell the difference between what is real and what you imagine. It is like a fertile garden that will grow nightshade with the same enthusiasm as it grows prize-winning roses. It just says, "Yes, Master," and gets to work.

If you keep feeding your engine room thoughts of lack, worry, and "I can't afford it," your Subconscious—being the loyal servant it is—will vibrate your body into actions that ensure you remain broke. It operates by the Law of Vibration and the Law of Cause and Effect. You are sowing weeds and wondering why you haven't harvested a crop of cash.

This is where the magic happens. You have to perform an Inception-style heist on your own brain. You must plant the seed of your worthy ideal—your A-1 goal—into that emotional mind. You do this through the "Mental Muscles," specifically Imagination and Will. You have to see the goal as already done.

I want you to write your goal on a card. Start it with, "I am so happy and grateful now that..." and fill in the blank with something that scares and excites you. If it doesn't scare you, it's too small. If you know how to get it, it's the wrong goal.

Then, stand in front of the mirror. Look yourself in the eye. Read it out loud. Put some heart into it. Act like you are accepting an Academy Award. You might feel ridiculous. You might feel like a crazy person talking to a piece of glass. Do it anyway. The Subconscious needs emotional impact and repetition to change the paradigm—those pesky habits that control your behavior.

As you begin to understand these laws, you will realize that the more you read these emails, the more success acts as a magnet, drawn inevitably toward you. It is a law, not a theory.

You are dealing with the same power that holds the stars in the sky. It is waiting for direction. Give it a clear picture. The Law of Gender says there is a gestation period, so don't dig up the seed every five minutes to see if it's growing. Trust the process.

You have to bridge the gap between what you know and what you do. That is the Praxis. It requires discipline. You will find yourself feeling a profound sense of gratitude that you clicked the links in my email, because that action is the physical evidence that you are ready to receive the good that the universe has piled up for you.

Bradley Woods

So, I have to ask: looking at your life right now, what is the one "worthy ideal" that you are willing to fall in love with, the one that makes you both terrified and electrified?

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