Being, Doing, and Having by Jim Stovall

We live in a world that is obsessed with having more things. One of the fastest growing industries in our society is the storage business. We are buying so much stuff we can’t hold it all. We have to rent places to put our stuff. There is nothing wrong with having things as long as the things don’t really have you. 

Unfortunately, we have a preoccupation with buying things that we can’t afford, using money  

we don’t have, to impress people who don’t care. Acquiring wealth and assets is a byproduct of doing work that creates value in the lives of others. In our consumer “buy-now world,” we have it backward. We want to have things that will make others think we are already successful.  

The universe is set up with three natural steps to success: being, doing, and having. First, you have to “be” the right kind of person who has the motivation, intensity, ethics, and values that would make you successful. Then, after you become this kind of person, you are ready, willing, and able to “do” the things you know are necessary to make you successful. And finally, after you have become the kind of person who is doing the right things, you will inevitably “have” all the stuff and things you want. 

In proper balance and as a reward for hard work, having nice things is wonderful. As a façade of smoke and mirrors using consumer credit to create the illusion of success, it is a hollow existence. Trying to have the result first is like the person who stands in front of the fireplace saying, “Give me some heat, and then I will throw in some wood.” Or the farmer who says to the field, “Give me a crop, and then I will plow, plant, and fertilize.”  

When you get the natural system out of order and want to have things before you become the person who would do the right things, you inevitably will still have to pay the price for those things; and if you do it out of order, the price will come attached to a staggering interest charge.  

As you go through your day today, focus on yourself as the ultimate tool that will perform the tasks creating value in our world that will inevitably result in you having everything you want and more to share with others around you. 

Today’s the day! 

This and other motivational pieces by bestselling author Jim Stovall can be found in Wisdom for Winners Volume Two, an official publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.