An Open Letter to the Leaders of Nigeria.

Bruce Barton, cofounder of the famous BBDO advertising agency and the key subject of my book The Seven Lost Secrets of Success also believed in giving. In 1927 he wrote: “If a man practices doing things for other people until it becomes so much a habit that he is unconscious of it, all the good forces of the universe line up behind him and whatever he undertakes to do.” Barton became a best-selling author, business celebrity, contributor to numerous causes, and very, very, wealthy. While some might argue that these early tycoons had the money to give, so it was easy for them, I would argue that they got the money in part because they were willing to freely give. The giving led to the receiving. The giving led to more wealth. I’ll repeat that: The giving led to the receiving. The giving led to more wealth. Today it's fashionable for businesses to give money to worthy causes. It makes them look good and of course it helps those who receive it. Anita Roddick's Body Shop stores, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield's ice cream, and Yvon Chouinard's Patagonia, are living examples of how giving can be good for business. But what I'm talking about here is individual giving. I'm talking about you giving money so you will receive more money. If there's one thing I think people do wrong when they practice giving, is they give too little. They hold on to their money and let it trickle out when it comes to giving. And that's why they aren't receiving. You have to give, and give a lot, to be in the flow of life to receive. I remember when I first heard about the idea of giving. I thought it was a scheme to get me to give money to the people who were telling me to do the giving. If I did give, it was like a miser. Naturally, what I got in return was equivalent to what I gave. I gave little. I got little. But then one day I decided to test the theory of giving. I love inspiring stories. I read them, listen to them, share them, and tell them. I decided to thank Mike Dooley of www.tut.com for the inspiring messages he shares with me and others every day by email. I decided to give him some money. In the past I would have given him maybe five dollars. But that's when I came from scarcity and feared the giving principle wouldn't work. This time would be different. I took out my checkbook and wrote a check for one thousand dollars. It was the largest single contribution I had ever made in my life at that time. Yes, it made me a tiny bit nervous. But it mostly made me excited. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to reward Mike. And I wanted to see what would happen. Mike was stunned. He got my check in the mail and nearly drove off the road as he headed home. He couldn't believe it. He even called me and thanked me. I enjoyed his boyish surprise. It made me feel like a million bucks. (Note that!)