"...this time set apart can be your enlightenment at the end of this dark tunnel."
#3: Read, Meditate, and Pray
My freshman year in college was one of the most formative years of my life. It was the only time that I had no car, no job, and no responsibilities other than school. I had the opportunity to read voraciously, to walk the Adirondack mountains and meditate, and to rise at 4:00 a.m. for prayer and devotions. For those of you who are healthy, this quarantine is presenting you with an opportunity, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to step away from streaming video and social media, and give yourself to reading, meditation, and prayer. You may not have this chance again in your lifetime.
From time to time people ask me the secret to my success. I admit without reservation, it is first and foremost Providence, but after that, it’s these three things: reading, meditation, and prayer. In the fourth grade, I started devouring books so that by the sixth grade I was reading a book a day. I was so desperate for reading material that I read my family’s entire World Book Encyclopedia set, all 22 volumes, and 17,000 articles, along with reading the entire Bible cover-to-cover six times before I graduated high-school. As an adult, I developed the habit of beginning every day with meditation and prayer. When you read, you are opening your mind to the wonder of everything![i] When you think, you control what lives in your mind, and find empathy for other viewpoints. When you pray, you find humility.
My worldview, my understanding of business, economics, theology, and life are a direct result of an insatiable appetite for reading, thinking things through, and humbly asking God for wisdom. It isn’t money, inheritance, or government assistance that enabled me to achieve things; it is knowledge. It’s knowledge and the power of ideas that fuel my success in altruism and business. Try it, my friend—read, think, and pray. You won’t be sorry. Within these difficult times, you may find a blessing, your turning point perhaps—this time set apart can be your enlightenment at the end of this dark tunnel.
Look for the fourth installment of Five Ways to Thrive, coming soon. The #4 way to thrive will be, Start a Business.
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Be safe, stay healthy, and thrive.