The Law of Increasing Returns

When I mention the Law of Increasing Returns, most people immediately want to go to money. Of course. We live in a money-focused culture, as it is the medium of exchange to purchase the goods and services we want and need. More specifically, they think about compound interest.

Albert Einstein referred to compound interest as "the 8th Wonder of the World." Simply put, it's money earning money, and the money earned is reinvested so it earns even more money. With time as an ally, compound interest can turn even a lump sum of money into a sizeable nest egg for future spending needs.

While compound interest is an example of the Law of Increasing Returns is SO much more than that.

A kernel of corn planted into the ground doesn't simply produce a single kernel of corn. From that one seed comes a stalk with multiple ears of corn, each having hundreds of kernels of corn. The same is true for an apple seed. From a single seed comes a tree that produces an abundance of new apples year after year.

A seed, watered and nurtured, will produce in abundance, after its own kind,

Every day, we are sowing seeds that will yield a return in our lives. Every thought is a seed planted into our subconscious. As we focus our attention on those thoughts, our subconscious will "water and nurture" that seed, seeking to convert that idea into physical reality in your life.

As we focus our attention on poverty and lack, we nurture that seed and attract more of that into our lives. If we focus our attention on our past failures and mistakes, doubting ourselves and our abilities, we invite more failures and mistakes into our lives as well. If our attention is on anger and resentment, our mind works diligently to bring more of that into our lives.

But, if we focus our attention instead on abundance and opportunity, we nurture that seed in our subconscious and attract more of that into our lives. If we focus our attention on personal growth, personal development, we become a better version of ourselves. This makes us more attractive, and more valuable in the marketplace as we expand our knowledge, wisdom, experience, and insight.

Zig Ziglar understood the Law of Increasing Returns (and the Law of Reciprocity) when he famously said you can get anything you want in life IF you are willing to help enough other people get what they want. As you sow seeds of generosity in others by using your skills, talents, and abilities to help them see success, you are planting the seeds of a future harvest of your own as you now have multiple people working on your behalf to help you achieve your dreams, goals, and ambitions.

Every day, your thoughts, your words, and your actions are seeds that you are planting. So you want to be sowing seeds every day into the soil of opportunity where you want to experience a harvest in your life.

Not every soil you sow in yields the same return, so you want to be conscious of where you're investing your time, energy, and resources in "tilling, sowing, watering, and nurturing your seeds" so you're yielding a 10x, 100x, or 1000x return.

And don't forget the seeds you sow today may not yield a harvest tomorrow. A seed takes time to germinate, to grow, and ultimately produce in abundance after its own kind. Be conscious of the seeds you are sowing, as you reap what you sow.

Make your sowing intentional, and don't go back and "dig up" the seeds of your future success and abundance by focusing on failure, limit, or lack. That's like planting a garden, then planting weeds in the same soil that choke out the seedlings so they never produce.

So my challenge to you this week is to pay attention to your thoughts. What's the conversation going on between your ears? Negative or positive? Pessimistic or optimistic?

What are you anticipating? Expecting? Things to get better, get worse, or stay the same? Your thoughts are the seeds of your future self. So choose them wisely.

As you think, you become.

Remember, your thoughts become your beliefs. Your beliefs shape your behaviors. Your behaviors become your habits. Your habits dictate the abundance (or the lack thereof) you will experience in your life.

2X martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, John Terry (The Black Belt Leader) is passionate about helping others become Black Belt Leaders in Life. He is a motivational speaker, leadership, sales & communication coach, and trainer.???

Jessie Terry, John's daughter, is a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the?John Maxwell Team?and is actively involved in the JMT Global Youth Initiative. She is also a Real-Life Management trained coach and a certified Women-Safe Self-Defense Instructor and the author of several children's books.

For more information, schedule John (or Jessie) to speak to your organization or to book a personal, group, or corporate coaching session, visit our website at?www.beablackbeltleader.com.??

If you are a faith-based organization, learn more about John and Jessie's outreach to churches, para-church organizations, or faith-based volunteer groups by visiting?www.DunamisFactor.com.

Why just be a leader, when you can be a Black Belt Leader?