The Greatest Lie in Business (and Success)

Dreams.
Magic.

These are usually things of fantasy, of escapism, of theme parks and movies. Maybe Christmas for some.

A day, a vacation, a fleeting moment. Something to look forward to, but not a normal part of life.

This is one of the reasons why people participate in the lottery. The lottery provides a few moments of dreaming… before the numbers are called.

This is part of why other people love drugs. Getting a chance to let go of pain (temporarily), lose worry, laugh, play. Or more profoundly, use it as therapy when they journey.

A journey may provide more lasting results, depending on what happens when the mushrooms or MDMA wear off.

Why Do We Stop Dreaming?

Dreaming becomes more foreign with financial pressure, and with mistakes.

Dreaming is something lost early for those with rough circumstances in childhood. Yet those with better circumstances feel safe and loved; they live with imagination, dreaming, and play—until they grow up.

Growing up.
Do this.
Don’t do that.
When are you going to get serious?

“Serious” is a synonym for sacrifice. Sacrifice your dreams for a paycheck, a retirement plan, and benefits (insurance, a match).

Growing up usually entails losing the ingredients that create imagination, vision, and dreams. From well-intentioned preachers, teachers, family, friends, and society, we are unintentionally and intentionally led astray.

Our dreams fade.

Our vision gets fuzzy. Over time, our vision can be based on limitations.

Limitations on how much money, time, and ability we have at that current moment do not account for what we could learn, who we could inspire, or how we might be able to delegate.

Vision and Rhetoric

Accomplishing something more than a goal or objective requires speaking something into existence that we have yet to achieve.

For some, that elicits too much fear. What if they can’t accomplish it? Or what if they aren’t sure about every step?

That is the miracle of dreaming and having a vision.
Turning potential into production.
An idea into reality.

Vision requires rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is an ancient art of discourse.

Unfortunately, due to charlatans and politicians, rhetoric is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content. But don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Rhetoric can and should be used for good, for progress, for dreamers and doers.

Wealth is built through committed, prosperous conversations—communication that inspires, communication with substance, and something slightly out of reach—maybe even more than slightly—impossible for one person to achieve but possible for a team.

JFK famously said we would send a man to the moon and return him safely home within the decade. It was on TV. When he was on every channel (there were only three likely). This catalyzed and moved people into action.

But he wasn’t a scientist or mathematician. He used rhetoric to speak it into existence.

It.
Was.
Bold.

There were real stakes. It was a big dream and wouldn’t have been possible without a team, but it started with a dream.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a master of rhetoric.

“I have a dream…”

What a way to start a speech and inspire the next movement phase.

MLK spoke something into existence that inspired and continues to inspire. His words elicited imagery, spoken so eloquently and passionately.

A dream.

Rediscover Your Dreams

Are you a dreamer?
If not, was there a time when you were?

If you aren’t dreaming:
What happened?
Were you hurt?
Disappointed?
Disenchanted?
In too much pain?

Are you trying to get rid of something?
Debt.
Pain.
Guilt.
Shame.
Mistakes.

What would it take to dream again?
To dream—and dream bigger?
To cast and create a vision with a new container to create meaningful value.

Most people don’t dream because of SACRIFICE.
We are told to sacrifice to succeed. But sacrifice robs us of the present, of joy, and misleads us because we think it is temporary.

Sacrifice becomes our behavior. Our way of being. Our mindset. The ceiling on our dream.

Our dreams are hijacked, and our lives are limited when sacrifice sneaks in. We are told it is required and essential. It is touted as the right thing to do and vital if you want to be a good person.

We succumb to others’ agendas to please people and be liked—sacrifice.

We are told to sacrifice for a better future but at the expense of today.
BUDGET.
SAVE, SAVE, SAVE.
Fund your retirement at the expense of your dreams.
Toil in the trenches and put money away for a better day.
Pay things off and forget about our dreams because they are too far away, unlikely, or foolish.

A More Inspiring Path to Prosperity

Yes, be responsible. Pay yourself first. Build liquidity and utilize Mindful Cash Management.

But what about belief in something that is yet to exist, something greater than your current circumstance, something that could be created?

What about dedicating your life to a vision worthy of your best? What about challenging yourself to do something that hasn’t been done before because it is yours?

There is no sacrifice when we choose. There is still opportunity cost. But sacrifice is giving up on or not working towards a vision or dream. Chasing the almighty dollar alone means the work becomes a sacrifice.

Yet, when you find your winning game, develop your vision, and love your life, the win is in the work. The work is part of the process that cultivates and creates joy.

Sacrifice happens when we stop dreaming.
Sacrifice is doing work we hate with willpower because we think it is what we NEED to do, not what we WANT.

Sacrifice is in force.
Dreams create flow.

Dreams aren’t easy. Some of the hardest work is getting clear enough on your dream that you can share it and inspire others. A compelling vision requires work, thought, and refinement.

Sacrifice is easy in the short run.
Taking a job you don’t really enjoy.
Jumping into something with good or decent pay, but slowly dying each day.

Sacrifice happens when we are doing something for others at the expense of ourselves.

Yet, people living their dreams talk about the sacrifice to get what they want. But that is misleading—a lie. “So much sacrifice to get here.” Maybe they mean work, intention, inspiration…

There isn’t sacrifice when working on your Soul Purpose, designing a life you love, doing more of what you want, and expanding your dream.

Again, it doesn’t mean it isn’t complicated or that it doesn’t require work, but it is the work worth doing.

How to Dream Responsibly

Sacrifice is not living your dream, ignoring your potential, or circumventing what you want for the almighty dollar.

Sacrifice is the trap of people-pleasing, scrimping to the point of blisters on your fingers, budgeting your life away, and doing what you hate at the expense of what you love.

How can you be responsible and a dreamer?
How can you be profitable while finding and following your Soul Purpose?
Create economic independence as soon as possible.
Stop accumulating and contributing to assets that don’t create cash flow.
Invest in yourself first.
Invest in and build relationships.
Take time to yourself to consider what matters most.
Take time to write.
Ask yourself questions about your vision, dream, and ideal life, and write down your answers.
Invest time with those who see the best in you.

Find and create time for those who ask you better questions. Find and develop relationships with those that positively challenge you. Carve out time in your calendar. Take time to contemplate in the morning. Find your path. Design your life.

These are critical in multiplying results. That is why I created the Multiplier community.

The key to the formula of prosperity is community.
Prosperity is about tapping into Relationship Capital.
Having a safe and valuable place to co-create and collaborate.
A place to celebrate and to heal.
A community to share, learn, and grow.

To create a safe space, I created a manifesto, a pledge, and a declaration for this invite-only community. But it isn’t about net worth, what car you drive, or the size of your house. It’s about your willingness to contribute, and learning to ask for support as well.

This community is about addressing, healing, and removing guilt and shame that keep people in isolation.

We held our first weekly Multiplier session just last week. Here are a few comments I received afterward, which speak to the power of community:

“SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS. I am blown away. Exactly what we have been praying for. Thank you for creating a safe space.”

 

“We love you Garrett, and so happy to be here. Thank you for being you.”

 

“GARRETT! All I can say is WOW! This opportunity you invited us to is WAY BEYOND what I imagined it would or could be. It feels like what I asked about above. I AM SO GRATEFUL. I had to choke back the tears 10 fucking times on the call and let a few slip through. THANK YOU.”

 

“SO STOKED TO BE A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY!! Thanks for the invitation. LET’S GO!!”

You are not alone.

This begins with awareness and honesty. There is no more pretending you have it all figured out at all times. You must simply be willing to admit your struggles and celebrate your wins as well.

The Power of Community

I’ve been in finance for 25 years. At first, I never considered community to be a solution to the financial problems people faced.

Most people are so secretive about their finances—more likely to share their sex life or religious beliefs before their net worth. Yet, studies show many don’t trust their financial advisors.

So where will or would they turn? And how much was this costing them? Definitely a fortune, but also it was creating immense stress.

Community shows us commonality that we often think is unique to us. Problems that aren’t so unique don’t feel overwhelming, and it means someone has solved them before, from which we can benefit. This means a shorter timeline to call forth results and less pain.

Where do you have transparent financial conversations regularly? Or do you keep this to yourself?
If so, how is that working for you?

To be the consummate value creator, one must become a better receiver and learn from others. One must tap into hidden capital—Mental and Relationship Capital. Give and take.

Are you ready to add even more value and ALLOW other people to be of value to you?

Let me guess: you are great at adding value and contributing to others but not as good at asking for help.

Are you tired of sacrifice, one day someday notions that never seem to pay off?
What is the cost of financial and business stress?
What does it do to our marriage and our health?
What do mistakes and stress do to our interactions with employees, our kids, or our friends?

Last year, stress compounded my kidney issues and was a wake-up call. I’m not in my twenties anymore; willpower and working harder aren’t the solution, Relationship Capital is.

My life was transformed when I asked for support. My community of mentors and peers helped me overcome divorcing a business I founded and unwinding a partnership with a close friend. It was tough, and I’d still be going through it if I tried to do it alone.

And here I am, maybe the best I have ever been. Dreaming of liberating a million people to create a legacy that lasts while planting a seed of hope, connection, and expression in the hearts of a billion people so they can heal the guilt and shame around money.

The thought that we have to do it by ourselves is born of the scarcity mentality—a virus of the mind, the Consumer Condition.

The Consumer Condition is a place where people struggle alone and are victims of circumstance. Going it alone prolongs the pain, is a detour to the lesson, and costs far more than what is saved by asking for help.

The Consumer Condition is a thief of happiness, fulfillment, and joy.
The Consumer Condition has people think wealth is outside of their control and a game of luck or patience.
It is flawed, diminishes potential, and funds everyone else’s dream (locking it in a retirement plan). Why fund other people’s dreams before knowing and living yours?
Because of the time value of money and retirement planners?
What about your business and your personal stock?

We’ve been lied to. There is no magic pill or product, or we would have perfect health and wealth.

But there is a formula. There is a framework, and community is the key ingredient.

Create Your Richest Life

Are you ready to create your richest life, the life you don’t want to retire from? Are you ready to stop sacrificing? Are you ready to dream again?

If so, make a comment and reply to this article.
I’d love to hear from you—seriously.
Not a bot, not my team, but me.

My dream is to connect with people. To help them heal their relationship with money, turn potential into production, and remove the obstacles that prevent profit.

I love helping people to change their family’s financial future and destiny.

It is a pleasure to be part of their journey and witness their progress. To help facilitate and discover their breakthrough. Ask them questions to unlock the answers buried within.

I learned that growing a relationship is the priority over becoming corporate and “scaling.” I scaled a business, then sold it because it lacked community and connection. I’d love to connect and build the most important asset in the world—relationship.

People are the only real assets. So, I’m investing time with people. Not through AI, automation, or the like, but one-on-one combined with an invite-only group—Multiplier.

If you’d like to remove the obstacles to your dream—respond. I’ll ask questions to initiate your winning game and bring clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.

This is why I love this so much. Yesterday, someone responded to my blog, so I emailed and got their phone number. Another person responded to my newsletter email, so I gave them my phone number.

I got on the phone with them. One said, “Would it be weird if I told you I love you?”

I let them know I loved them.

The other said how much lighter he already felt, and we ended with an “I love you” as well. It was amazing.

It took me decades to figure out the key comes from intuition, not a business book. No book would say, “Do one-on-one sessions to scale,” but it is what calls to me. What I enjoy, so reach out. I’m dedicating two hours a day to this one activity—texting, chatting, and getting to know you better.

This is what I love, live for, and want to do.

Let’s dream again.