I gave away more money today than I spent last Christmas.

Shay,

That is AWESOME! And that's what success in IM and life is all about.

Michelle

Just going to chip in my 2 cents here ...

There's a Buddhist saying - "Whenever you act out of greed, you are punished. Not after death, you are punished right then and there, immediately. When you act out of compassion, you are rewarded, not after death, you are rewarded then and there. It is the universal law."

This is something I've found to be true time and time again.

If I'm coming from a place of not having enough and I "take" something from someone, I always feel terrible, whether or not I'm conscious of it.

If I'm coming from a place of having enough and genuinely wishing the best for someone else, I always feel great. I feel warm and compassionate.

If the other person is coming from a place of selfishness, that's not shay's business and shouldn't influence how she feels in the slightest. If Shay's living in a space of compassion and abundance, there's no reason for her to be drawn into a selfish mindspace just because someone else is in it.

Another Buddhist saying ...

"What do you do if someone gives you a present and you don't want it? {They take it home, man response.} That's right ... And your negativity is like a present you're bringing me. I don't take it, so you can take it away with you."

Anyway. My 2 cents.

Adam, I knew that someone would post something like this. I can't say I am surprised. :rolleyes:

I won't go into all of the details as to why I believed them. There were numerous reasons. That really isn't the point.

My point is that I felt moved to help, and I could.

Had I been inclined to just throw twenty dollar bills in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, it would not have been any different.

The only reason I was able to help others to this extent is because of this forum and the blessing it has been to me.

And for that, I am so thankful.

I debated on whether or not to post this, but this forum is about making money.

Money just for the sake of having money does no good.

Having/Making money for what it can do for your family and for others is the important thing.

Adam

I understand what you are saying and I once had a long talk with a pastor about this very topic because it was troubling me a lot. His take was, even if they were scammers, it doesn't matter. If Shay felt moved to give to them, then it was the right thing to do. But your post was important too because we need to have our values tested if they are to have any meaning.

I also think belief in the power of redemption is important.

Maybe, just by giving so freely you can make some people rethink their scamming ways. I know that most scammers think people like Shay are suckers but if, just once in our lives, our goodness can inspire goodness in a person who has taken the wrong road in life, it's a life worth living.

"Les Miserables" is a great example of the knock-on effect of goodness. (listen to the musical version - the book takes about 10 years to read ).

Shay, this post is definitely important for a money-making forum.

Too many people try to make money without knowing exactly why they are doing it. You are a living example of the good that money can do.

Thank you for one of the most important posts of the year.

Martin