Have you ever believed that success was for other people? I know I have. It’s an easy trap to get into. We study hard in school, get good jobs, play by the rules, but at some point we get stuck. So we look around and decide that things aren’t so bad, really. The kids have a roof over their heads and we’re not missing any meals…what more do we have a right to ask for? And besides, look at those poor unfortunates who have nothing. Shouldn’t we just be grateful for what we have? In other words, we settle.

Yes, of course we should be grateful for what we have (gratitude is another topic all by itself!) But who says we can’t be grateful while at the same time striving for greater heights?

None of us was born to mediocrity. A Universal Mind—the Mind of God--can’t play favorites. It can’t favor one of its parts over the others, any more than we can favor our right kidney over our left. So God, or destiny, or whatever we want to call it, hasn’t singled out some for riches and some for mediocrity. The loving Creator wants the same good for all.

So if the Creator sees us all the same, who determines our level of success? Who is in control of our financial future? That’s right, it must be us. Ourselves. (Is that a little scary?) But if we’ve created the situation we’re currently settling for, we can create a different one, right? Moreover, prospering isn’t just a possibility, it’s our birthright. We can claim it from the universe with no compunction, no remorse, no guilt.

There’s no worry that perhaps we don’t deserve it.

We do, just because we are.