The single most important word

Talking randomly with my kids about business one morning, my boy informed me that a business did not exist to make money. 

Intrigued by the innocence of a child, I was excited to hear his perspective.

He has been born with insight that few adults have.

"Dad, if a business's purpose was to make money, then no one would want to buy their stuff there".

Baboom! Drop the mic. The kid's a genius.
A kid who is being thrown away by the school system, his future is as bright as he wants it to be.

"Ok, but what does a business stand for?", I asked him.

"Businesses are just like people. Selfish people do not get what they want until they give someone else what they want."

I'll take credit for that line. He's heard it enough that it was easy for him to spit it back at me.
The kid is right. Selfishness cannot get you what you want. It will be a constant fight as you work from a mindset of limited resources. Other selfish people will fight you for what you want. Generous people won't support you unless they benefit from your lowest prices.

The easy road to your success is helping others with what they want.
The difficult path is to be selfish.
Choose the route you want, but why suffer when you don't have to.

In anything you do, figure out how to help someone get what they want.

In writing, put focus on the reader, not on your own life.

In business, emphasis how your potential customer's life can be better.

In athletics, make your teammates stronger and brag your competitors.

At work, promote and brag your colleagues.

In life, put your spouse on a pedestal.

In friendships, be concerned how your friends are doing, not caring if they ask how you are doing.

In conversations, ask your questions and then listen intently.

In parenting, ask your children what they want and teach them how they can have it.

In advertising, put the focus of your message on the customer.

The single most important word in the world is YOU.

As you work towards a selfless life, YOU will find that YOU can get what YOU want much easier.

Give someone what they want and mysteriously you will get what you want. It's one of the universal laws.

I'm going to call it the Law of Generosity.