Mind Blowing Example of a Universal Law

if you give without expectation of getting in return, you’ll end up getting 100 times back in ways you would have never thought of?” Well, I’m living proof of it.  Let me tell you what happened to me. For several years, I’ve been working with Don Campbell at REIN Canada, the best real estate investor association that I know of, focused in Canada.  With over 3,000 members, Don has done an incredible job building up a gruop of like-minded, action-oriented members who take action. I’ve been a member for many years, and I occasionally speak at Don’s event (as he does at mine).  Several months ago, I did a talk for his group in Calgary which was very well received.  Don invited me to come and do the talk in Toronto for the group out there. My initial thought was, ‘sure I’ll do that to help him and share some knowledge’.  I committed and ended up flying out Toronto for 1 night, to deliver a keynote talk at the regional meeting there.  I wasn’t selling anything and it was just about giving back to his group and sharing knowledge. I had also committed at the Calgary event that I was going to run a teleseminar series for the REIN members that would educate people on how to use their registered retirement accounts to invest safely in real estate.  Now, for real estate investors this is critical – because if you can explain to someone that you know how they can invest in real estate safely, generate consistent double-digit returns, pay NO commission and avoid the stock market turbulence .. well, that’s a pretty compelling story these days. So, I decided I would make that same offer in Toronto.  So here I was, flying all the way to Toronto (4 hours) to deliver a free talk, AND to give away a program. What the hell was I thinking? That’s the thought I had on the plane headed for Toronto.  I thought to myself, ‘why am I spending time doing this?  I have 100 other things I could be doing besides this that are revenue generating.’ For about an hour, I kicked myself for committing to this.  Good thing it was a 4 hour flight. I came to realize that I was being very selfish, and if I just took this as an opportunity to share and GIVE my knowledge to others, then that in itself was worth the trip.  I decided to take the approach that I’d share everything I could and add value to the program, and that should be good enough.  I committed to being available and present for everyone there, and doing my best to knock their socks off, make Don look good, and deliver great content. So that’s what I tried to do. Evidently, it worked for some of the people in the room, based on the feedback I got. — But here is where the story gets interesting.   After my talk, a gentleman came up and stood beside me to ask a question.  Not uncommon at events where I speak. He smiled, put his hand out and said “Hi Greg, my name’s Don.  I really liked your presentation, and I wondered if you’ve ever thought about writing a book?” He then gave me his card.  Turns out, he works for John Wiley & Sons, the major publisher. Who, it turns out, is Don Campbell’s publisher (as Don has 3 best selling books out already, with more to come). ‘Sure’, I said.  ‘I’d love to get a book out on this topic’.  He suggested that we speak about the opportunity so since then, I’ve been working on making this turn into a reality. Fast forward to today. Here’s a picture of me in our boardroom, signing off the book offer that I received from Wiley & Sons.  Based on the commitments I made in this agreement, my book should be published and in the bookstores in time for Christmas! This book is specific to investment strategies in Canada using your RRSPs, and I’m thrilled that they’re willing to take this chance on me. My whole point here is, I had NO IDEA what was going to come from this trip to Toronto.  I simply decided that I was going to be of service and help however I can.  I didn’t intend to sell anything there, and in fact was giving AWAY a program worth money.  And lo and behold, this opportunity steps into my life from out of nowhere. I owe Don Campbell a huge debt of gratitude, as this couldn’t have occurred without his help.  That’s why I’ve invited him to write the foreword of the book. Anyway, the learning point here is that when you give from the heart without expectation, the universe finds ways to pay you back many times over. The next time you feel yourself getting grumpy or impatient about putting yourself in a situation where you wonder why you’re doing it, look around and try to figure out how you can GIVE and ADD VALUE to the situation for others. LOOK for an opportunity to genuinely help OTHERS, with no expectation of anything in return.  Make the most of the opportunity. I can’t promise you that you’ll end up with a book deal and a 5-figure advance like I did, but I do assure you, the world will find a way to repay your generosity!]]>