In earlier posts we explored the idea of the Mastermind. We learned that no one who has ever been wildly successful in his or her career has achieved that success alone. Those who have succeeded have assembled around them a team of people, each of whom are either experts in their field or who are solidly supportive of the desired goal. That team is what is known as a Mastermind. The idea is that the combined thinking of a group of people focused on one goal is a powerful attractor.
The Mastermind concept arose during the height of the Industrial Age in America, as captains of industry began to build their fortunes around new technologies like automobiles and steel. It is the idea behind the huge corporate monopolies that arose during that time. Although the idea is still valid today, our world has changed quite a bit in the past 100 years. The quality of our goals has changed. Today, few people I know want to go out into the world to become corporate giants. Sure, we would enjoy having the freedom that more money brings, but I don't know anyone who wants to be the new Henry Ford.
In my circles at least, most of us just want to be happy, and we want to be surrounded by happy people. We want to do work that we love, and we want that work to add value to our collective world. Yes, we still have dreams. I have a friend who has a dream of having a chain of insurance offices, because she loves helping people by protecting their cars and their homes. I have another friend who, like me, wants to make a living writing books. Yet another friend wants to teach people to cook mouth-watering dishes using organic and raw ingredients. I have several friends whose big dream is to raise a happy family without having to struggle to find enough money to pay for basic expenses. These are all heart goals more than money goals. I'm thinking that instead of assembling a Mastermind team, what some of us really need is a Masterheart.
On The Attitude of Gratitude Project, I've seen first-hand the magic that can happen when people put their hearts together. My friend Susie was diagnosed earlier this year with Stage 3 breast cancer. When she went for her initial mammogram she was told that she needed to start putting her affairs in order. Can you imagine going in for a mammogram and being told you are going to die, without any preliminary discussion of options? Well, Susie wasn't having any of it. She wasn't ready to die, and she had no intention of accepting her doctor's death sentence without a fight. She had the surgery, she suffered through the chemo and the radiation treatments, and she fought with all her might to live.
I spoke with Susie this past weekend as we met to celebrate her complete recovery. She told me that the most important factor that contributed to her recovery was the combined love of everyone that supported her during her healing period. Susie had the love of friends and family, she had loving caregivers, and she had the combined support of all of her online friends on Facebook and the grateful people on The Attitude of Gratitude Project. Most of all, though, Susie had Ian, whose loved helped him to be strong for her even when she was too weak to be strong for herself. The combined love of all of these people is what healed her. Susie lived because she was fortunate enough to have a Masterheart.
I'm thinking it's a good idea for each of us to assemble around us a team of people that qualify both as a Mastermind and as a Masterheart. Some people on your team will be helpful by offering their knowledge; others will be helpful by offering their love. I firmly believe that without love all success is hollow. In order to properly receive that love, though, it will be necessary to have an open heart. If you want to get love from others, it is first necessary to give love. Make it a point to practice loving everyone who crosses your path, even people you don't know. Many of us are afraid to love, because loving makes us vulnerable to be hurt. Do it anyway. Your life may depend on it.
As the Wizard told the Tin Man, "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." Love freely; love deeply. You'll know you're doing it right when you start seeing it reflected back at you everywhere you go. Then, the whole world will be your Masterheart.
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