"Wanna Punch in Da Nose?"

"Wanna punch in da nose?"

That's what the guy asked me. He was at least 6' 4", and
I could tell he meant it, and was waiting for an answer.

Thing is, before he asked me that, I thought we were getting
along really well. I was asking him about spiritual practices,
and how I could make more money come into my life.

Even though I'm an actor, I learned that you oughtta get some
sales skills if you want to be a rich and successful person.
Not that I wanted to be a salesman, but let's face it- when
we were kids, we did a good sales job on our parents around
Christmas time, right?

I REALLY NEEDED that G.I. Joe Jet Plane with the ejectable seat.

So when I asked this 6' 4" guy for some of his advice on
how to make better sales, and how to make more money come
into my life, I was surprised by his answer.

"Wanna punch in da nose?"

"Um.... no?" I said, unsure of my feelings on the matter.

"Well then don't give one" he said.

I didn't get it. I had no intention of giving anyone a
punch in da nose, much less this guy who was towering over me.

"If you want something, you gotta give it first." he said,
"If you want a punch in da nose, you should give one to someone.
If you want more money, you should give some to someone."

Oh, I get it. The old "Tithe and Get Rich" idea. The math I
was taught in school didn't really jibe with that idea. The
way I see it, if you have two apples, and you gave away one,
you only had one apple left.

"I can see you're skeptical" he said "I was too- but then
I tried it- Why don't you try it?"

I thought about it. What did I have to lose?

So I punched him in da nose.

and he punched me back.

I was convinced that the principle worked!
We both had sore faces, and I learned a lesson.

See, what the math I learned in school didn't take
into account was the other things that happen when
you give away the apple.

Sure, when I gave away one of the two apples I had,
I ended up with only one apple, but I ALSO ended up with
something more valuable- a GRATEFUL FRIEND.

Unless the friend didn't want an apple to begin with.

So, here's what I took away from this now very long story:

When you want something, you have to give it away-
TO THE PEOPLE WHO WANT IT.

When you give away the awesome opportunity we have,
sometimes in our enthusiasm we'll give it to people
who don't want it- people who are happy being where they are.

However, if you give it to someone who WANTS it, two things
happen:

1- You'll see that giving it away doesn't take from your own
supply of it, and
2- You'll gain a GRATEFUL FRIEND.

Sounds like a bargain when you think about it like that, doesn't it?