The latest book by Bryan Welch called “Beautiful and Abundant” did not grab me by it’s title, rather a friend recommended it, so I read it as a break from all the technology that I regularly use (yeah big and small things with screens and key pads). So I started reading thinking it was just a story. Well, a story it is and a great resource as well!
The book is based on 4 steps on how we can create a world that is just what we would like. (Actually I think most of the world is quite amazing however we as humans have just forgotten to live within this amazing system if we plan to be around as a species for a long time.)
The 4 Steps are:
1) Idealize the Destination (Don’t Be Realistic!)
2) Acknowledge the Challenges
3) Define the Criteria (Don’t Be Practical!)
4) Take the First Steps (Be Realistic, Practical and Optimistic!)
The 4 steps I found really useful as they can be applied so easily to any task or dream you have.
In terms of criteria for Step 3 you might be thinking of some complex formula that takes you back to mathematics or economics nightmares, though it is not like that at all. Bryan comes up with 4 simple questions, which are:
1) Is It Beautiful?
2) Does It Create Abundance?
3) Is It Fair?
4) Is It Contagious?
Such a simple though powerful approach!
Bryan finishes the book with 3 examples of applying the above steps. They are:
1) A Farm – His 50 acre tall-grass prairie farm in Kansas
2) A Business – A magazine publishing company (http://www.ogdenpubs.com/)
3) A Mega-Business – A large online information share entity (http://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/)
So hidden behind the title are simple Steps and Questions to make sure your world is beautiful and abundant.
I hope you make use of them, I certainly will.
Dr Merrin Pearse
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