A
STATE OF
ABUNDANCE
The Guide to Overflowing Riches!
JAMES SKINNER
MARK VICTOR HANSEN
ROICE KRUEGER
[Link] m Ide as Th at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Suc cess
A State of Abundance
The Guide to Overflowing Riches!
James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen
“A State of Abundance” will guide you from
selfishness to selflessness, from poverty to plenty.
___________________________________________
Give this book to anyone you know who wants
more.
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___________________________________________
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 1
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
The Authors
JAMES SKINNER is the founder of two global financial
groups that manage billions of dollars of assets. He is
also recognized as one of the world’s foremost business
thinkers and appears regularly on Japanese television.
ROICE KRUEGER co-founded Franklin Covey, the
world’s largest training company, and has supervised
consulting projects for 80 percent of the Fortune 500.
MARK VICTOR HANSEN is the co-creator of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul empire and is the best-selling nonfiction
author of all time. His goal is to make the planet work
for all humanity!
NOTE: Ideas That Can Change Your Life™ is a
collaboration of three of the world’s most amazing
authors, speakers, and thinkers. The first person “I” may
refer to any of the authors.
To contact the authors for keynote and other
speaking engagements:
[Link]
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 2
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
The Authors
JAMES SKINNER is the founder of two global financial
groups that manage billions of dollars of assets. He is
also recognized as one of the world’s foremost business
thinkers and appears regularly on Japanese television.
ROICE KRUEGER co-founded Franklin Covey, the
world’s largest training company, and has supervised
consulting projects for 80 percent of the Fortune 500.
MARK VICTOR HANSEN is the co-creator of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul empire and is the best-selling nonfiction
author of all time. His goal is to make the planet work
for all humanity!
NOTE: Ideas That Can Change Your Life™ is a
collaboration of three of the world’s most amazing
authors, speakers, and thinkers. The first person “I” may
refer to any of the authors.
To contact the authors for keynote and other
speaking engagements:
[Link]
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 2
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
Whatever you send out is reflected in the mirror, but
because the mirror is round, everything may be reflected
several times before it comes back to you.
But it always comes back.
Not only does it come back, it comes back
multiplied and magnified.
When we give it away it multiplies!
This is the source of the state of abundance—a state
of openness and giving and sharing. When we are
abundant, we know that giving multiplies the gift. We
know there is more than enough and there is enough to
spare.
The world is a friendly and abundant place to those
who live in a state of abundance.
To those who live in the mean, selfish state of
scarcity, withholding their gifts from others, the world is
a dark and often fearful place.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 4
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A State of Abundance
It is the law of the harvest. We reap what we sow.
The Law of the Seed
Imagine that you have in your possession 100 seeds.
They are your seeds. You are worried that if you give
them away, you may have no more.
You hoard your seeds.
You have nothing to eat, so you eat your seeds.
Life is harsh; there is not enough to go around.
You live in scarcity.
Now imagine you have 100 seeds. You feel
abundant. You know that whatever you give away
multiplies. With faith, you throw your seeds to the wind,
knowing that they will come back to you.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 5
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A State of Abundance
Some of the seeds fall in unfertile soil and are lost.
Some are eaten by birds. In fact 99 of the 100 seeds put
down no roots.
The naysayers tell you that all is lost. You can’t trust
people. Kindness is returned with evil. They fill your
ears with all manner of poison.
And yet you are abundant. The law of the harvest
rules.
One seed takes root. From it springs an apple tree.
This tree gives you 100 apples each year.
You eat apples instead of seeds!
Eat apples, not seeds!
Those around you marvel. They say, “Oh, she is just
lucky.” They bemoan, “How can you eat apples when
we have nothing but seeds?”
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 6
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A State of Abundance
But the world you live in is just a reflection of your
own state of abundance.
When you look in the mirror, if you don’t like what
you see, the mirror is not the problem!
Each of the 100 apples has 10 seeds.
You throw 1,000 seeds to the winds.
The following spring, 10 new trees appear in your
orchard.
You have 1,000 apples.
You give apples to your neighbors.
You plant more trees.
In just a few years, the entire community feasts on
your bounty.
Now you live in a community of abundance!
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 7
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A State of Abundance
You have thousands of trees, millions of apples, and
more seeds than anyone can count!
The Moon and the Sun
Most people are like the moon. They only reflect light.
They say, “I will give if others give to me first.” They
receive some light and reflect that light back into the
world.
Others are like the sun.
They do not have to receive in order to give.
They have their own nuclear explosion going on
inside. They are a creative force of nature. They shine
their light to the far corners of the universe.
For the suns of the world, giving is a pleasure that
reflects the fundamental creative force of their souls.
They do not worry about how much of the light
comes back to them.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 8
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A State of Abundance
And worlds without end revolve around their very
being, hoping to catch a few rays of their glory.
You can choose to be a sun, or a moon, or a black
hole, or whatever you want to be. Choose wisely!
Be a sun and let your light shine!
Who Wants You on Their Team
If you master team, you master life, for all significant
goals are achieved through team.
There is no goal that cannot be achieved through
team.
Somebody out there has the answer. Somebody has
the capabilities, intelligence, and resources to make your
dream real. Somebody is in a position to say yes to your
every request—if only they are on your team.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 9
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A State of Abundance
Imagine for a moment that you are rich and
powerful and successful. You are famous and well
known.
How many people want you on their team?
How many projects come your way?
There are endless opportunities that confront you
every day.
Now in that state, think about which opportunities
and people you find to be annoying and a waste of your
time.
People who are small-minded, people who are
selfish and self-interested, people who want to leech off
your talents and add no value in return are parasites; and
you know it. Their requests go largely rejected and
unfulfilled.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 10
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A State of Abundance
The reason is simple. You want to give your all to
projects that matter, working in conjunction with people
who are also focused on contributing and giving.
If you feel this way about blood-sucking parasites
who are merely out to use you, the opposite must hold
true of many other powerful people who could help you
if they were only on your team.
Never be a parasite!
The key is simple.
Give.
Put yourself in a place of service.
Devote yourself to important and meaningful
causes.
Do not meet people with the mindset of “What can
I get from this person?” Rather, meet them with the
heart of “How can I help and serve?”
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 11
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
Throw your seeds to the wind.
Never let your motives be questioned.
Be abundant, and friendships and teams will
surround you.
Your cup will overflow.
You will eat apples and not seeds.
Become a master team player. Be known for your
abundance, sharing, and giving. Be known as someone
who puts all the toys on the table. The best people will
want you on their team.
It is as simple as that.
And when you have the best people on your team,
nothing shall be impossible to you.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 12
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A State of Abundance
In fact, when you put yourself in a state of
abundance, the very heavens and the earth will all
conspire to help you and assist you in your every worthy
endeavor.
The Secret to Living
The secret to living is found in giving. The more we
give, the more we get, particularly if we do the giving
without focusing on the giving.
The more you give, the more you get!
The more value you give, the bigger your brand, and
the more your sales.
The more love you give, the better your
relationships and the greater your fulfillment.
The more effort you give, the greater your
achievement and the more your improvement.
It all starts with putting yourself in a state of
abundance.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 13
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A State of Abundance
A Fable
There once was a beaver who wore a red coat with three
brass buttons in front.
He spent his days cutting down trees to build his
house, where he could spend the winter undisturbed.
One day, he noticed that the trees had acorns.
Now, the beaver was not particularly fond of acorns,
because beavers as a rule prefer tree bark instead.
So the beaver decided to take all the acorns to a
squirrel that lived nearby.
The squirrel appeared in the door of his house
wearing a green bowler hat.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I want to give you these acorns,” said the beaver.
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 14
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
Now the squirrel was very surprised, because he had
always disliked the beaver for cutting down his trees.
“Why, thank you. That is very neighborly of you!”
cried the squirrel. “This makes my job so much easier
now. I don’t have to climb the tree to get my acorns at
all!”
The beaver made his way home, and somehow his
brass buttons seemed to shine a little brighter.
One day the beaver found himself in need of a new
hat, so he went to the shop of a local wolf known for
making extraordinary hats.
“Why, Mr. Beaver, for you we have only the finest
hat at the best price!”
“Why is that? I have never shopped here before…”
“Well, I hear from my friend the squirrel, who is our
favorite customer, that you are the right kind of beaver
to be associated with.”
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 15
ww w. [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
The beaver was so happy that he brought the wolf
three extra fish he had caught that day while building his
dam.
“These are a tip for your excellent service and warm-
hearted attention to my hat.”
Three days later, the beaver was out in his red coat,
the buttons shining very brightly. He was trying to pull a
particularly large log down to the pond to finish his
house.
“Let me help you,” said a cow that had just
approached.
“Why, Mr. Cow, why should you help me? We have
had no dealings in the past.”
“I heard from Mr. Wolf at the hat shop that you are
the finest beaver in the neighborhood. Mr. Wolf had
been bothering me before, but he said he felt so good
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 16
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
The Authors
JAMES SKINNER is the founder of two global financial
groups that manage billions of dollars of assets. He is
also recognized as one of the world’s foremost business
thinkers and appears regularly on Japanese television.
ROICE KRUEGER co-founded Franklin Covey, the
world’s largest training company, and has supervised
consulting projects for 80 percent of the Fortune 500.
MARK VICTOR HANSEN is the co-creator of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul empire and is the best-selling nonfiction
author of all time. His goal is to make the planet work
for all humanity!
NOTE: Ideas That Can Change Your Life™ is a
collaboration of three of the world’s most amazing
authors, speakers, and thinkers. The first person “I” may
refer to any of the authors.
To contact the authors for keynote and other
speaking engagements:
[Link]
© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 2
ww [Link] m Ide as T h at C an Ch an ge Yo u r Li fe ™ in Su cc ess
A State of Abundance
With love and gratitude,
James Skinner, Roice Krueger, Mark Victor Hansen
___________________________________________
For additonal copies:
[Link]
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© 2007, James Skinner, Roice Krueger, and Mark Victor Hansen, All rights reserved. 18