On Monday, Ken and Karen were given until Friday to decide whether or not they wanted to transfer to a new department at work. Each morning, the dark circles under Ken’s eyes were more prominent. By Friday morning, he was so worried and weary that his voice trembled slightly when he asked for an extension of the deadline, “I’m exhausted. There are so many things to think about.  I can’t figure out which decision to make.”

Karen’s work situation was virtually identical to Ken’s. Their personal responsibilities and support networks were so similar that they had instantly bonded as coworkers.  Even though Karen had been given the same pressing deadline to make a decision, she showed no evidence of stress.  Apparently, her decision-making was quick and easy.  On Wednesday morning, she informed the supervisor with a confident voice and a thumbs-up sign, “The best choice is clear to me. I’m ready to make the transfer.”

As a Wall Street investment banking executive for many years, I discovered the power of invested capital to create companies, build new industries like biotechnology and the Internet, and create billions in stock market value. But as a business and life coach and spiritual teacher, I realized that our greatest resource is the inner wealth that lies within us — our spiritual or inner qualities such as insight, intuition, vision, and so on. Learning how to awaken and invest this tremendous inner wealth will enable you to reach your goals, increase your income, and find deep personal fulfillment.

How important are your thoughts? What impact, if any, do your thoughts have on your life? Can one new thought make any difference?

James was a junior tennis champion. He was 16 years old and was hoping to enter the professional circuit. He came from a “tennis family.” He was four years old when he had his first lesson. He won his first competition when he was seven years old. There wasn’t enough cabinet space to display all the trophies he had won since then. The media often billed James as a “future star” of tennis. He was usually seeded number one for the competitions he played in. A lot was expected of James.