So You Wanna Be Rich, But Won’t Talk Contribution?

July 3, 2012 by 29 Comments

This is a guest post by the awesome Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca.

jason fonceca

Imagine the pain of struggling and failing and despairing.

Imagine creating 8 businesses, based around things you love to do, and still failing, closing them down one after the other.

Imagine a collection of ebooks, and studying every marketing and entrepreneurial blogging tip you can get your hands on.

That was my life for 8 years.

Until I found a way to combine all my passions, expressed my story, and most importantly… focused on contributing, even when it was scary, even when I was broke, even when everything was going to hell.

And contribution saved me.


***
So you wanna be rich, who doesn’t? Right?

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t interested in ‘more money,’ at least not reading this blog. And because everyone’s interested in being richer, we have a flood of money-making and marketing information all around us.

It’s on the net, it’s in conversations, it’s in movies, and it’s ridonculously confusing!

And what happens when you have a human mind practically overwhelmed with confusing information?

Surprise surprise!

It gets confused!

Who knew right? ;)

And the killer thing about this?

It’s that tons of the info comes from self-proclaimed ‘experts’. Which makes it even more confusing. And what’s common, with a lot of these experts? Well…

They taught you wrong.

Okay, not exactly wrong, but the experts usually miss a lot, especially the most important parts: the roots & foundations.

And it’s not intentional – experts generally have amazing intentions and are sharing really useful stuff, but it’s not enough.

What they share is a lot less useful without the foundations and attitudes that pave the way.

Information is very ineffective without proper mood.

The experts taught you ‘tactics’ and ‘steps’ and some of them even taught ‘strategies’, but none of them – almost none of them – talk about the universal true foundation for wealth, the one that’s common in every… single… sustainably… rich person.

So what is it?

Contribute and impact.

Do you think Lady Gaga made her money without wanting to deeply help the LGBT community?

Do you think Bill Gates made his massive fortune without aiming to move humanity forward, technologically.

Do you think Jay-Z founded his empire without passionately wanting to pave the way for others with roots in the ghetto?

Think about it.

I’ve written about this before here and here, but it bears repeating.

Contribution matters, YOLO, yo.

It doesn’t just matter. It’s the number 1 cornerstone and foundation of wealth-building.

This is solid knowledge. Whether you have tons o’ cash right now, or whether you’re at ‘rock-bottom’ – an attitude of contribution will deliver more.

Thing is, when reading marketing & business books, how many of them tell you this ridiculously important ‘secret’. No! They don’t. They jump into “here’s how you build a list!”

Building a list is one of the most important things I’ve learned – no hate – but do you know how effective a list is when you aren’t purposefully, clearly focused on contributing to the world?

It’s weak sauce.

It’s not that the experts don’t care, it’s that they don’t know. They succeed, because they *have* the right attitude, but it’s unconscious. They’re not aware of it, and they don’t know how to teach it.

So you miss it.

Teachers – myself included – are all still learning too. I may have knowledge about this subject, but huge gaps for other things.

It’s all pieces of the puzzle, and it doesn’t really make sense, unless you have the box-cover to work from: the big picture.

In case it’s not clear by now… that big picture, is contribution.

It gets deeper.

It does.

Because what’s your highest contribution? It’s you being your badass self

Being as real and as authentic as possible. Doing what you love, and doing it with passion and pride.

And sure, sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Like I’m telling it to you here, but do you really get it?

Is there anyone around who can help you get it? Are my words hitting you right? Do you really understand what it means to be your badass self?

[*shrugs head in a funny way]

Well I’m kinda being an ass, because there’s someone around who teaches this – it’s me – and you can find out more at how-to-be-real.com.

Anyway, the point is, there’s a sea of people out there, and a sea of dollars.

And those dollars will flow to you, but only to the degree you focus on contribution.

And I know there ain’t tons of scientific proof for the “magic link between contribution and wealth” but it f***ing exists, and you can use it, or not.

If you study the successful, you’ll find out that they adopted an attitude of contribution early, and built their empires based on it.

I Want Your Success

So why am I telling you all this? Because… I’m selfish :D

I dream of a world where the people around me are successful and abundant, and they’re a total blast to be around.

Where not one of them’s worried about money or politics or survival.

They just live good lives, contribute to the world, through our own fun & passions.

And that’s a pretty cool dream.

So I do my part, and I’ve been blessed to discover this secret.

And it’s all a journey for me too. I’m learning, and I’m sharing, and this is from the heart, it’s some of the highest wisdom I have to offer on the subject of being rich.

And I’d love for you to absorb it, understand it, apply it and succeed like a boss.

Thanks for reading, rock on and ryze up.

P.S A big ‘thank you’ to Jens for the invitation and the warm welcome and the chance to share with such a great group of positive entrepreneurs. I’d love to hear any feedback or related stories you have on contribution and being rich.

 

About Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca

Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca is a positive badass, shedding light on taboo topics to help game-changers ryze past plateaus.He’s been featured on LauraRoeder.com, FirepoleMarketing.com, and Technorati.com follow him at @ryzeonline.
Filed Under: Blogging

Comments

  1. Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca says:
    July 3, 2012 at 9:17 pm


    Twitter:
    Thank you so much, Jens, for your warm invitation and the chance to share with your fantastic audience.

    And thanks for handling the lil mix up when I sent you a post I wrote for another site instead! :P
    Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca invites you to read.. 151 Canada Day Tribute Links [Chopped & Screwed Remix]My Profile (dofollow)

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  2. Paul says:
    July 3, 2012 at 9:26 pm


    Twitter:
    You nailed it with this one Jason! Nobody has ever been successful without contribution towards the benefit of humanity.

    I believe Dan Kennedy’s original mission (and it still probably is) was to get as much education about marketing out to industries that desperately needed it. Talk about contribution!

    Reply
  3. Bill Dorman says:
    July 4, 2012 at 1:50 am


    Twitter:
    Hola Jason; you can fake it for only so long.

    I try to give of myself with little expectations of return; it seems I’m rewarded plenty with this attitude.

    With me, what you see is what you get, good or bad, but it’s me.
    Bill Dorman invites you to read.. A weekly round-up; best of the bestMy Profile (dofollow)

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  4. Liz says:
    July 4, 2012 at 5:47 am


    Twitter:
    Hi!

    Great article. I’m glad you made it after so long.
    I think that it’s just a simple principle of trading value for value. Why should anyone give you their money without something valuable in return.
    I think sometimes people think that just because what you are offering isn’t ‘materrial’ doesn’t mean that it’s Not of value.
    You don’t have to have all of humanity in mind. You don’t necessarily have to be doing it for others. Even if what you are offering is purely selfish, like to joy I get when helping a stray animal, then that’s fine. I helped a stray and in return he gave me a sense of happiness. You make me feel something so I bought your book. It’s simple.
    I’m hungry for money. But I’m not going to insult you by assuming I can artificially offer you value. Value is only vale when it’s real. And that’s contribution.

    -from my iPhone. Excuse any errors.

    Reply
  5. Carolyn Nicander Mohr says:
    July 4, 2012 at 1:32 pm


    Twitter:
    Hi Jason, how great to see you over here at Jens’ place! Your rhythmic and inspirational writing is a great fit here.

    As I see it, there are two types of bloggers, those who write for others and those who write for themselves. Some bloggers write about their lives and insights without really caring who reads their works. Others write to teach people. Neither one is better or necessarily more successful.

    I imagine business could be the same way, but the difference is that business people who try to identify and fill customers’ needs are much more successful.

    As fas as giving back and sharing, I’m not sure if that’s a requirement for a successful business, but it can help. McDonald’s has the Ronald McDonald House to help families who are dealing with childhood cancer. Wendy’s supports adoptions.

    But Apple wasn’t known for its charitable causes when Steve Jobs was at the helm. They did contribute by making technology simple to use and bringing it to the general public. That is a service in a way, though directly tied to profits.

    Very interesting piece, Jason!
    Carolyn Nicander Mohr invites you to read.. The iPhone Comes to Virgin Mobile! What You Need to KnowMy Profile (dofollow)

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    • Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca says:
      July 4, 2012 at 4:23 pm


      Twitter:
      Oh my! :) So great to see YOU here too, Carolyn.

      And you bring up some FANTASTIC points I didn’t go into, but that I have tons of wisdom to share about.

      Let’s see, your comment is so juicy, and this is a deep topic, so I knew there’d be discussion — hmm — where to start?

      Well…

      Regarding the *two types of blogger* — I cleared up this ‘divide’ here, and it got RAVE reviews from the commenters: http://www.firepolemarketing.com/blog/2012/01/20/phase-of-marketing/

      Now, about giving – to be extra clear: “contribution” in this case, means fitting in with the community in a useful, win-win, way. I go more in-depth on True Giving (which is NOT just charity) here: http://ryzeonline.com/are-you-giving-success-or-are-you-giving-failure

      The only rich, successful people I know have managed to that very well, but I’m open to any examples of people who DONT fit in with the community in a useful, win-win, way.

      Do you know any?

      McDonald’s and Apple’s growth + riches were limited until they adopted and maintained an attitude of contribution and going the extra-mile, which both those companies do extremely well :)

      Thanks so much for inspiring more ramblings from me, Carolyn. I really appreciate you being here :) If the post was interesting, spread it to others and they’ll thank you for opening their eyes (who doesn’t want more money? :P )
      Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca invites you to read.. 151 Canada Day Tribute Links [Chopped & Screwed Remix]My Profile (dofollow)

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  6. Ralph says:
    July 4, 2012 at 1:43 pm


    Twitter:
    Jason & Jens, nicely done.

    The piece is great and the conversation between you about trust is interesting too. That’s a huge deal and when you talk about contribution you must also be referring to trust. Right? We all know there is no get rich quick. Only credibility. The only way to build credibility is to contribute. And that builds trust. It takes a lot of time (read: effort). We all live it.

    Good to see you here Jason.
    Ralph invites you to read.. What’s your approach to engagement when you have to sell?My Profile (dofollow)

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    • Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca says:
      July 4, 2012 at 4:25 pm


      Twitter:
      You got it, Ralph! They’re all related, heavily intertwined. Contribution, trust, success.

      I’ve never seen anyone skip the “growth” or “building” process… gotta let the scenes play out and the story unfold.

      Part of that means, NOT understanding true giving, for awhile, and part of it means reading something like this post and Really Getting It.

      Rock on and ryze up, man!
      Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca invites you to read.. 151 Canada Day Tribute Links [Chopped & Screwed Remix]My Profile (dofollow)

      Reply
  7. michael says:
    July 8, 2012 at 6:48 am

    Ha ha .. these marketing gurus always forget to mention the most important thing and this is not their fault .. moreover, who would be interested in revealing the secrets of success . we need to fight our own battle and these tips may help to some extent, but it is you who have to fight it all alone

    Reply
  8. Ana Hoffman says:
    July 15, 2012 at 5:55 pm


    Twitter:
    I definitely couldn’t agree more, Jason – GIVE first and THEN (hopefully) you shall receive.

    It’s a hard concept to swallow for many: building a business without trying to build a business.
    Ana Hoffman invites you to read.. Why Traffic Generation Cafe Runs on ThesisMy Profile (dofollow)

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  9. Melvin Fabian says:
    September 10, 2012 at 8:38 am

    Great writer, great content, great allocation dear! Its my pleasure that I’ve found your post and its very clear now that you have allocated this post as well. Thanks

    Reply
  10. Jenny says:
    October 2, 2012 at 11:56 am

    It is a unique issue you have highlighted and i just loved the way you have put it. I totally agree that if you want to have something of value you need to give something of value in return.
    Jenny invites you to read.. Writing Custom Research or Term Paper is No More a Hassle!My Profile

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  11. Zeeshan says:
    November 12, 2012 at 7:58 am


    Twitter:
    You have wonderful dream! and yes I must agree with you that first giving will help you build. All the blogs over internet is based on this.
    First give them a ebook or awesome post then they will give your email address lol..
    Zeeshan invites you to read.. What is Your Greatest Weakness – Job Interview QuestionMy Profile

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