I’d heard of investment wizard and philanthropist John Templeton (1912-2008). I was aware of the Templeton Growth Fund, and I remember putting a few bucks in it years ago to save for our kids’ college education and how grateful I was to see that money grow.
What I wasn’t aware of was what a spiritual luminary Templeton was. Not only did he know a lot about making investments grow but also how the spirit could grow too. He had the courage to put what he’d learned in a book on Discovering the Laws of Life (with an introduction by Norman Vincent Peale).
I have room to only share a few of these laws–there are 40 of them–but I would heartily encourage you to dip deeper into the book and discover its rewards for yourself.
1) An attitude of gratitude creates blessings
Templeton encourages his readers to put into practice a regular dose of positive thinking. He says we have a choice: go around complaining or change. “Practice waking up each day with an expectation of good, with a wonderful feeling of thanksgiving for life itself. Your days will grow better and better,” he writes.
2) You fear what you do not understand
The future can be terrifying, filling us with anxieties and fears. We start imagining the worst. “However,” as Templeton says, “by approaching life without fear, things tend to work out for the best.”
3) Who gossips to you will also gossip about you
It’s easy enough to dismiss gossips as people who give us vital information. But think of what damage they do–to others and to you. Templeton suggests cutting short a gossip’s tale by evaluating people by their actions, not the stories told about them.
4) No one knows what he can do until he tries
Facing obstacles in your path? Accept them. “Instead of trying to change the obstacle, it is much easier to go around, go over or go under whatever stands between you and the realization of your goal.” I suspect Templeton is describing himself, a man who began his investing in the depths of the Depression when everything seemed hopeless. He had vision and pursued it.
5) “Pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17)
Templeton knew the power of the prayer “Thy will be done,” and how important it is in an active prayer life. “By communicating with God on a regular basis,” he writes, “we receive His guidance and the power to understand and do His will.” Not surprising for a businessman who started all his meetings with prayer.
