Question:

Many years ago (1988?) I read your book, "You Can Have It All". I really enjoyed it, and it helped me a great deal. Somehow after reading your book, a series of your tapes fell into my hands.

I was an insurance broker and investment counselor for 30 years. I developed my business in É . I lived with my wife and 5 children. I used to listen to your set of tapes for three hours each day in my travels to and from my clients. I literally wore out the set. I came to feel like I knew you personally, and I memorized the answers to the questions that your audience asked you. I just want to say THANK YOU, and let you know how much I appreciate your being, and to express my gratitude for the comfort I received from your teachings.

It is now 2003. The other day I found 6 tapes from one of your Asilomar gatherings, and I listened to them several times. It brought back memories of listening to you years ago. It also brought back memories of my business and my travels.

After 30 years in the Financial Service business I became very bored with it and in fact began to hate being in that business. I felt like a prostitute working for the big financial pimps. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say that I definitely wasn't doing what I loved to do, but I got used to the $500,000 income and the lifestyle that it afforded me. I wanted to break out of that business, but I was afraid to just walk away, and I didn't know where else I could create that kind of income. What I really wanted to do was to be a voice for God, and to help other people and keep myself on principle.

I used my Financial business as a vehicle that allowed me to be with other people and it gave me an opportunity to express my love and to share principles with them. I enjoyed being with clients and helping them to solve their spiritual problems. The part I never made peace with is doing that in disguise as a "Financial Consultant". The financial institutions seemed to all break their promises to me and to my clients. Tax laws changed. Companies sold to bigger companies and it seemed like it was all about money and not people.

In an attempt to escape that business I tried several different opportunities. I got involved in a Limited Partnership. After 6 months in that business, the principals skipped town with over a half billion dollars. One million of that was mine, and 1-1/2 million was money that my clients had put in. This was the first time in my career that I ever lost money for my clients, and I was devastated. I am now $1,500,000 in debt. I told my clients that I would pay them back for the Limited Partnership loss. My good reputation of 30 years was now tarnished, and taking this very personally, I went into a tailspin and didn't do anything in the business world for almost two years. I stopped contacting clients, and when they needed service on their contracts, I referred them to customer service at the companies who wrote the contracts. I spent my time sitting on the deck that surrounded my office. We lived on several acres of forest. I got into drinking brandy to kill the pain, and after about 6 months of that realized that I was slowly killing myself, and decided to stop that. Clearly, I had lost my touch. I was no longer the successful businessman I had worked for 30 years to become. I literally became a hermit, and I seldom left my property to be with other people. Eventually I was forced to sell my beautiful home because I could no longer afford the expense of that lifestyle. I sold my business to another broker and I have been living on the equity from my home and business since the sale. I have recently moved to another state. For the past several months, I have been attempting to develop a new business. Because all of my experience has been in the Financial Services industry I have found myself creating my business around that theme. I am now working with tangible assets like gold and silver, instead of paper assets that are controlled by WALL STREET. The idea I put together is absolutely brilliant, but I find myself not getting excited about it. For some reason I have lost my touch. I am "efforting" to get this business started, and it seems like nobody wants to play with me.

After listening to your Asilomar tapes I was reminded that my problem is withholding love and support from myself. This is something I have become very good at lately. I feel like I have gotten lost in space with no doorway to return. This is extremely uncomfortable and no fun at all. I am becoming a boring person with no interest in anything on planet Earth. This is not at all like the person I used to be. At 53 years old, is this normal? Did I make a left turn in the galaxy when I should have turned right?

I am one of those people who got involved in A Course In Miracles, The Urantia Book, The Bible, Arnold Patent's teachings, and hundreds of other spiritual books, tapes, meetings. I even wrote my own book titled: "Listening to the Voice of God Within, A Work in Progress". This was material that I developed from my daily meditations and conversations with God. I never published that book, and it sits on my bookshelf reminding me of that fact.

At this point, I am beginning to wonder how I will ever be able to pay back the $1,500,000 debt. If I don't snap out of it, I may end up in a van down by the river. I want to bounce back and regain my zest for life, but nothing I do seems to help. My mind has become clogged with worry about financial matters, and it has become very difficult for me to stop feeling depressed all the time. I know that life isn't about making money, but at the same time I find myself needing more than I have coming in. It costs tons of money to support a family of 7. I am exhausted with thinking about it.

So Arnold, I would like to hear your perspective again. Where am I missing it?

As I wrote that last question the thought came to me, that I need to get back to quiet listening and to trust that God is always on purpose. Funny how quickly those answers pop into your head when the question is sincere. Maybe you have some insight into why I can't get excited with my new business....

Anyway Arnold, Thank you for being you. I wish you all the best of everything life has to offer.

Answer:

Part I: You are a person who has been very successful in playing the money game. And yet, you end up short of money.

That is not at all surprising since the purpose of the money game is to experience limitation. What you are ready to accept is that you have created the money game that you are experiencing.

You are the power in the Universe. There is no power outside of you. The loss that you are experiencing is your creation. The investors are your creation as is the guilt and responsibility you feel.

Your attempt to remedy the situation by creating another business venture is unsatisfying because you know, deep inside, that the outcome will be the same. You know that as long as you play in the money game, you come up short.

There is another game and it is ongoing all of the time. This is the real game where you are the Power and Presence of God, in the flow of unlimited abundance, creativity and joy. This is your true state of Being. You cannot change this, but you can, and have, disguised this true reality with creations such as the money game and the many beliefs connected to it.

This brings us back to money. In the real game, there is only one role for money -- to express appreciation. There is no limit to the amount of appreciation we feel, and there is no limit to the amount of money we create to express appreciation.

I suggest that you read my latest book, THE JOURNEY, to broaden your awareness of your true Self and all of your wonderful creations.

Part II: In order to play as humans, we disguise our true power by creating all kinds of beliefs in limitation. We also make believe that we are at the effect of forces outside of us. Once we open the disguises and accept the true Power that we are, we play in the human without our self-created limitations and in the fullness of our Power. This is the fun part of a game that has two parts.

Business, as you have experienced it until now, was designed by you to reflect your beliefs in limitation (part one). You accomplished your purpose with great skill and ingenuity. That same skill and ingenuity is available to you to create a business that reflects the unconditional love, harmony and abundance that is your natural state (part two).

There are those who are already creating this new way of being in business. When you feel the knowing, deep within, that you are ready to fully commit to this part of the game, get back in touch.