I just started reading a new book by Rabbi Daniel Lappin entitled "Thou Shall Prosper," a book about ten primary Jewish principles behind business and money-making.
Daniel Lapin calls these 10 principles the 10 commandments of business, modeling the commandments given us by God in the old testament.
The first of these principles is that of believing in the dignity and morality of business. Our culture looks down upon business and making money in general. That leads into our lives, and whether we agree with it or not, it affects how we see business and building wealth. So the first step in becoming more prosperous is believing that business and making money is not only moral but a dignified thing.
Typically, when we make money, we provide a service and free trade agreement with another person. Only in the scarce scenarios are we cheating or stealing goods from another being. The amount to which we profit is directly correlated with the level of service we provided. This puts a completely different spin on making money as the more you make, the more you give value and serve other people.
The interesting thing is, if we try to build a business on stealing from our customers, it can't last for very long. Let's say you open a cleaning business, and you get paid upfront to clean someone's house, but you decide to run off with the money. How many times can you go back to that person to get paid again to clean? How often will they recommend you to other people? Word travels pretty fast, and it doesn't take long to build up a reputation for being dishonest.
Key takeaways:
1) Making money is moral and good
2) The creation of wealth is through the trade of goods and services
3) How much you get paid is directly related to the level of service you provide
4) Cheating doesn't last