An asset is the foundation of all economic activity. If you have assets, you can run a business and settle your debts. The ways to create assets are ‘how one works,’ ‘how to receive gifts from others,’ and ‘how to purchase assets made by others.’ There is a way to steal, but it is a crime. If you don’t initially own an asset, the simplest and almost the only way to create one is to produce something with your own labor. Whether the product is a service or a good, it must be produced unconditionally. Trading products creates added value. Thinking about trading later and making products first is the fastest and most basic way to escape poverty. Therefore, produce even the smallest things every day. Knowledge, records, art—whatever! - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Making money is far more addictive than spending it. Once you earn money, the pathway to creating more becomes clear. If you try that method and succeed again, then money-making becomes a religion beyond mere addiction. When this method is experienced as an accomplishment, one must remember that the purpose and core motivations suddenly shift from their original intent, leading to corruption. Addiction knows no distinction between good and evil and disregards the line between the sacred and the secular. Be cautious of becoming addicted to seemingly good things. Anyone with a firm conviction of good and evil should always raise concerns. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”