The Unpreached Truth: God & Money
Is God anti-wealth or pro wealth? Does God promote financial prosperity or have a disdain towards it? Are there occupations that God disapprove because they are lucrative? Is poverty a mark of righteousness? Educated in both business and theology, Nikolai explores two ongoing forces that have impacted culture: God & Money. Both these forces are relevant in life. This podcast unravels the truths that are often not discussed from either the pulpit or the podium. Whether one is a person of faith or a skeptic, an entrepreneur or a leader, a student or an educator, this podcast takes one on a journey to confront misconceptions and discover truths. The podcast also provides practical solutions to problems both financially and spiritually. So what's the truth? You are about to find out! This is The Unpreached Truth about God and Money.
The Unpreached Truth: God & Money
The Unseen Power of Ideas in Shaping Our World
Have you ever been struck with an idea so simple yet so compelling that it felt like a mini-revolution in your mind? My childhood recollection of transforming the craving for a new toy into a thriving custom magnet business is a testament to this phenomenon. I share this formative experience, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit that can ignite at any age—proving that even the smallest notions can evolve into game-changing realities. This episode is not just a trip down memory lane; it's an inspiring look at how we can harness our ideas to reshape our financial landscape and, potentially, the world.
Some of us have told ourselves, we have convinced ourselves, that we need billions of dollars, we need millions of dollars, we need thousands of dollars, we need money in order for our idea to come to life. And I'll like for us to begin to change our thinking, just slightly change how we are viewing the situation. I'll like to suggest that if you have a good idea and if you're able to solve a problem, the money will come. So I'll be a tell you a story. When I was just 8 years old, I spotted a toy in a grocery store, a toy that was beyond my family's financial reach. Undeterred, I began saving every penny and quarter that I could find. Eventually I had enough to make a purchase. But instead of the toy, I chose to buy magnet strips and a glue stick. Curious about my classmates' interests, I asked them about their favorite TV show and kept a list of all of their responses. Later I printed images of these beloved cartoon characters at my university library. I glued these images onto the back of magnet strips, tailored each magnet to the shape of the character, and the following day I decorated my desk with these magnets. To my surprise, my classmates were drawn to them. Eager to buy, I sold these magnets, pricing them between 50 cents to $5, and even started a small network of student sellers sharing profit with them. This small enterprise allowed me to buy my own toys and to save for the future.
Speaker 1:Looking back, I realized that I wasn't just making and selling magnets. I was learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. I was learning about the power of an idea. I had an idea, I conducted market research, I developed a product, I learned about advertising and I began to make profit. This was eight years old. At eight years old, I never anticipated the success that would follow, nor did I expect to inspire and lead my peers. In fact, what was interesting? Competition began to start because there were people, other classmates, who began to literally do what I do. They began to create their own magnet strips and sell them to other kids, trying to low ball the price. But at the end of the day, my idea had came to life. Something changed that day. This experience began with a simple goal, but it grew into something much bigger. As I share this with you, I hope it serves as a reminder that greater things or great things often start small.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we neglect the power of an idea because we think that our ideas are worthless. Our ideas would not make a difference in somebody's life. Our ideas are not powerful. What's interesting about an idea is an idea is an immaterial thing. And because an idea is an immaterial thing, it's interesting the way that we're designed. All things that we see from a desk to a MacBook, to a Bluetooth headset, to a camera, to your house, to a car All of these began with an idea and one idea built on the next. I'm not sure how many people conceptualized an airplane in its entirety, with the comfort seats and first class and flight attendants who would come and bring you snacks and drinks. I'm not sure how many people thought about the fastest cars and what components you would need. I'm not sure if they were aware of Bluetooth when they first started or a heads up display. But what we do know is this that somebody thought about an idea and they began to work on it and some things worked and some things didn't, and they went back to the drawing board and they were able to develop something that was great.
Speaker 1:I've come to intervene in your life today because there are many of us who spend time wondering why we're here on this earth. What purpose do we have? But also we wonder why we have had dreams and visions and ideas about things but we've never executed them. Why is it that we think about that particular thing? What drives us and motivates us each day? Why does it keep popping up in our mind? And I'd like to suggest that some of our financial dynamics can change if we begin to believe in the ideas that we have. You see, if you believe in the power of an idea, the power that comes with an idea, you can change your financial situation. You can start looking at different ways of saving, different ways of coming up with a budget, different ways of figuring out how to start your own business, different ways to do something innovative. You need to spend time believing in the ideas that you have. I like to suggest that some ideas come because you have your circumstances. I think that some ideas come because of your family background, in your culture. Some ideas happen because of you as an individual. Some ideas happen because of experience, but some ideas are cultivated in the furnace of adversity. You ran into a challenge, you ran into a problem and you were simply trying to solve a problem and you didn't realize how big it was going to be.
Speaker 1:One thing that I thought was interesting is that my wife came up to me one day during the pandemic and she said Nick, you should start a podcast. I had no idea what a podcast was. No clue, never listened to one, never paid attention, didn't know anything about it. I did some research. I was a little apprehensive at first. I couldn't figure out what topic I wanted to deal with, but I thought that this particular subject about God and money would be important and I did not know it would result in people literally listening around the world, thousands of downloads, people listening in Nicaragua and South Africa and Australia and Spain and Germany and the islands and across the United States.
Speaker 1:I did not realize how important the power of an idea is, how many people this podcast would inspire, how many lives were transformed and changed. How many people would pull me aside and say listen, I really appreciate what you're having to offer. Is there more that you can share? Can you come and do presentations? Can you come and do workshops? Can you come and explain more? And I just want to let you know and encourage you that you don't have to have some sort of multi-billion dollar, sophisticated, complex plan or scheme or idea.
Speaker 1:What you need to do is just start with the basic idea. Start with what you have, start with what you have been given. Start at the beginning. You know, it's often said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You're not going to get where you need to go financially, in terms of understanding your purpose and leading your organization, if you don't just start with an idea. See, what has happened is that sometimes we grew up in environments where our ideas were shut down. You began to share your idea with a family member, with your parents, with a teacher, with a classmate, and they laughed at you or they ignored you or they suggested you were arrogant, or they suggested it's never been done before, and you let that idea and dream kind of flicker and die and let the flame of that innovation and ingenuity run out. But I'm letting you know today that as long as that flame and flicker is still alive, that it could ignite to something great, you have no idea what your idea can do to change the world and to change somebody else's life.
Speaker 1:An often thing that we don't talk about is how many individuals have multi-million dollar ideas and they sat on that particular idea and they never executed it and they wondered all the days of their life why they didn't follow through with it. And then sometimes we get envious of somebody else's success or we say, hey, that was my idea. But the difference between you and the other person isn't about genius, it isn't about art, it isn't about how many degrees the person has, it was not about the neighborhood they were born in. The difference between you and the person is simply this they acted on the idea and you did not. We have stories of individuals who have come from challenged and adverse environments who had an idea, and that idea not just changed their neighborhood, it changed their lives and it changed the world.
Speaker 1:As we reflect on this holiday weekend, we reflect on the work of Dr King, who had an idea, and look at where that has gotten us. There are some individuals who may be antagonists against Dr King, but the truth is that many of us have rights and privileges and benefits because of the power of an idea, and I like to just suggest to us that ideas can change the world. Now, granted, dr King did have a later vision of a change in economics in the American Empire, that there would be some sort of economic justice that would take place, and I would like to let us know that, even if that dream seems far away, even if that dream has terried, even if it has not come true yet, in the meantime, while they legislate and while they debate and while they discuss, and while we reflect on the better of our angels and not our demons, I'd like to suggest to us that there's still power in an idea. Many of us need to begin to act on the ideas that we have, ideas that can change industry, ideas that can change communities, ideas that can change our lives and change families. And I'd like to suggest to us something that's powerful and that's true, and something that I have heard a long time ago and I'd like to share with you at this moment.
Speaker 1:Some of us have told ourselves, we have convinced ourselves, that we need billions of dollars, we need millions of dollars, we need thousands of dollars, we need money in order for our idea to come to life, and I'll like for us to begin to change our thinking, just slightly, change how we are viewing the situation. I'll like to suggest that if you have a good idea and if you're able to solve a problem, the money will come, instead of saying to yourself I need the money, and then I'll come up with the idea. Say to yourself I have a problem that I need to solve and I'm going to solve this problem, and as you are solving this problem or you create the solution to this problem, people pay for solutions. This is why we spent time in school learning how to solve problems, both mathematical and rhetorical problems. The truth is that the marketplace is filled with businesses that are here to provide solutions to a problem, and sometimes even organizations get off track because they spend time wondering where the money is going to come for that innovation, for that renovation, for how they're going to transform their organizational culture.
Speaker 1:Well, we don't have the money. We don't have the money. We don't have the money not realizing that they need to solve the problem and the money will come. The money will resolve itself when people begin to change how they're thinking. You need to begin to think of how can I solve this problem and your finances will align in that particular way.
Speaker 1:So I'd like to encourage you to don't let your dreams die, don't let your ideas crumble, don't let your things fall apart. Really begin the process of reimagining and re-envisioning what your A direction in life needs to be, what challenges you need to solve, whether that is dealing with your personal budget, whether that's dealing with your organizational leadership, whether that's dealing with a particular strategy, whether that's figuring out how you're going to solve some of the problems in your office, in your family, in your own personal life. There's power in an idea, and I hope and pray that today begins the day where you begin to provide solutions for the predicaments, both financial and otherwise, that you may find yourself in. Hey everyone, thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If you would like to stay in contact and keep in touch with what we're doing, follow us on Instagram at theunpreachtruth. That's right, theunpreachtruth. No underscores, no spaces. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button. Share this message with somebody and remember speak the truth and speak it out.