One of Arkad’s students came to him one day and complained about not having enough money to repay a loan that he had outstanding.  All of the student’s income was used to pay his household bills, and he confessed that he “was a poor customer for the moneylender, as he possessed no surplus earning capacity to repay the loan.” Arkad told him, “What you need, young man is to earn more coins. What doest thou to increase thy capacity to earn?”^{1 2}

Working hard but not smart.

The student’s plight was not uncommon even today.  He worked hard and was motivated to do all that he could to provide for his family but was working hard but not smart as we often say today. Clason uses Arkad in Lesson 7 to tell us that we can increase our earnings by investing in ourselves.  

Seek more wisdom and knowledge.

How do we invest in ourselves in this day and time?  We must have a vigorous and definite desire to find more wisdom and knowledge, and continue exploring ways to increase our understanding and skills of our craft is crucial.   Brian Tracy, a  well-known author, motivational speaker, and personal success authority, puts it this way.

“Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, look around you at your current job and find ways to create added value every day. There’s always something more you can do.

Second, identify the kind of work you want to be doing in the future and then make a plan to develop the knowledge and skills you will require to do it well.” ³

Most people will benefit and be rewarded for making themselves more valuable at their current job.

We live in the “Information Age.”

We live in exciting times today.   The onset of the Information Age, an economy based on information computerization and the internet, has put endless volumes of information at our fingertips.

“Surfing the Net”

An article recently published by History.org said,  “Educational opportunities were greatly enhanced because of the wealth of knowledge now placed at the fingertips of any wired individual. “SURFING THE ‘NET” became a pastime in and of itself.” ⁴

Strive to make yourself well-rounded

There are many things we can learn on our own and should work to make ourselves well-rounded.  Whether we learn to eat more healthily, enhance our current work skills, or learn to make more money, we must take the initiative to invest in ourselves—our ability to earn more money increases as our contribution to the organization increases.

Larry Marvin
LifeCrafter – Money $ense

Introduction-The Richest Man in Babylon

Introduction2-The Man Who Desired Gold

The First Lesson in Becoming Wealthy

Control Your Expenses-Lesson 2

Guard Thy Treasures-Lesson 3

Make Thy Gold Multiply-Lesson 4

Make Thy Home a Profitable Investment-Lesson 5

Insure Future Income-Lesson 6

Invest in Thy Ability to Earn-Lesson 7

Just Do It-Lesson 8

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