Once upon a time, there was a very rich man who was getting somewhat long in the tooth.
He’d had a long, wonderful life and now, he wanted to leave his considerable fortune to his three daughters. They had married well. The rich, old guy had great affection and respect for all three of the gentlemen his daughters had chosen to marry.
So he boogies on down to the offices of the law firm which handles all the legal details of his business affairs. He tells his attorneys what he wants to do… and… that’s when he began to learn the harsh realities of the probate, estate and inheritance laws in his country.
These Laws Are Flat Out Insane!
They are (naturally) ridiculously complex. But, when you boil them down to their essence, it all amounts to this: Whenever God decides to bring you “home”, the process of transferring your money, property and all other forms of your wealth to your loved ones (or, even to your favorite charities) will involve:
(A.) A very long and totally ridiculous legal process.
(B.) Giving a ridiculously high percentage of your wealth to one or more unworth, attorneys and
(C.) Giving the Government another ridiculous, unfair and huge chunk of your net worth.
After his attorneys explained all this to him, the rich, old guy was not a happy camper. Being a God-fearing man, he decided to express his feelings in a Biblical manner. Then, he looked up at this team of high-priced attorneys and spoke thus…
This Sucketh!
He then asked if all the laws pertaining to probate could be found in the legal books his attorneys had in their private law library. They answered him in the affirmative. Then he asked if he could be left alone in the law library for a few hours every day during the coming week. His attorneys (behind his back, of course) rolled their eyes heavenward, but nevertheless, they granted his simple request.
Hey, what could it hurt?
The old man had been a good client for many years. Why shouldn’t they honour him? And thus, it came to pass, the old man closeted himself in the firm’s law library for the better part of a week.
After that, he courteously thanked his attorneys and informed them they need not concern themselves with this area of his affairs any longer. The attorneys (sensing a loss of income) tried to dissuade him. But, alas, they could not.
The old man returned home and went about his business. He decided to throw a huge party to announce his retirement. He invited hundreds of people (including his attorneys) to this gala event.
There was wine, food, music, other forms of entertainment, good conversation and, in general, a fine time was had by all who attended. When the party was at its peak, the rich old guy asked the musicians to take a break so he could mount the stage, pick up the microphone and make a few comments. He thanked everybody for coming.
He briefly described (with humility) the highlights of the rich, good life with which God had blessed him. He had a wonderful wife, three wonderful daughters, wonderful friends, a wonderful business, and, he had enjoyed excellent health. No man, he said, had been more blessed. The only smudge on his otherwise wonderful life was that…
The Three Men His Daughters Had Chosen To Marry Were Crooks, Thieves, And All-Around Unethical, Dishonest Scum!
He went on and on about this.
The partygoers were astonished.
They all thought the old man had respected and even loved the three men his daughters had married. How could he be saying these awful things? In public? At an event where everyone was being video taped?
From time to time, individuals in the crowd would sneak a peek at the three young men who were being so unfairly depicted. They seemed remarkably composed, as did their wives, (the old man’s daughters) during this tirade.
Anyway, shortly after the old man had had his say, the party seemed to lose its festive atmosphere. All the guests went home, and, no one was surprised when, a few days later, a front page story in the local newspaper, about, how those three, maligned young men were suing the rich old guy for everything he had.
No one was surprised when they won their lawsuit either. After all, they had hundreds of witnesses, and, even a high quality video tape of all the old guy’s libelous and public statements.
And so, it came to pass that all the old men’s wealth was lost in this vicious lawsuit. His three sons-in-lawsGOT IT ALL, which, of course, they shared with their wives, whom they loved very dearly.
And, believe it or not, they even found a way in their hearts to “forgive” the old man, and, they gave him a generous (very generous) allowance so he could exquisitely enjoy the golden twilight years of his life. And, guess what, his daughters, their husbands and, his grandchildren had all this money and…
Nobody Had To Pay A Penny In Inheritance Taxes! Or Income Taxes!
Or state taxes! Or capital gains taxes! Or property taxes! Or… any other type of taxes whatsoever!
Why? Simply because, all the money that is won in a lawsuit for damages is always 100% tax-free! Bet your attorney never told you that, did he? I wonder why? No, it’s probably not because he doesn’t want you to know. More likely… it’s simply that he’s so “brain dead,” he has no clue about the significance of this fact.
But that rich, old man, who didn’t know, it was impossible to avoid these unfair probate laws… went ahead and avoided them anyway. Please, let me say it again…
Nothing Is Impossible For A Person Who Doesn’t Know It Can’t Be Done!
I don’t know the creator of the story I’ve just shared with you but I heard it for the first time from the late, legendary direct response marketer, Gary Halbert. Looking back at my business career, most of what I’ve been able to accomplish is a direct result of my attitude and my belief, the type demonstrated by the rich old man in the story above.
What about you?
What are the excuses holding you back? Your ambition is not impossible to achieve if you don’t believe it can’t be done. Like motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said, “your business is neither good or bad out there… your business is either good or bad right here, in between your two ears”.
Akin Alabi(CEO NairaBet.com)
