“I run a small business, solely owned, and a few years ago it seemed that my venture would end in failure.
For some months, sales had fallen steadily and I found myself in a financial ‘jam’ – along with thousands of other small businessmen, as this period spanned one of our country’s minor recessions.
I was badly in debt and needed at least three thousand dollars almost immediately.
My auditors advised me to close my doors and try to salvage what I could. Instead, I turned to my Imagination.
I knew your teaching but had never actually attempted to solve any problem in this manner. I was frankly skeptical of the entire idea that imagination can create reality but I was also desperate; and desperation forced me to test your teaching.
“I imagined my office receiving four thousand dollars unexpectedly in remittances due.
This money would have to come from new orders as my accounts receivable were practically nonexistent, but this seemed far-fetched as I hadn’t received this much in sales during the last four months or more.
Nevertheless, I kept my imaginal picture of receiving this amount of money steadily before me for three days.
Early the fourth morning a customer I had not heard from in months called me on the telephone asking me to come and see him personally.
I was to bring a quotation previously given him for machinery needed by his factory. The quotation was months old, but I dug it out of my files and lost no time in arriving at his office that day.
I wrote out the order which he signed, but I saw no immediate help for me in the transaction as the equipment he wanted would take from four to six months for factory delivery, and of course, my customer did not have to pay for it until delivered.
“I thanked him for the order and rose to leave. He stopped me at the door and handed me a check for a little over four thousand dollars, saying, ‘I want to pay for the merchandise now, in advance – for tax purposes, you know. You don’t mind?’
No, I didn’t mind. I realized what had happened the moment I took that check into my hands.
Within three days, my imaginal act had done for me what I hadn’t been able to do in months of desperate financial shuffling.
I know, now, that imagination could have brought forty thousand dollars into my business just as easily as four thousand.”
—L.N.C
Story from the book The Law And The Promise
