Shoremates,

Welcome to part 7 of the Richest Man in Babylon where we go through chapters 8 and 9: the Walls of Babylon and the Camel Trader of Babylon.

Banzar was an old warrior who had been through numerous battles with the king.  He did not go out with the main armies, and was part of the defending regiment when the Assyrians came from the North to attack the walls of Babylon.

Banzar would be the go between with information from the civilians to the soldiers. Whenever a civilian would approach him and ask about the progress, the answer would be the same: be of good heart, the walls of Babylon will protect you.  The message was simple...we cannot afford to be without adequate protection.

Chapter 9 introduced to us Tarkad and Dabasir.  Tarkad owed Dabasir (and many others) money.  Dabasir came across his path, took him aside, and told him of a story when he was a slave.   

Dabasir was born a free man, but lived without restraint, lost everything he had, became a robber, and then was sold into slavery.  During this time, he woke up and took off the victim mentality lens of life, and came across the following message: where the determination is, the way can be found. 

Action Items:

1. If something happened to you today, would your family be ok?  Over $1 billion in insurance goes unclaimed each year because their family doesn’t know about it.  Do your family members know how to access it?  
2. Do you have savings account in place for a rainy day?  How much do you need in savings for 1 month rainy day fun?  Expand to 2, 3, 6 months, then 1 year.
3. What lens are you looking through for life? The soul of a free person, or that of a slave?  Be brutally honest.  Do you have reasons (excuses) for why things aren’t going your way in life, or do you seek to be a problem solver?
4. Define several problems (opportunities) you’re currently facing, different ways you think you could solve them, and how you would feel if you solved them and what it would mean for you.

Always Remember,

You've got this!

J.D. Elliott