When I was much younger, I thought that education would be the answer to all my problems, so I went about obtaining degrees. I collected a good number of them including a summa cum laude degree in chemistry and mathematics, and an MBA among others. But I found that my education, even though it helped tremendously, did not bring real satisfaction. So I put the certificates and diplomas in the bathroom under glass and wrote, “Break in Case of Emergency.”

Then I started working for Fortune 500 companies and became intrigued with those who frequented the boardrooms of power and fame. And though a part of me was fascinated, thrilled and even enjoyed the trappings of power, there was something that was missing, which I couldn’t put my finger on. My heart and spirit were crying out for something that I couldn’t find in major corporations.

Still searching for the “Holy Grail” I became an entrepreneur and built a very successful, multi-national business with offices in the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, India and the United Kingdom. Life seemed good. I traveled the world, wined and dined with leaders of industry and even leaders of countries. I was treated as a prince, but still it all felt empty and useless.

Wherever I sought for peace and prosperity and happiness, I’d find prosperity without the peace or I’d discover abundance without the happiness. Finally, one day, as I sat on my wife’s deathbed (she was only in her thirties when she died), it became clear to me that my happiness, peace and prosperity were not dependent on anything external, but on that which was within me,that which had always been with me from my very first day on Earth.

So I started to look within me and discovered a wonderland beyond imagination. I realized that the one spiritual practice more important than all the others that could bring me peace, happiness and prosperity was the practice of going into the “silence” deep within me. Some call it meditation or prayer, others refer to it as contemplation or centering oneself. I do not know what it should be called, but I think of it as the “silence”.

In the great silence within, I become renewed, refreshed and excited to face the physical world. When I return from my moments of silence or meditation, I feel great waves of joy. I feel peaceful, secure and safe. Perhaps in the depths of my being, there is a place of beautiful silence where I meet my Creator and where I find renewal of body, mind and spirit. Perhaps true success and peace emanate from this silent sanctuary.

Many years ago, I wrote the following: “Whenever problems seem to get the best of me, whenever I feel them closing in on me, I go to a quiet place that lies somewhere in my soul. I do not reason, analyze or think. Those will come later. I simply go. From this place of silence, I garner strength and inspiration to stand firm in the face of fire, to be calm in the midst of thunder. When I emerge, the world has not changed, but I have. And in changing, a whole new world is born.”

I find that is as true today as when I first wrote it or thought it. Success, whichever way we define it, whether by money standards, health or happiness standards, is not a game of chance. It springs from deep within us, from our deepest thoughts and beliefs. It has to do with our fears and hopes and it flows eternally from our spiritual center of gravity. Go into the silence within you. Try to do so a number of times each day. Let your true self speak to you. Listen to the “still, small voice”, which is always there. You will find calm, peace and prosperity unknown in ordinary times. You’ll find a new and joyous path opening ahead of you and you’ll be delighted in the glorious adventures that await around the corner.

Sometimes, the simplest things are the most profound. Many times, the most obvious things are often ignored. A good percentage of the time the most common sense principles are the ones most disregarded. Perhaps, it’s because we are so intent on making a living that we forget about making a life.

One of the most forgotten principles for personal success is a word ignored by almost everyone–Goodwill. It is a principle so underused, yet so powerful, that it could take us to the heights of success. It remains underused because people overlook the disarming power disguised in subtle terms such as compassion, kindness, empathy, unselfishness and caring.

In marketing classes in MBA school, we learned many useful things about advertising strategy, marketing to consumers, studying statistics of a sales campaign and getting the order. To this day, I use the tools of the trade to help me in my business. But one thing that hardly anyone touched upon was the concept of “Goodwill.”

Goodwill is not just a number on the accountant’s balance sheet, but is an invisible, little-used tool that all of us have at our disposal. Let me explain. Most of us could help solve someone else’s problems, either with a telephone call, an introduction or referral, a signature or other obvious means. But we refuse to do it. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because we feel there’s nothing in it for us! Or we are afraid to get involved.

Let me tell you a true story. It was many years ago. A young woman walked into my assistant’s office. She was looking for a job, but we had none to offer. Just the week before, all job vacancies had been filled. At the request of my assistant, I spoke with the young woman. She only wanted to work for the summer and then would complete her last semester of graduate school and return home to her country. She had been looking for a summer job for almost four weeks. No one wanted to hire her and train her to work for such a short period of time.

I remembered my days as a graduate student and felt her anxiety. Although there was no sound business reason to do so, I told my assistant to create a job for her. Afterall, she needed help and it felt good to help someone without figuring what was in it for me. I hardly saw her until the last day when she came into my office to say goodbye. She thanked me again for the job and handed me a business card.

“This is my father’s card,” she said, “If you ever visit my country, call my dad, he’d be very happy to meet you. I’ve told him all about how kind you and your employees were to me. In my country, my dad is a member of Parlianment and an important man.”

And that’s how I ended up having lunch with the mayor of Nairobi, dinner with the Vice President of Kenya and making business alliances that brought my company profits hundreds of times greater than the salary we had paid for summer help.

On top of that, I enjoyed going on photo safari to the Serengeti Plains of East Africa, walking along the beaches of Mombassa and sipping Pimms#3 at the Mount Kenya Safari Club, while enjoying the fantastic view of the snow-covered summit of Mount Kenya. Even the Kikuyu dancers reminded me of exciting adventures in foreign climes.

This is not an isolated case. It’s just one of the more obvious ones. You never can tell who will lead you to that next contact, that profitable contract or the added financing you were looking for. It is important that we treat everyone with dignity and respect. REMEMBER: Business does not do business with other businesses. People do business with people.

The Internet is not about computers, technology or even marketing. That would be like saying cars are about the internal combustion engine and the laws of thermodynamics. The Internet is about people and communications. If we communicate with honesty and feelings, we’d find that most others respond in kind. So whenever the opportunity arises, do something for someone else who is powerless to do it alone. Don’t worry about what you are going to get out of it. The Universe has a way of repaying in ways far too strange to understand. Earn “goodwill” and you’ll prosper beyond belief.

Tom was a wonderful human being. He was kind, caring and helpful to all those who sought his assistance. The only problem was that most of us did not like to be around Tom. Much as he tried to be a “good” person, there was always an aura of doom and gloom around him. It didn’t matter whether he was speaking with you on the phone or sitting across the table from you, you just would get the feeling that the world was coming to an end or that your life would be in a terrible mess. Were you to spend an hour with Tom, you’d feel that all your energy was drained out of you.

Now, mind you, as I said earlier, Tom was a caring person. The problem was, however that Tom carried around with him a “cloud of negativity” born of desperation. His was definitely a desperate matter. It didn’t just stop when he got off the phone. The emptiness in your stomach, the low energy would persist for quite a while until you eventually forgot about him. That is how powerful the feeling of desperation is. It has the power to turn off the brightest light in our lives.

Desperation broadcasts a very strong message to all within our sphere of influence. It even goes beyond that to people who are meeting you for the first time. Business associates tend to shun you, partners want to avoid you, everyone — even little children — feel uncomfortable around you.

So what do you do if situations and circumstances seem hopeless and your fears force you into desperation? Simple, but not easy. First, try to slow your thoughts down. You are desperate because of the incessant, negative self-talk, which has taken over your entire being. Slow the internal conversation down. Take a break from whatever you’re doing — even if it’s for a few minutes.

Next, breathe deeply a few times, not any special count like breathe in for a count of seven, hold for a count of five and then breathe out for a count of seven. Do that if you want, but it’s not necessary. Just slow breathing, in and out, will lower the tension in the body, mind and spirit to a more manageable pace. Realize that things are as they are, but can be changed. You can change them by becoming quiet within yourself and then listening to the feelings you have. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do about the problem at this moment.

You will get one of two answers. Either “yes” or “no.” If the answer is “yes,” go ahead and do what you can. If the answer is “no,” then go do something else or maybe even nothing. This simple exercise is a practice in patience and will tune-up the mind and make it possible for you to find creative ways for your problem to be resolved. And it will be resolved in ways that sometimes may seem magical.

Now, I realize it is not easy to conquer desperation with the flip of a switch or the snap of the fingers. Having been in the middle of it many times, I discovered that it generally takes courage and practice to overcome. Of course, most of us can’t stop worrying by telling ourselves not to worry.

But we can put a time limit on it. A simple trick I use is this: I acknowledge that the situation is bad and I say to myself, “John, this seems to be really terrible — really, really bad. But it may only appear that way because you’re desperate and scared right now. It’s OK to be scared for a little while. However, don’t spend all day being frightened or desperate. Take 30 minutes, an hour, even a few hours if you like. Be as desperate as you want for that period of time. Then drop it and go on with other things.” Just practice this whenever you feel scared and desperate.

And Tom, what about Tom? Well, He continues to call. He’s exhausted all the time. Desperation, you see, consumes all his energy. I tried to show him that there is always hope, that his problems would let go of him when he got quiet enough to loosen his grip and let go of them. I tried to teach him to breathe slowly and to get quiet inside. He listened, became quiet for ten seconds and went right back to worrying.

Other friends tried to help him, but he would not let go of his problems. I came to believe that Tom thought he would have no purpose here on Earth if he did not have things to worry about. I tried to tell him that it was fine to be happy and that we did not need anything to make us happy. But he would not let go and give himself permission to be happy.