On Becoming Prosperous: An Interview with Foster Hibbard Pt. 2

Part 1 of this interview is here.

A John Harricharan Interview

JH: So, we find that true spirituality is more than just happiness, love etc. It even ties in to money. What is it, Foster, that transforms money from the invisible to the visible?

Foster: Loving service to other human beings. When we give loving service, it is spirit that flows through us into the world, then returns to the place from whence it came in the form of physicality or money. So, when money comes to me I know that it is my own energy that went out in the form of loving service coming back to me. It’s my money, my children returning home. Or, in other words, my own energy transformed into matter.

JH: How do you relate giving loving service to giving to charity or helping others by giving money?

Foster: I was talking about giving service in your own business or profession and I see giving as another form of the same thing. In putting out loving service, there is an expectancy of money coming back. That expectation is extremely necessary because expectancy is a magnet that draws to you whatever you are expecting. Giving is like planting a seed. The farmer stands in his field and gives the seed to the soil and he expects a manifold return in the form of a harvest. Similarly, giving money is like planting “money seeds.” It doesn’t matter whether you are giving to a church, a charity, a brother, a human being standing on the street corner or a panhandler, because, all is universal, all is one great soil waiting for the seeds.

JH: There is a Catch-22 here, Foster. I have met many people who say that when they get more they will give. Isn’t it the other way around?

Foster: Precisely so. When you are worst off financially is when you most need to be giving, even if it’s only the widow’s mite. Whatever amount you have, give some of it.

JH: This seems to be simplicity itself. Is it really that simple, Foster?

Foster: Yes, very definitely. I’ve never seen it fail. NEVER. As the individual increases his giving and loving service, he gets a larger return of money. It’s like the farmer. The more seeds he puts in the soil, the larger his crop.

JH: Why then do more people not follow this process? Do they need more inspiration or motivation? The process seems simple enough.

Foster: Because most people think, “This is all the money I have, and if I give some, I will have less. Seeds? I can always go to the seed store and buy more seeds, that’s no big deal. But money? Take anything but don’t take my money.”

JH: Would you say that Napoleon Hill has had a profound effect on your life?

Foster: An enormous effect. The teachings that have influenced me most in life are, first, those of Jesus and then secondly, Napoleon Hill. Hill was a twenty year prodigy of the world’s first billionaire, Andrew Carnegie. Napoleon Hill worked for Andrew Carnegie for those twenty years. Then I became associated with Napoleon Hill, so I have to bill myself as the Andrew Carnegie-Napoleon Hill connection! And it is my great responsibility, as I see it, to continue to proliferate these ideas. And to do it in a motivational and inspirational way.

JH: Foster, there are certain unique things about you that I and others who know you truly admire. Here you are, thousands of miles from home sharing your time and wisdom with me. I think I am pretty close to the truth when I say that it doesn’t appear that you need to work for a living. Why then, do you keep traveling and teaching?

Foster: Well, it’s true that I do not need to work for a living but I strongly feel that when someone has a talent, either one he was born with or one he developed over the years, he has an enormous responsibility to share that talent. I am a collector of ideas. Since the age of eight, I have been collecting ideas and I feel it is a sacred trust to get those ideas out where they can be heard and used by tens of thousands of people. Then, it’s their responsibility to use them or not to use them, but I’ve done my part.

Oh, in my dormitory alone in prep school, in addition to George Bush were Jack Lemmon, the movie actor, Do Pabst of Pabst Beer, John Ford, the grandson of Henry Ford. Then there was Tom Sarnoff whose father was General David Sarnoff, Chairman of the board of RCA. There was a Rockefeller, a Harris and so it went, on and on. And there I was, a hick from the sticks, having two dollars a week in spending money, while they had unlimited wealth.

JH: Would you say that your association with such successful people might have been one of the keys to your success? After all, if you fly with eagles, you will become like an eagle.

Foster: Yes. And I determined that someday I was going to have that kind of money. Yes, you bet! I had an enormous determination about that.

JH: Foster, do you think that everyone is capable of becoming wealthy?

Foster: There are really three basic requirements combined with the attitudes we mentioned earlier. First, you must be of average intelligence. Second, your body must be warm and third, you must be breathing. If an individual has those things, there is no limit to what can be accomplished.

JH: Thank you, Foster, for your time and wisdom. This has been delightful and “learningful,” all at the same time.

Foster: I’ve loved every minute of it.

*Author’s Note: Foster Hibbard departed this life a few years ago. He was one of my closest friends and I will always treasure his teachings and the countless hours I listened to his words of wisdom. Much of my success today is due to Foster. He is sorely missed. I still listen to his famous motivational, inspirational and rare audiotapes, and feel, as I do so, that Foster is speaking to me again.
–John Harricharan

Award-winning author John Harricharan has created AuthorsUniversity.com the best, comprehensive website for aspiring authors. If you’ve always wanted to write a book… this is the website for you. www.AuthorsUniversity.com

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