Latest / Revolution of Purpose Podcast / Exploring the Vacuum Law of Prosperity
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to the Revolution of Purpose podcast. I'm your host,
- 0:03John Streit, and each week we bring you conversations with thought leaders,
- 0:07entrepreneurs, and individuals who have aligned their life
- 0:11with purpose and created extraordinary results. So I'm gonna live
- 0:14through it and accept it radically with grace and hope and love.
- 0:18I mean, I would be proud to be in this household. It was an honor.
- 0:21I had so much fun. Tune in every Monday for the Revolution of Purpose
- 0:25solo show and every Thursday for Revolution of Purpose Conversations.
- 0:29What if the one thing standing between you and the life you desire is
- 0:33not something that you need to add to your life, but instead
- 0:37is something you need to release, to let go of? What if you've been asking
- 0:41for something new, a new opportunity, a new
- 0:44level of income, a new relationship, a new career,
- 0:48just a new version of your life in general, a new reality,
- 0:52but there's simply no room for it because you're still holding on
- 0:56to what belonged to the old version of you? Today, I want to talk
- 0:59about the principle that I first learned through the teachings of the late Bob
- 1:03Proctor. It's often referred to as the Vacuum Law
- 1:07of Prosperity, or simply the Vacuum Law. The basic
- 1:11idea is this, that nature abhors a vacuum. So when something
- 1:15is removed, space is created for something else to enter.
- 1:19But I want to take that principle a little deeper today, because I
- 1:24don't believe that this is only about clearing out your closet. Or getting
- 1:27rid of things that you don't use anymore. I believe there are moments
- 1:31when creating the life you desire requires you to create
- 1:35a vacuum in your schedule or in your relationships, in your business,
- 1:39your thinking, sometimes even in your identity. And when I
- 1:43started thinking about this, I realized how perfectly it connects with what I've been teaching—
- 1:48the Law of Identity Transformation: Awaken, Become,
- 1:51Align, and Create. Because sometimes the aligned action
- 1:56necessary to create your new reality is willing
- 1:59to release what belonged to your old one.
- 2:02Welcome to this episode of Revolution of Purpose, the solo
- 2:05show. So let's talk about this vacuum law. Think about something
- 2:09incredibly simple. Let's say that you decided that you want
- 2:13new furniture for your living room. You find the perfect sofa, the perfect chairs,
- 2:17the perfect tables. You order everything and you're really
- 2:20excited about what your living room is going to look like. And then delivery
- 2:24day comes and the truck pulls up and they bring in your new beautiful furniture
- 2:28right to your front door. But there's a problem. You never
- 2:32moved out the old furniture. The old sofa is still there.
- 2:35The old chairs are still there. The tables are still there.
- 2:39And now you're standing at the front door saying, bring on in the new furniture.
- 2:43And they're asking, where do you want us to put it? There's no room.
- 2:49And isn't that exactly what we do sometimes with life in general?
- 2:53We say, I want more abundance, or I want a new opportunity.
- 2:56I want a different career or a healthier relationship. I want
- 3:00to become a different version of myself, but we don't release anything.
- 3:04We don't make room for that new version. We want to somehow bring
- 3:08the new furniture in while keeping all of the old furniture
- 3:12exactly where it is, because that's what we know. It's what we're comfortable
- 3:16with. And sometimes it simply does not work that way.
- 3:20Sometimes receiving something new requires creating the
- 3:24space for it first. I experienced this very clearly early
- 3:28on in my real estate career. A couple of years in, there was
- 3:32a season where a large portion of my business became
- 3:35focused around working with investors, specifically out-of-state investors,
- 3:40buying very inexpensive homes that they would turn into rental properties.
- 3:44And I was excited at first because I was getting deal after deal
- 3:48after deal. And in fact, one year I sold more houses
- 3:52than I had ever sold in a single year. But if you looked at the
- 3:55number of transactions, you'd think, wow, he just had an incredible year. But financially,
- 4:00it was the worst year I've ever had in real estate because
- 4:04those properties were at such a low price point that
- 4:07I was working constantly, had to hire an assistant
- 4:12just to help me run these deals, showing houses, writing contracts,
- 4:15handling inspections, coordinating closings, moving from
- 4:19transaction to transaction. But the commissions were incredibly
- 4:23small. I sold more homes than ever before,
- 4:27yet I didn't even cap with my brokerage that year.
- 4:30More activity was producing less prosperity.
- 4:34And so eventually I awakened to something. I realized I don't want to
- 4:37build my real estate business this way anymore. I want to change the
- 4:41type of business that I'm doing. And I decided
- 4:45I want to become more of a luxury-focused realtor. And notice
- 4:48the low— the language there. It wasn't simply, I want to sell a luxury home.
- 4:52I wanted to become— my identity changed
- 4:56to a luxury realtor. That's an identity decision. And once
- 5:00I made the decision, I started to encounter a problem.
- 5:03My calendar and my business were still filled with opportunities associated
- 5:07with the identity I was trying to leave. Leads would come in for
- 5:11these inexpensive investor properties. And I knew
- 5:15that I could probably turn those leads into transactions.
- 5:19There was money attached to them, but I had to start saying no.
- 5:23Think about how counterintuitive that feels. You're saying you want greater prosperity
- 5:27while simultaneously you're turning down business.
- 5:30You're saying you want to make more money while saying no to opportunities
- 5:34that could make you money today. But what I began to understand was that
- 5:38every time I said yes to something that belonged to the old
- 5:42version of my business, I was using time and capacity that
- 5:46could have been available for the business I wanted to build.
- 5:49I had to create a vacuum. So, I began releasing those
- 5:52opportunities. And then something interesting started to happen.
- 5:55People already within my sphere of influence began reaching out to me.
- 5:59They wanted to list their homes. Maybe they had homes in the
- 6:03$300,000, $500,000, even $900,000 range.
- 6:07And they suddenly wanted me to help them list it. They wanted me to help
- 6:10them purchase these homes. And some of these properties were at price points even 10
- 6:14times higher than the $50,000 and $60,000 homes
- 6:18I had been selling before. The kind of business that I decided I wanted began
- 6:23showing up. But here's what I want you to understand. The most
- 6:27important vacuum was not in my pipeline. It was in my
- 6:31identity. I had to release the image that I
- 6:34had of myself as the realtor who did the kind of low-price
- 6:38investor business that was keeping me so busy and running me ragged.
- 6:42I had to begin seeing myself as someone who could walk into
- 6:46a luxury home, meet with that homeowner, and have the confidence
- 6:50to say, I am the realtor who will sell this property. My reality
- 6:54could not change until I began willing to change the identity that
- 6:59was creating that reality. So this is where the vacuum law connects
- 7:03so beautifully with the law of identity transformation that I've been speaking about lately.
- 7:07The process of the law of identity transformation simply is awaken,
- 7:11Become, Align, and Create. First, you awaken. You awaken
- 7:16to another possibility. For me, the awakening was realizing
- 7:19I don't have to keep building my real estate career this way.
- 7:23Another version of this business is possible. And that's where
- 7:27transformation began, because you cannot intentionally create
- 7:31a reality that you cannot even imagine. And then you become,
- 7:34you begin assuming the identity of that person who creates
- 7:39that new reality. I had to stop thinking only about selling higher-priced
- 7:43houses, begin thinking about becoming the kind of realtor who
- 7:47sold those high-priced houses. Who is that person?
- 7:50How does he see himself? How does he dress? How does he show up?
- 7:54What does he believe he's capable of doing? What does he say yes to?
- 7:59And most importantly, what does he say no to? And then comes alignment,
- 8:04the align part of the identity transformation. This is where the vacuum law really
- 8:08becomes incredibly practical. Please pardon this interruption to your podcast
- 8:13episode. This will not take but a minute. Before we continue, I want to ask
- 8:16you something. Do you know that you're capable of more, but your life right now
- 8:19just isn't fully reflecting the person you know you can
- 8:24become? Then I want to personally invite you to schedule a Shift Mindset call
- 8:28with me. This Shift Mindset experience is something
- 8:31that I created to help you identify one decision that you can
- 8:35make that will shift your life. And when I say that this is a call
- 8:38with me, I mean exactly that. This is a live one-on-one
- 8:42personal call between you and I. This is
- 8:46not prerecorded. This is not a member of my team. It is
- 8:49you and I having a real coaching conversation about your life,
- 8:52and it does not cost you any money. It is a 45-minute exchange
- 8:57of time. I'll give you 30 minutes of my best mindset coaching to help you
- 9:01identify a decision that will create a real shift in your life. And in exchange,
- 9:05I just ask that you give me about 15 minutes to show you the coaching
- 9:08experiences that I offer. There's no obligation, but there is
- 9:12an opportunity to create a meaningful shift in your life
- 9:16just from this call. You can schedule yours today at johnstreet.org.
- 9:21Just click on the button that says, Schedule Your Shift Call.
- 9:24And also, if this podcast is helping you, please subscribe,
- 9:28please like, and please share it. Every time you do that,
- 9:31every time you engage, you are helping to spread this message and inspire
- 9:35someone else to create their best life through also living their
- 9:39own revolution of purpose. Now let's get you back to the Revolution
- 9:43of Purpose podcast. Once you've decided who you're becoming, your decisions
- 9:47have to start aligning with that identity.
- 9:50Sometimes alignment is not about adding something.
- 9:53Sometimes alignment requires releasing something.
- 9:56And for me, aligned action meant turning down
- 10:00business that no longer matched the business I was creating
- 10:04and the identity I now saw myself in. And then finally,
- 10:07there's create. In Awaken, Become, Align, Create,
- 10:11create is the part where you're creating that reality that you dream
- 10:15of having. As your identity changes and your actions become aligned
- 10:18with that new identity, then you begin creating that different reality.
- 10:23I awakened to what was possible. I became the new
- 10:26identity internally. I took aligned action by releasing
- 10:30what belonged to the old identity, and that created room for
- 10:34a different reality. But there's a part of this process
- 10:37that we don't often talk about. It's the space between releasing
- 10:42the old and receiving the new. That,
- 10:45that is the vacuum. That space can be uncomfortable
- 10:49because it's easy to release something when its replacement is
- 10:53already standing in front of you. If someone says, give up this
- 10:56$50,000 opportunity because here's a $500,000 opportunity,
- 11:00then That's not particularly difficult, is it?
- 11:03But what about when that new opportunity isn't there yet? What about when all
- 11:07you have is the decision about who you're becoming?
- 11:10That's where trust enters the process. That's where faith
- 11:14enters the process. Every decision we make is either
- 11:18fear or faith. It always takes believing in something we cannot
- 11:22see. Sometimes you have to be willing to say, this no
- 11:26longer aligns with who I'm becoming, and I'm willing
- 11:29to release it even though I can't see yet what will occupy
- 11:34the space. You can envision it, but you may not know how it's going to
- 11:37happen. And that is difficult because the old is
- 11:41familiar. Even when the old isn't what we want anymore, it's still
- 11:44comfortable. It's what we know. And human beings love
- 11:48certainty. So we'll simply cling to a reality that
- 11:52we say we don't want anymore because it's the reality that we're
- 11:55used to. And here's something I learned. You do not have to hate the old
- 11:59furniture. To move it out. There's nothing wrong with that sofa.
- 12:03It may have served you beautifully. You may have wonderful
- 12:07memories associated with that sofa. But if you've decided that it's
- 12:11time for something new, eventually you have to make room for that.
- 12:15And that's true in life too. Not everything you release has
- 12:18to be bad. Not every relationship was toxic.
- 12:22Not every business opportunity was wrong. Not every season was
- 12:25a mistake. Sometimes something served its purpose,
- 12:29but now it's complete. So I want you to ask yourself a question today.
- 12:33Where am I asking for something new while refusing to
- 12:37release what belongs to the old? Maybe it's physical.
- 12:40Maybe you really do need to clean out your closet. You know,
- 12:43maybe you need to organize that garage and, and,
- 12:47and clean things out of your house to create some space. Maybe it's
- 12:51your calendar. You know, you've been asking for new opportunities, but every minute of your
- 12:54week is already committed to obligations that don't serve your new
- 12:58identity. They just no longer align with where you're going,
- 13:02but they're what you're used to. Maybe it's your business. You've asked
- 13:06for higher-level clients while continuing to give all of your energy to clients that
- 13:10don't represent the business that you're building anymore. It could
- 13:14be a habit, a relationship, a belief, a belief about money,
- 13:17a belief that success has to be difficult. Maybe it's a belief that you
- 13:22should take every opportunity because another one just might not come. It could be something
- 13:26fear-based like that. Maybe you need to release this internal belief.
- 13:30And maybe it is your identity all the way around. Have you awakened
- 13:35to something that you want to become, but you're still protecting the identity of who
- 13:38you've always been? Perhaps that's the real vacuum
- 13:42that you need to create. The life you desire is created
- 13:46by the person you become. And becoming sometimes requires releasing.
- 13:51So this week, I want to challenge you. Don't just
- 13:55ask, what do I want to attract into my life? Instead, ask,
- 13:58what do I need to release to make room for it? Awaken to
- 14:03what's possible. Become the person capable of creating it.
- 14:06Align your decisions with that identity, including being
- 14:10willing to release what no longer belongs. And then create the
- 14:14space for the new reality to emerge. Because your next
- 14:18level may not require you to do more. It may require you
- 14:21to finally let go of what no longer aligns. With who you've
- 14:25decided to become. Maybe it's evidence that you're finally ready
- 14:29for something new. Let that empty space exist.
- 14:33Don't be afraid of it. Just look at it and decide this
- 14:36fits who I'm going to become, even if I don't see it there yet.
- 14:40This has been the Revolution of Purpose podcast. And remember, the life
- 14:44you desire is created by the person you become. Continue to live
- 14:48your own revolution of purpose. I'll see you next episode. Episode. Thank you so much
- 14:52for spending this time with me today. If this episode encouraged
- 14:55you, if it challenged you, or if it helped you see your life
- 14:59a little bit differently, would you do me a favor? Subscribe to the podcast,
- 15:03leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone
- 15:07who needs to hear it. Every share helps us reach more people
- 15:11who are searching for hope, purpose, and a life of greater meaning.
- 15:16And if you're ready to stop wondering what's next and start living with greater clarity
- 15:20and purpose in your own life, I would love to meet
- 15:23with you personally. Visit johnstreet.org right now to
- 15:27schedule your complimentary live purpose and clarity call with
- 15:31me. Until next time, remember, your purpose is not something
- 15:35you find. It is something you awaken to, and then
- 15:39you choose to live it. Go make today another step
- 15:42in your own revolution of purpose.