The Universe operates under many laws, some of which are corollaries to others. People who cooperate with the laws and operate within the laws tend to be successful; those who oppose or work against the laws have a more difficult time, despite the appearance of temporary success. These laws work together, supporting each other and enhancing the predicted results. To reap the benefit of working with these natural laws, one must understand how they work.
The Law of Attraction is certainly one of the more well-known laws, particularly after the release of the movie “The Secret”. Several other laws have also had their moment of glory, including the Law of Abundance and the Law of Polarity, among others. One of the more difficult laws to understand is the Law of Compensation. This law basically says that you will get rewarded (compensated) by the Universe for what you deliver to the Universe. Each act you perform has a certain value, and you get rewarded for that value, either directly (somebody pays you) or indirectly (the Universe manifests something). While the reward may not be immediate, it is guaranteed by the Law of Compensation.
The difficulty with this law is not in the basic concept, which is that you will get paid for the worth of your actions. Anybody who has ever held a job understands this basic concept. The difficulty is how to judge the value of your actions. How do you determine which actions have the most value? The least value? If we can answer these questions, then we can determine at any given time what action we should perform to get the most reward, however that reward is measured.
I am probably going to ruffle some feathers here, but the evidence is clear. The universe does not care about net worth. Nor does it care about beauty (as a measure of value, that is). A great invention, a heart-stopping painting, a particularly efficient invention – none of these things matter. The universe measures the value of your actions in how well they serve others. Many people make a mistake here; I am not saying value is determined by how much you give to others. No, the issue is not giving, it is serving. The question you need to ask is how well your action, invention, creation can serve others in their lives. A cathedral is valuable not because of how beautiful it is, but because how the building can inspire love, hope, and all the other positive emotions that come from religion. A computer program is not valuable because of how well it solves a problem but because of how well it can help others do what they should be doing.
Others are served when their lives are improved by what you are providing. This improvement is the measure of the value you are providing. And that improvement is what you will be compensated for, in whatever coin you have chosen, be it money, fame, or power. As Zig Ziglar says, you will get what you want when you help enough other people get what they want.
John Steely is a certified life coach concentrating on personal and professional development. His site Steely Services provides information on personal development topics. John shares his love of classics in his Monthly Classic program of free books.