Recently I received a faulty hard disk drive (HDD) from Amazon. It was very expensive. Like ₹25,000 expensive. It was when I tried to raise a dispute with the order that I found out that according to Amazon’s policy, they do not provide refunds or replacements for HDDs. I was very disturbed, afraid I lost my hard-earned money. I already was on a tight budget.

I took some time to calm myself down. Nothing good was going to come with me fighting with customer care. I waited for a day. Watched some episodes of The Office and laughed. I reasoned that any shop will give your money back if what they sold isn’t working. Or at least they will offer you a replacement. After making up my mind so, I placed the call with customer care. I talked like someone who had already received his refund. They asked me to call them back after a couple of days for their evaluation.

During this time, I kept myself engaged with other work, not worrying or thinking about the refund. I finally called them back on the day they suggested while I prepared my breakfast and went on with my daily life. I was confident, calm and composed through both calls. And I entirely got the refund.

Earl Nightingale’s Teachings on Success

During this time I was listening again to Earl Nightingale’s famous The Strangest Secret. He said the following:

“Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render… This is what causes those who keep looking for something for nothing, or a free ride, to fail in life… We’ve got to be of service first before we can expect money… Be of service … build … work … dream … create!”

Basically, it says you can’t have something for nothing. You have to offer something of value to get something else of value in return. Yes, I understand the logic. You have to put in fuel before you get heat. You have to cook before you can eat. But here is the thing: I didn’t offer any traditional “value” in return for my success with the HDD refund. I didn’t produce anything of value or provide a service. Yet, I found success. I got the refund I wanted. What was the “work” or “value” I contributed in this case?

The Power of Inner Work

You can say I did do some “work”. I did take some time to get to a clearer point of thinking, to find the mindset of someone who has already received the refund, to calm my mind. The “work” I did wasn’t external but internal, in controlling my own mindset. I shifted from fear and anxiety to calmness and confidence.  This, in fact, is a part of Nightingale’s teachings that success begins with controlling one’s thoughts. Perhaps this played a crucial role in manifesting the refund I desired. Without it, it might been a long and arduous process. Perhaps I might not have even gotten the refund.

So I guess you do always have to offer to find success, but that something of value you offer can also be internal. A product or service or money is not the only thing of value you can offer. Mental discipline and clarity, doing inner work can also be considered to offer something of value to find success.