185: “The Science of Getting Rich” with Ryan J. Rhoades

How to Manifest and Monetize Your Ideas!

“Where most people fall apart when they’re using their imagination to envision their ideas is they don’t take action.” —Ryan J. Rhoades

A small, green, 99-cent book at a thrift store changed Ryan J. Rhoades’s life. At the time, he had just gone from running a design agency in the thriving Silicon Valley area to starting over basically from scratch in Oregon. He was desperately searching for inspiration and ideas when he decided to search through the business books section in a local second-hand store.

On this week’s episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I talk to Ryan J. Rhoades about the thrift store find that changed his life and how he came about publishing his own version of the book, The Science of Getting Rich: How to Manifest and Monetize Your Ideas.

The Little Green Book

The book that Ryan picked up was a second version of the original The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace Wattles, which was first published in 1910 and is now in the public domain. Public domain means that the original copyright of that book has expired and now can be republished by anyone.

When Ryan brought this book home and started reading it, he realized it wasn’t just “total clickbait” and that the ideas in it had merit. He was pleased that the text was about the “art and science of the creative process” and stressed placing value on something you make and work toward, not just get-rich-quick schemes. It emphasized focusing on what you can control and being grateful for what you do have.

Since Ryan was basically starting over, he was challenging a lot of the notions about his business. He would doodle notes in the margin of this little green book as he read it and thought about how it applied to his business and life. Soon he had so many ideas to add to this book, he decided to create a new edition with his additions and self-publish it.

Eventually, Ryan was approached by a New York publishing house to update his self-published version. He had previously done design work for this publishing house, so when he posted on social media about the book, they saw it and were interested in publishing it. He enjoyed the process of publishing with them and appreciated the opportunity of creating the new edition.

The Science of Getting Rich

There are a lot of different reactions to and interpretations of the law of attraction and books like The Science of Getting Rich. I asked Ryan what he thought the science of getting rich is all about. Ryan understands the different points of view on this topic because when he originally saw the book in the thrift store, his first reaction to the title was one of disbelief. But after working with the content to create a new version of the book, Ryan realized that it really boils down to “focusing on what you can control. Take action every day to work on your ideas.” You can spend forever envisioning a successful life, but if there is no action behind it, opportunities can’t manifest.

Ryan goes on to describe the science of getting rich as the very essence of entrepreneurship. As you put yourself out there and work on your ideas, you’ll find out who your market is and how your audience will respond. And then you repeat the things that work and scale them.

Rich Beyond Measure

Ryan had noticed as he created his book that the word “rich” turned some people off. Their beliefs around being rich were negative and viewed having wealth as a bad thing. But, as Ryan learned, and shared in his book and with me on this podcast, being rich is more than just having money.

If you woke up this morning, you’re rich. If you have a roof over your head and a cell phone in your pocket, you’re rich. Riches are anything that gives you life, gives you joy, and brings value to you everyday. So, along with taking action on your future visions, you need to have appreciation and gratitude for what you do have at the moment.

Formless Substance

I feel this idea of formless substance is one of the most important parts of Ryan’s book. It is hard to grasp at first, so I asked Ryan to explain it to us. He agreed that even he struggled with the concept as he was reading through the original book. Then he had a “light bulb moment” where he realized that as you talk about imagination and visions, the formless substance “could be literally anything like a blank piece of paper or a lump of clay or a blank sheet of music.”

These blank canvases don’t really have any form until you apply your imagination and creativity to them. It requires you to engage with them in order to make them into something real. There’s a source of richness inside all of us, we just need to take action to get it out.

Live Life to the Fullest

I asked Ryan for any final advice for people who may be hesitant to trust this idea of the science of getting rich. He shared a quote from Steve Jobs that he opened his book with that basically tells us that we can change and influence everything around us. If we want a better, richer life, we can build our own success and way of life. Ryan also reminds us that our current world and way of life were built by people no smarter than us.

We should be grateful for our lives in whatever form they are at the moment. We then need to work and build and engage with our ideas, inspiration, creativity, and selves on a regular basis.

If you are trying to manifest more riches or a better career for yourself, keep in mind my greatest takeaways from my conversation with Ryan:

You are already rich. If you have the ability to play a podcast on your phone or computer, and if you have the ability to use your eyes and hands, then you are already incredibly rich.
Focus on what you can create today. Can you create something that helps impact the world? What inspiration strikes you to take action?
The science of getting rich is more about appreciating and recognizing what you already have.

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Are you hesitant to take action toward being wealthy? Even when being successful and rich is what you really want? Share in the comments below!

That’s all for this week. Be thankful for everything that you do have and take action toward what you would like to have. Take that next step toward wealth, love, travel, or writing that book that’s been in your heart!