Sow and you shall reap. This is the principle of prosperity. It is the modus operandi of the universe and the modus vivendi of human life. And it is the secret of abundance.

If you cleave to this principle, your life will be one of abundance.

It is the incomprehension of this principle that is the cause of all human misery. In contrast, it is the comprehension of this principle that has been the root cause of any happiness.

First, let us understand the principle.

When you sow a seed into fertile ground, you do not reap a plant that simply yields another seed. Instead, you reap a plant that provides that seed multiplied many times over.

The principle of sowing and reaping, then, is the secret of abundance.

Yet despite its obvious simplicity and its observable nature, it is consistently misunderstood.

And although one may disregard the idea itself, it still continues to work in your life.

Here, then, are the three most common errors associated with this metaphysical principle that governs all life, spiritual or mundane, animal or plant, animate or inanimate.

One: Not applying it at all. It is quite common for people to want to receive without giving and to want something for nothing. There is a price to pay for everything, even if it is free.

This is how it generally plays out. You want something and you try to get it. Your effort will result in your either not getting it or getting very little of it. If you want love, you try and get it from someone. If you want money, you try and get it from someone. And so on. The result of this approach is limitation, negativity, scarcity, and insufficiency.

Two: Applying it in reverse. Here is where the misery factor comes in. Political, military, or economic force is applied. Successful domination may or may not happen. Eventually, the backlash is far worse.

In fact, this is how mighty empires, seemingly invincible, have crumbled into the dust. On an individual level, the same thing happens. An application of apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, and pride results in a condition far worse.

Three: expecting the return to come from the recipient. When people first discover and apply this principle, they usually give up fairly quickly. Their act of benevolence or generosity often appears to be met with ingratitude. Rather than reciprocating, the recipient often appears to be indifferent or even sometimes hostile, feeling obligated and pressured.

If you wish to have an abundant, happy life apply the principle.

Here is how to do it:

Give consistently the best of yourself to help others and the world. This giving should be done freely, regularly, and generously, with no expectation of return and with a joyous heart.

Do that one simple thing and you will be a master of manifestation and live a life that you could never before have believed possible for you.

As you sow so shall you reap.

Your returns will come back multiplied. Every single unit of what you give, be it love or money, wisdom or service, will come back to you tenfold, if not more. The bigger your heart, the more overflowing your generosity of spirit, the more you will be overwhelmed by the quantity of the return.

Do this and you will be avoiding the three misunderstandings that prevent most people from understanding the principle.

You will be applying the principle, rather than ignoring it. You will be applying it in a positive way, rather than in a negative way. And you will not press the recipient to feel obligated but patiently await your own harvest from some other source, not yet known to you.

Now please understand one other thing:

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, the principle is always working. This is because it is the basic mechanism of how the universe itself operates. Just as inhalation and exhalation is necessary for the operation of your life, so too is giving and receiving essential to the life of the universe.

Applying it with awareness will prevent you from making the three deadly mistakes and turn your misfortunes into fortune and your inhibited life into one of joyous and spontaneous fulfillment.

Decide today who you are and decide what you can give to bless all of life. It may be a small gift that you have to give the world but it will magnify over time as the giving becomes consistent.

Understand and apply this simple principle and you will attain success not only as a human being but as a spiritual being, for, in the final analysis, all life is a unitary continuum.