I was in the Barnes and Noble bookstore recently and I found this book called "Slaves without Masters," by Ira Berlin. The book was about the lives of the free African-American population that lived in the South before the American Civil War.

There was a particular chapter in the book that made an interesting observation as to how these slaves who were able to attain their freedom years before the Civil War differed from the majority of the slaves.

While the majority of slaves were so broken by the debilitating effects of the plantation slavery system mentally, emotionally and spiritually that they remained totally clueless to the avenues of freedom that were available to them, these tiny minority of slaves were able to develop a consciousness that kept them alive to the possibility of freedom that existed beyond the limits of their world.

Because of this consciousness, they were able to take advantage of opportunities and avenues to freedom when they were made available that the majority of other slaves couldn't see.

The author also noted how these slaves were "special" because they were willing to leave the confines of a small, harsh world where the slave was made to be TOTALLY dependent on his master and risk almost certain punishment if their attempt at freedom were to fail.

In the book, on page 45, I found a VERY interesting passage that taught me something. Here's the excerpt:

"Slaveowners often noted the character traits that set these slaves apart: "Roger was resolute at anything he undertakes"; Stuart spoke with "great confidence"; John was "self important"; and Rezin had a "great share of pride." Not surprisingly, slaveowners tried to shatter this self-esteem either with suffocating paternalism or, if necessary, with brute force. The self-confidence was never completely extinguished by bondage, but it flourished only under special conditions."

What the author also noted was that these slaves, due to a mindset that was fixed upon the possibilities that were available to them beyond the shackles of slavery, were already members of the black elite BEFORE they ran off.

I found this section of the book fascinating because it showed that despite being physically bound to a system that robbed a person of any sense of humanity, crushed one's spirit, robbed one of any self esteem, dulled one's senses, and instilled the person held in bondage with a crippling fear, there were slaves who were able to take control of their minds and set their sights on freedom, seeing themselves as actually free.

Also, these slaves, despite the most seemingly unsupportive and stymieing of conditions, were able to foster a sense of pride, self confidence, and a resoluteness to accomplish whatever they put their minds to, including their acquisition of freedom.

The majority of slaves, so mentally oppressed by the cruel conditions of slavery, couldn't see beyond the limitations of their bondage. However, there was a small minority of the slaves that saw beyond their bondage into a world of freedom, and they desired it for themselves. Because of this, before even attaining their physical freedom, they were already free.

This example is not any different than people who find themselves in poverty on all different levels. While the majority of the people around them have resigned themselves to their conditions, or have allowed their minds to become so dulled by their circumstances that they can't even imagine a better existence, there are some people living in the same conditions that have set their minds on manifesting abundance in their lives.

These special types of people, due to their utter disgust of the conditions of the situation that they find themselves in, use their dissatisfaction as a motivator to focus on a situation more to their choosing to the point that they find a way to bring it into reality.

People like this, because of their FIRM resolve to change their reality, advertently or inadvertently discover the Universal laws and principles for reality creation. It is their knowledge of these laws and principles for reality creation that sets them apart from those majority of the people who around them who have accepted their condition.

The people who have learned the laws and principles of reality creation and are applying them may be living in physical poverty, but mentally they are already wealthy. Because they're already wealthy mentally, sooner or later, abundance will manifest in their lives physically.

If you similarly find yourself in some type of poverty (poverty isn't only financial), you don't have to be a slave to poverty. By learning the laws and principles of reality creation, you can transcend your circumstance, just like slaves did in the most unforgiving of conditions, and start manifesting abundance in your life.

Read the resource box below to find out how.