# 2022-03-23 - The Law of Success Bryant Carried for a Decade > [!note] Photo Journey No. 53 > Published October 25, 2026, in [[photo journey/welcome|Photo Journey]].  *Two old companions side by side on a white bedspread on a Wednesday evening in late March 2022: a portrait of Paramahansa Yogananda, his long dark hair falling over an ochre robe, and Bryant's own copy of Yogananda's little book The Law of Success. The book has been carried so long that its maroon cover is cracked and peeling, its pages are swollen and frayed at the edges, and a single yellow rubber band holds it inside a sleeve of clear plastic.* ## Reflections Paramahansa Yogananda's The Law of Success traveled with me for more than a decade, long enough for its cover to crack, its corners to soften, and a rubber band to become the only thing holding it inside its plastic sleeve. A book carried that long stops being an object and becomes a companion; its subtitle, using the power of spirit to create health, prosperity, and happiness, had been with me so often that I no longer needed to open the book to hear it. It was very special to me, and the wear on every page was the record of how much. {{The books we carry longest end up carrying us; their worn covers are a diary of every time we needed them.}} The book was stolen when I was robbed in Marbella, Spain. The thieves took $15,000 worth of laptops, all of my phones, and my clothing, and nearly all of it could be bought again. What could never be bought again were the voice messages on those phones, the only copies I had of the voices of people who had passed away. Thieves weigh a bag by its price, and so they walked off with a fortune they could never spend: a worn little book and the last recorded words of the dead. {{A thief can carry away everything a person owns and still steal nothing he can use; the things worth most to us are worth nothing to anyone else.}} > [!quote]- Original dictation > I carried that book around for over a decade. It was very special. It was stolen when I was robbed in Marbella, Spain, along with $15,000 worth of laptops, all my phones, and clothing, and the only copies I had of voice messages from people who had passed away. ## Related ### Livestreams - [[livestreams/Live Callers on Purpose, Grief, Healing, and Non-Attachment - Livestream|Live Callers on Purpose, Grief, Healing, and Non-Attachment]] *(Oct 20, 2015)* - [[livestreams/Frustration, Acceptance, and the Discipline of Non-Attachment - Livestream|Frustration, Acceptance, and the Discipline of Non-Attachment]] *(Sep 9, 2018)* - [[livestreams/Rebuilding Purpose After Loss and Disruption - Livestream|Rebuilding Purpose After Loss and Disruption]] *(Feb 6, 2019)* ### Writing and Reminders - [[books/Simple Reminders Book (2014-2018)|Simple Reminders]]: the section "Become a beauty seeker by being very careful about what you consume" closes on Yogananda's counsel to "look only for the good in everything." - [[reminders/Creativity/Creativity Outlasts Theft by Bryant McGill|Creativity Outlasts Theft]] ### Wiki - [[wiki/Paramahansa Yogananda|Paramahansa Yogananda]] · [[wiki/Marbella|Marbella]] · [[wiki/Human Digital Remains|Human Digital Remains]] · [[wiki/Digital Afterlife|Digital Afterlife]] ### Photo Journey - [[photo journey/2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai|Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai]]: another spiritual teacher whose work traveled with Bryant.