What you get in life is pretty much down to the quality of your thoughts and feelings.
But learning to govern what you think about - and how you feel in each and every moment isn't that easy, as Derrick had already been finding out.
Derrick sounded tired and weary as he told me his career story.
For the last twenty years he'd worked doggedly as a chiropractor and while he'd managed to keep his head above water, financial freedom had always eluded him.
Derrick had always held what he described as a healthy and cynical disregard for all forms of personal development - but having seen his young son-in-law's salary outstrip his own, Derrick had decided that he needed to do something to not only salve his pride but also ensure his own financial future.
I asked Derrick about his goals and aspirations - and while he'd done some work in this area, it was clear that there were underlying beliefs from his childhood that were holding him back.
While Derrick paid lip service to his goals - he didn't truly feel in his heart that they would ever be achievable.
As a child, Derrick had grown up in a family that believed that life was meant to be a struggle.
Not being made bankrupt was the family's objective - and each month Derrick's parents scrimped and saved in order to pay their bills.
Spare cash was a rarity and Derrick had long ago learned that he shouldn't expect too much fun in life.
I told Derrick about the sub-conscious mind - and how it works as our slave to bring our thoughts into reality, without distinguishing whether our thoughts were actually good or bad for us.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve - so therefore it is vital for us to spend our time firmly focused on what we want, rather than on what we dread.
Quoting American author and entrepreneur John Kanary, I continued, "The mind is a powerful magnet and as such, it attracts whatever corresponds to its ruling state.
"Expectation dictates what that ruling state will be and therefore governs what corresponds to the mind and is attracted into your life.
Expectation can be either a blessing or a curse but either way it is certainly one of the most powerful unseen forces in your life.
" For all his life, Derrick's thoughts had been focused on poverty - but if he were to create prosperity in his life, then he would need to change his perspectives.
Together we worked on healing the past and creating positive goals for his future.
We achieved this using a blend of psycho-dynamic and hypnotherapy techniques, which enabled Derrick to make the necessary changes to the programmes he was running in his sub-conscious mind.
Beware what you think about...
Finally, Derrick and I discussed the difference between prosperity consciousness and wishful thinking.
"It's all a matter of expectation - if you are hoping for an abundant life but are really expecting doom and failure, then you're setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and disappointment," I told Derrick.
"However, if you create goals which you know are achievable - and which you can visualise happening, you are in a much stronger position.
Curiously, even belief isn't enough - it's only when you really 'know' and 'feel' that you goal simply has to become reality that it will start to manifest.
"The important thing in life," I finished, "is to remember to focus on what you want - rather than on what you don't want!" Derrick left my office with plenty to think about - and with an eager glint in hissmiling eyes.
Know that without realising it, we're often very much affected by our parent's attitudes to money.
Think about some of your family's sayings - were they positive or negative as far as money is concerned? Be very careful what you wish for - whatever you focus your thoughts on is what you'll create, whether you want it or not.
Remember to spend your time thinking about what you want, rather than on what you don't want.
Your subconscious mind cannot distinguish between what's good for you and what's not.
It just thinks that if you're thinking about something, that must be what you want - it's the way it's programmed! Your conscious mind is your master, while your subconscious mind is your slave.
Your subconscious mind will deliver whatever your conscious mind thinks about - which is why goals (decided upon by your conscious mind) are so powerful.
In order to manifest your heart's desire, it's very powerful to not only harness your thoughts - but also your emotions.
If you can feel - and even "know" -that your dreams will manifest, you're most of the way there!