Personal Improvement

For a variety of reasons it’s difficult for most people to imagine themselves enjoying spectacular success. The majority of individuals tend to assume that amazing stories of personal success are reserved for other people.

This is pretty bizarre and unreasonable when you think about it. We’re all “other people” from someone’s perspective, right?

A great technique for shifting your perspective is to put yourself in the center of your favorite success stories. Imagine how it would feel to make your first million dollars, win a bodybuilding competition, become a best-selling author, or attain whatever victory meets your ideal of true success.

The reality is you are every bit as capable of great success as any other person on the planet. You might need additional training, education, or experience to get from where you are now to where you’d rather be, but these are all things you can acquire with a small amount of time and commitment.

In my late teens and early twenties I had the privilege of training with a world-class martial arts master; the assistant instructor was also a national champion. Everything about the school and the system vibrated excellence. Both of my instructors had a saying for putting their incredible talents into perspective: “I’ve got two arms and two legs just like you.”

The implication is pretty simple. It’s much like the old cliché that even our heroes “put their pants on one leg at a time”. Individuals who exhibit extraordinary success in any field are human beings; they don’t have any magical powers and they’re not blessed with supernatural abilities.

It’s important to recognize and accept this fact. Resist the urge to make excuses and point out how the successful people you read about all have some kind of unfair advantage over you; i.e. better genetics, a wealthy family, a better childhood, or whatever.

The time-honored tradition of defending mediocrity with excuses about such advantages goes back at least to ancient Greece. In those days the heroes from the culture’s favorite stories were all the children of Zeus or some other deity, the idea being that no mere mortals could be capable of such bravery and skill.

Modern-day excuses are less elaborate but every bit as far-fetched.

While some athletes may be blessed with genetic talents, disciplined training will always overcome natural ability. Many champion competitors, including the great Michael Jordan, were not gifted at an early age with their winning capabilities.

And the overwhelming majority of wealthy entrepreneurs do not come from old money, or wealthy families. Far and away more business superstars come from middle class and even poor homes.

When you open your eyes and take an honest look at the folks who are living the success you crave you’ll find they are very much like you. By this token there is absolutely no good reason whatsoever to deny yourself the thrill and triumph of excelling in your chosen field.

If you were handed a million dollars, how would you live the next year? After you bought a new car, maybe a big house, gave some money to charity, and so forth, how would you spend your time if money were no object and you had complete freedom to do what you want?

Would you quit your job?

Would you move to another state?

If you had no need to work for a living and could do whatever you like with your days, how would you plan and use your time? This is really important, so please take a few minutes to be honest with yourself.

If you still find yourself crunching the numbers, wondering if a million would really set you free, make it ten million. The point of this exercises is: What would your life look like in terms of your regular activity, lifestyle, and commitments if were 100% free from any financial or work-related stress?

Create a detailed vision that reflects your answer. Ideally you’ll write this down.

And once you know what you would do if time and money were not pressing concerns, you’ll need to answer my next question:

Why aren’t you already doing all the things you want to do right now?

Understandably you might not immediately be able to invest in your $300,000 dream car. But remember, this million dollar question is really about your daily work, activities, and lifestyle.

So if your first answer was “I’d quit my job”, I think it’s only right to ask yourself why you’re keeping a job you obviously don’t like.

Especially in the U.S., and from what I can tell in many other places as well, people suffer their entire lives under the burden of obligation. They work a crappy job they hate because they need money to live on, or they get married because their parents tell them it’s sinful to have a mate who isn’t under contract.

It’s both amazing and sad what people are willing to put themselves through in the name of obligation. According to Dr. Nick Hall, an alarming number of med students openly admit during their final years of training that they have little or no desire to be doctors; they are committing their entire lives to a career their parents wanted for them!

The same kind of perverse nonsense can be seen in most military academies or basic training depots. Many people join the armed forces because their fathers and grandfathers served, and they have been pressured since childhood to do the same.

On a less dramatic scale, how many people do you know who have told you hundreds of times how badly they hate their jobs, and yet they keep going back! Maybe you’re in a similar situation yourself.

Think about how crazy this is.

There is tremendous social pressure to think and act in a manner consistent with some vague idea of what it means to be a “good citizen”. As a result, millions (billions?) of people are going through the motions of life, dead in every sense  of the word long before their heart stops beating.

Look again at the things you said you’d do with a million dollars. Compare this to your current life and demand of yourself a good answer for why you should keep leading a life that’s not what you want.

As I’ve said many times before, heaven and reincarnation are both fine ideas but there is no proof of either. This could be your only shot at being you, so I urge you strongly to make the most of the experience!

People make such a big, dramatic deal of small decisions like leaving a job or ending an unhappy marriage. Honestly if someone is that determined to suffer I guess they’re entitled to their misery.

But because most people actively complain about the negative circumstances in their life I am compelled as a writer to continuously make these simple points:

1. Life is about being happy right now. Waiting to have a fulfilling life is ludicrous and depraved.
2. You should be living from your true values, and not by principles that please other people.
3. Finding your life’s purpose is mission critical #1. From their it’s all fun and games!

To be fair, I realize many of my readers are already living on purpose and doing exactly what they want. So please don’t take this post as condescending in any way.

I believe most of us, even when we are living our bliss, can benefit from the “million dollar question” exercise. I play a variation of this little game with myself often just to be sure I’m on track.

The version I use is called the “magic wand game”. I ask myself: if I could wave a magic wand over every area of my life and have things exactly as I want them, what would the results look like?

This helps me be certain I’m not settling for “reasonable” or “realistic”, and that I’m indeed pursuing my heart’s inspiration. I hope this concept resonates strongly with you, and that you’ll find ways to enhance your life using questions and games of this nature.