What Would You Do?

What Would You Do?

Today a little exercise that just might change your life.

I often work with people in my practice that are in a rut. I am not talking about the staff, I mean some of my clients. When you are in a rut it can be difficult to get out. Our ruts can grow very deep. Some people are jarred out of their ruts by traumatic life changing events. People don't come to me to have a car wreck, lose their job, have a serious illness or get a divorce, so I have to come up with something else. I use a lot of little tricks and exercises. Just for fun, play along with me and I will show you one of the exercises.

Imagine you are home on your day off after a pretty rough week. You slept late. You are wearing your lazy day clothes, maybe still in your pajamas. You are just starting to think, do you want breakfast or just wait and try for lunch when you hear the doorbell ring. If you don't have a doorbell you hear a knock at the door. Just work with me here. You think, “Did I really hear that?” when you hear it again and decide you will have to deal with it.

You open the door and see a man in his late forties, maybe early fifties. He is wearing a suit that costs more than a first class air ticket to Hawaii. You can see your reflection in his shoes, he has an expensive looking watch and what appears to be a diamond tie pin. The man also has a briefcase, a very expensive looking briefcase. You are thinking “This man has the wrong address,” just when he says your name.

Your thoughts change to, “Could I possibly be being sued?” and the man says, “My name is Charles Miller and I represent the Freewater Foundation. I have a financial matter to discuss with you. May I come in or is this an inopportune time?” You pause a moment and think, “Could I have inherited some money?” Then, you realize you are keeping the man in suspense outside at the door and you invite him in.

You motion for him to sit down and he proceeds… “The Freewater Foundation is a very private and well funded foundation, I would be surprised if you have heard of the Foundation,” and he hands you his card. Charles Miller, Freewater Foundation and a phone number on thick, crisp, white card stock printed in glossy raised ink.

“I am sure that if I could mention the names of the board members there would be a least a few you would know from the news and certain publications, but I will have to ask you to trust me on that, they are very private about their connection to the Foundation and the work they do. It makes things much easier that way. One of the things they do is to endow certain selected people to do their life's work, which brings me to you today.”

“You have come to the attention of the board and I am here to offer you two million dollars a year to do your life's work. Here are the terms:

1. You must quit all other work for payment, financial reimbursement or compensation. Any charity work you are doing or would do in the future is exempt from restrictions.

2. In this briefcase there is a quarter of a million dollars for a retainer and a blank sheet of paper. If you accept the offer I will leave the briefcase and the money, a quarter of a million dollars which is about all I could get in the briefcase in smaller bills. I will return in 48 hours with another briefcase with another quarter of a million dollars which I will exchange for that sheet of paper.

3. On that sheet of paper you will have written two things. The first is what you will do for your life's work and the second, how it will benefit mankind. Think of it as our receipt.

4. In three months I will return with another briefcase containing another quarter of a million dollars and another blank sheet of paper.

5. I will leave the briefcase and contents with you and return in 48 hours with another briefcase containing another quarter of a million dollars in exchange for that sheet of paper.

6. On that sheet of paper you will write in a few sentences what you did in your work the last three months and how it will benefit mankind, again, as our receipt.

7. This will continue as long as you wish to continue under the terms aforementioned, with the total amount paid to you being two million dollars a year as long as you abide by the agreement.”

He opens the briefcase and sure enough there is a blank sheet of paper sitting on top of a lot of money.

What would you do?

Do you have any resistance or hesitation?

Are you clear on what your life's work is or would be?

Could you explain how it would benefit mankind?

If you have resistance or hesitation it is usually one or both of two reasons.

1. You have a problem receiving, which isn't a good problem to have in life. It is sort of like locking your mailbox and then complaining that you never get any mail and believe me, you will complain in time if you aren't allowing yourself to receive in this world. There are things you will need from the world to travel through the world.

When I studied Kung Fu, my teacher taught me the lesson of the seven cups. The teacher has the pot of tea to pour out to the students, but some have their cup turned upside down and cannot receive what is being poured out to them. The tea represents what the world has to offer, knowledge, experience, relationships, wealth, many things. In the lesson of the seven cups, only one of the cups is turned up and in position to receive. What is the position and condition of your cup?

2. You aren't clear on what you want to do with your life and how it fits into the rest of the world. This is a common problem and one you can often use some help with.

I think one of the great secrets to having a happy, rewarding and fulfilling life, even a life full of wealth, is to understand that you can have anything you want in life if you only help enough other people get what they want. Find a way to help people get what they want that you enjoy and you are on your way to great success and happiness. 

There is also a third reason people hesitate when they do this exercise. They are afraid. Perhaps they feel undeserving or don't know what to do with the money and they are afraid to proceed. They believe the money will cause problems. They feel secure in their struggle, which may sound odd, but I assure you it is common. People go to school for years and years, work at a job for years and years, they are just used to being told what to do. Being free is a strange thought and experience to them.

I had a friend that kept his dog in a dog pen all day and when he came home and opened the door to the pen he had to drag the dog out. The dog was comfortable being confined. People often become comfortable with their confinement, the limits on their lives. When they come to my office for help they need something they can't find in their confinement and one way or another I have to drag them out into a larger world so they can have what they need.

Most people believe that there are people making millions of dollars a year doing what they want to do in life, they just don't believe they can be one of those people. If you don't believe you can be one of those people than I have to ask you, Why?

That Why is keeping you from the life you desire and deserve and I am betting that Why won't hold water. Figure out how that Why is wrong and full of holes and you will take off like a rocket.

Why not start the process of trading your job for your life's work?

When you do you will find it is a lot like our little story. You can exchange what you do for mankind for wealth and satisfaction. It may not come in briefcases, but when it comes you can buy all the briefcases you want.

If you need some help with that contact me,
Scott Hogue CChH