I was talking about my business to a stranger the other day and he scored a great point. He agreed that I had a great opportunity to offer, and a person could make a great deal of money from it. Then he asked the question that threw me for a loop. "OK, suppose you do get rich from this deal. Now you're a 45 year old retiree. Now what?"
You see, he was asking me about my vision of the future. He wanted to know just how big my vision was and how clearly I saw it. "I want the freedom to live my life my way, without worrying about money." I told him. "I want to wake up when it's time, not when the clock tells me to. I want to spend my time doing whatever my heart desires!"
"OK, what does your heart desire? It's a serious question."
"I just told you."
"No, you didn't." he said calmly. "You told me about some hazy vision of being a socially approved vagrant. What do you want your life to be like when you retire?"
I tried again. "I want a comfortable house in the location of my choosing. I want to spend time having fun with good friends. I want to spend good time with family. I want the toys that will let me play the games I want to play."
"Better. Now, what do you have to do to get that?"
"Make enough money so I can take the time to do what I want to do."
"And all of this will simply appear when you have enough money?" he said, setting me up for the knockout.
"Yes." I said, leading with my chin.
"And how will you know how to do all this comfort and fun and time, if all you know how to do is make money? If you spend all your time making money, when will you practice the other stuff?"
I staggered to my psychic corner and tried to get my mental legs back.
"Don't worry, young man. I have been where you are now. You have a good start. You know you don't want to stay where you are. You have an idea what you want your destination to look like. You are taking action to move. Now you need to flesh out your vision and transform it from your dream to your plan for the rest of your life."
"How do I do that?" I asked, feeling as if I should be sitting at his feet on top of a mountain somewhere.
"The first lesson is that nature hates a vacuum. You are throwing yourself into your business with all your energy, thinking that at some magic point called 'enough', you will stop doing what you do and start another life. That doesn't work.
"What would happen if you drove your boat right up to the dock, then cut the motor?"
"I would drift well past the point I wanted to reach. If there was something in my path, I would probably hit it and possibly damage my boat." I said.
"Excellent. How would you stop your boat at the point you have chosen?"
"I'd cut the motor well before I reached the spot, then drift in."
"What, then, if there were a wind or current in the water?"
"I would have to allow for it."
"How would you know how much leeway to allow? What if the boat stopped short of the dock? Is there a way to dock the boat under control?"
I thought a minute. "I suppose I could throttle back the motor so I was going slow, but under control. When I reached the spot I wanted, I could reverse the motor to stop the boat and hold me in place."
"Exactly. As you approach the dock, you maintain control to obtain the result you desire."
"I recognize the need to operate under control, but what does that have to do with nature hating a vacuum?"
"When you reverse the motor to slow your boat, does the energy that was moving the boat disappear?" he asked.
"No, it's just focused in a different direction." I thought about that for a moment. "And I can't just slam the gear into reverse, or I'll damage the engine and maybe the boat itself!"
"You are a very bright young man. I enjoy talking with you. I must go now, but I would like to continue this discussion. If you would like that as well, please meet me back here next week at this time. In between, please consider what we talked about today." He turned and walked back down the path to the parking area.
As I stood there, I realized the gift this old man was offering me. I realized that simply making money would not bring the freedom I sought. I had to have a vision of what I wanted my whole life to be like. Since I discovered network marketing and residual income, I'd been dazzled by the amount of money available to average people. I thought that if I simply made enough money, all my problems would disappear.
After talking with that old man, I knew there was a lot more to building a happy, satisfying life than money. In a ten minute conversation with a total stranger, I was ready to take the next step toward true freedom. If you think I was going to be anyplace but right where I was the following week, you need to get your head examined. I turned and cast my line out again, then leaned back to consider as the old man had asked...
(To be continued)
(c)Copyright 2003 by John McCabe
John McCabe's Web Guides show you how to find more and better success in all facets of your life. For more articles on living an abundant, vibrant, joyous life, come to http://Web-Guides.com.
Hello everybody and a good day (or night !) to... Read More
Imagine living in the world that Helen Keller found herself... Read More
Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract... Read More
The only thing in life we have direct control over... Read More
Too often we wait for the 'right time' or 'the... Read More
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)Wouldn't... Read More
Oprah and Harpo Productions, consistently reap awe-inspiring progress and record-breaking... Read More
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to... Read More
I would like to use this medium to introduce my... Read More
Start a "round robin" goal letter with others who need... Read More
If you are wishy-washy and undecided about you want and... Read More
There is a close link between respect for another person's... Read More
Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more,... Read More
There is one big "secret" to success that can help... Read More
I was talking about my business to a stranger the... Read More
Here are 3 powerful steps you can take to free... Read More
Fear.Everything in this world has its opposite.Good has bad.Optimism has... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
Your personal image: It's the most important YOU asset you... Read More
The TRUE BMI of SUCCESS (B)e a (M)illionaire (I)ndexWhy am... Read More
Wow, what an outrageous claim! Why do I say this?... Read More
Unexpected life changes. Anticipated transitions. Long, sleepless nights. What do... Read More
Many UK citizens want to settle or retire in Spain... Read More
I have written much about how, in order to have... Read More
Challenges posed by recent economic and market shifts, though predicted... Read More
I was flying home from a seminar in Atlanta yesterday... Read More
Most self-help truths are obvious but obvious truths are often... Read More
Everything we have in life is because of the help... Read More
Success is creating what you want the way you want... Read More
You teach others how to treat you by how you... Read More
"The reason man may become the master of his own... Read More
Here are 10 of 26 proven strategies gleaned from interviews... Read More
McDonald's does it, why shouldn't you? Life is filled with... Read More
There are twelve necessary elements involved in achieving success:1. Spend... Read More
Recently, I coached a young woman whom I'll call Mary... Read More
This past Memorial Day weekend I decided to revisit my... Read More
I've been coaching for a few years now, and the... Read More
Recently, I was asked to write a Top 10 list... Read More
Howdy folks, today I would like to speak to you... Read More
"If you think you can or you think you can't... Read More
So you've bought into the idea that you need to... Read More
An odd but frequent barrier to prosperity is the belief... Read More
Have you ever had such thoughts like "I always fall... Read More
The approach of a new year usually causes us to... Read More
As a speaker and trainer, people often approach me after... Read More
Have you ever met people who exude charm and charisma?... Read More
If we eat too much at home, the public eventually... Read More
If you are like me you have probably lost a... Read More
Think how often you see a friend or an acquaintance... Read More
In his audio e-book, 10 Habits to Swell Your Bank... Read More
Thomas Edison has done it. Naomi Watts often jokes about... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
Do you sometimes feel that you're living a boring life?... Read More
The gambling instinct is in every man or woman. All... Read More
A Lifelong Learning Plan is a conscious, continuous engagement in... Read More
To have a high probability of becoming prosperous, you have... Read More
A good laugh can help in a difficult or tough... Read More
For each of us, how successful we feel will depend... Read More
Adults, with eyes to see, can learn so much about... Read More
How does an online marketer define success ? There are... Read More
I was talking about my business to a stranger the... Read More
J. Paul Getty appeared to be incredibly lucky, but it... Read More
Too often we wait for the 'right time' or 'the... Read More
My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually... Read More
I remember, about 35 years ago, reading two books by... Read More
Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded... Read More
Success |