CAREER
If Money Were No Object
By Dan Miller
48days.com
CBN.com –
Does this reader question/comment ring any bells with you?
“I have never understood the question (or variations on it) of “What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?” as advice for finding one’s calling. I guess it’s because I would stay in bed, eat junk food, and watch TV. I’ve never seen any job that had any real purpose either, so who I would want to trade places with is meaningless as well. Can’t really say I’ve ever felt alive.”
Here’s why the question makes sense. In as much as you may think you really would lie around the house, eat Twinkies, and watch Seinfeld reruns, my observation is that no one enjoys doing that for more than a couple of weeks. I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of people over the years for whom making money was no longer an issue. But that really brings to the forefront the question “What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money?” Those people don’t have the easy out that “I only work because I have to.”
See it’s actually a whole lot easier to just barely squeak by week after week – having no extra time and certainly no extra money. In that situation no one expects you to deal with the important questions of life; you’re just doing what you have to do, right? But when confronted with having more time and money than ever needed, a person has to really decide, “How am I going to invest my time – and money?” "How can I make the world a better place?" “How am I going to make my life matter?”
Yes, you really can have only so many cars, cruises, houses, and pieces of art. And my observation is that those people are immediately attracted to ideas that serve others. I don’t see many who want to plan to spend it all selfishly and just die on the same day the last dollar is spent. Rather, they, like some of you are already looking for ways to:
- Share your time and money with those who have not had your same advantages
- Bring hope and encouragement to others
- Volunteer in a worthy church or community program
- Start a social entrepreneurship venture
- Sponsor a children’s sports program
- Revitalize the downtown area of your town
- Give money strategically – not just 10% dropped into the collection plate
- Teach life skills to those with self-defeating patterns
’Feeling Alive’ is one of those interesting by-products. It’s not something we can approach directly – it flows out of a meaningful life. There is much more on this in No More Mondays.
You may think you are eagerly awaiting ‘retirement.’ But time invested in meaningful activities makes ‘retirement’ diminish in its attraction.
So go ahead: spend three days staying in bed, eating Moon Pies, and watching the political drivel the news teams conjure up. See how quickly you feel worthless in body, mind, and spirit.
But here’s the deal. You don’t have to wait until retirement or until you win the lottery to decide what you would do if money were no longer the issue. You really can just make those decisions now – live as if you have an abundance of time and money. Start one of the above activities today. And you might be surprised at what happens to your actual bank account when you realize what you already have to give and share.
And if you want to see what can happen to someone who just wants to eat, drink, and be merry, check this out: Eat, Drink and Be Merry.
Becoming Fully Alive at Work
Do you hate Mondays? If so, what's keeping you at your current job?
If you said a steady paycheck and the promise of a secure retirement, then you're in for a big disappointment. In today's volatile economy, there is nothing safe about punching the clock for a job you hate.
Here are some statistics coming out of our changing workplace today:
- The average job is about 3.2 years in length
- Those in their 20s are changing jobs every 13 months
- 72% of Americans would rather work for themselves than for another company
We are rapidly approaching the last quarter of 2008. This is the time to be planning what you want 2009 to bring. If you don’t plan, it will at best be a duplicate of this year. Only with planning can you bring new dreams to life.
If you have Spanish-speaking friends, be sure to share the 48 Dias Para Amar Su Trabajo link in the resources section.
We’ve got The Eaglepreneur Package. That includes No More Mondays and other materials that will help you do something beyond “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” -- for only $48.
"“My parents always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything because I procrastinated so much. I told ‘em, ‘Just you wait.’” — Comedian Judy Tenuta
48 Days Online Radio – How Do You Identify Passion?
Each week I create a new online radio podcast — that you can hear in iTunes or at the 48 Days Online Radio Show link below.
Here’s a sampling of the questions I tackled September 10. Maybe you're like the writer in question #2 -- I DESPISE this position....
1. How do you identify PASSION when that word seems so intense? You've addressed this before and I'm reading 48 Days, but the word "passion" itself seems too intense for me. I have a hard time saying that there is anything other than my loved ones that I feel "passionate" about... How do I identify that when I can’t recognize what it is? Thanks for all you do! (For a written response to this important question see Passion)
2. Dan, I am in a real bind. I work as a bookkeeper for my family's business and handle all of my parent's personal bills. I DESPISE this position. The way money is being handled makes me really disrespect my folks. I want out. I'm sick of worrying about my parent's financial situation! How can I cut the chords without severing ties?
3. How do you combat the isolation of working from home? This month marks my one-year anniversary working from home. I'm really getting lonely. I'm so busy working I don't have time to network. I really wish someone would just walk by my desk and say hi, almost to the point of getting a 9-5 job!
4. Dan, I'm 55 years old and finally following my dream of doing something with my love of art that I've had all my life. I'm doing wood sculpture similar to what was done on your property that you mention in your book. How do I go about getting my name out and what I do?
5. I quit my job to come home and care for our son with special needs. My wife works full time. I'm having trouble formulating my dream. I like lots of things. Most of my work career has been in journalism and pastoral ministry. How can I create a good supplemental income from home?
If you have a question, just click on the 48 Days Online Radio link and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
That’s the same place you can listen to this week’s broadcast immediately – no downloading, no wait.
48 Days Highlights
212ºConnection
If you’d like to be a group where you can get inspiration for taking your ideas to a whole new level, check out our 212ºConnection. Every day new people are becoming part of the exciting group, sharing ideas and gaining momentum. You can read all about it here – and see the growing number who are turning their ideas into time, freedom, and income.
The Dash
Are you considering the value of every single day? Those days between our birth and death are all we have to build relationships, do meaningful work, and create the legacy we wish to leave behind. Will you look back and be proud of how you spent your Dash? Take three minutes to watch this powerful movie on The Dash.
Personal Coaching
Many of you are asking about my personal coaching. Yes, I still work with two-three people a month. And, yes, we get a lot of requests. I screen each request and either contact you myself – or refer you to a matching coach in our network. I take seriously the confidence shown by the requests and make sure each one is given personal attention. If you want to review the options and give me some basic information, I’ll be honored to evaluate it and give you some feedback. Just go to Personal Coaching and get started.
Here's a note I received this week from a coaching client:
I think when I first wrote to you, I said I was at a point in my life where ‘I was sad most of the time and had moments of happiness and was looking to get back to being happy most of the time with moments of sadness’. I am there, again.
Thank you for your help and your part in my journey. I truly appreciate your positive encouragement, the sharing of your experiences and knowledge and your ‘reminders’ of the important things about actually ‘living’ ones life. Thank you! Thank YOU! THANK YOU!
48 Dias
Yes, we have 48 Dias Para Amar Su Trabajo. I’m told it’s very well done and we’re ready to provide them for anyone who would like this Spanish version. We have deep discounts for any quantities. Check it out here: 48 Dias. Just click on Add to Shopping Cart to see how to purchase for as little as $3.00 each.
Chuck Bowen Coaching - Financial, Career, & Business
Need to do better (maybe a lot better?) with your personal finances? Is your business as profitable, or enjoyable, as you'd like it to be? Contact Chuck Bowen Coaching. If you want to transform your life permanently for the better, he's your guy. Dave Ramsey trusts Chuck to train his financial coaches, and he serves as President of Dan Miller’s 212 Connection. What better proof is there?!
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT
Need help getting past Mondays?
The most popular product in the 48 Days arsenal continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. Before you begin seeking a better job or self-employment, you need to be sure you are pursuing opportunities that match your personality style and will fulfill and reward you for a lifetime!
Quotes: Fully Alive
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
"True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness." —ALBERT EINSTEIN
"Reverence for Life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life and that to destroy, harm, or to hinder life is evil. Affirmation of the world – that is affirmation of the will to live, which appears in phenomenal forms all around me – is only possible for me in that I give myself out for other life." —ALBERT SCHWEITZER
"I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life." —ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt." —FREDERICK BUECHNER
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." —GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
"However mean your life is, meet it and live it: do not shun it and call it hard names. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Things do not change, we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts." —HENRY DAVID THOREAU
 Dan Miller is the bestselling author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and a renowned Life Coach specializing in career fulfillment. His weekly newsletter reaches 70,000 subscribers. Dan’s articles are featured here at CBN every Tuesday, and you can find out more about Dan at www.48days.com.
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