2-3-4 Friday - What would you do if you only had a dollar?
‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’
1
thought
Often a question you hear at motivational talks is,
What would you do if you had a billion dollars, and money was no object?
I think that’s a bad question. A very bad one. Firstly, that rarely happens. And secondly, if that happened, you would probably not be pushed to work even harder.
I think a better question is to ask what you would do if you only had a dollar left.
There’s a beauty that comes when your backs are to the wall, and you have nothing to do except to make something happen. You either have to work, or starve yourself to death. There’s not much time to think about what else you should do. Because you don’t have options.
Options are for the fortunate.
My encouragement to you is to put yourself in situations where you’re shorn
of options, and you have no choice but to dosomething to continue. Whilst it’s always wise to leave yourself with headroom for options, often that can leave us feeling comfortable, and not too keen on doing anything of note.
Over the last few months, people have asked me how I’ve made things possible. I don’t have financial backing, nor am I particularly smart.
I always like telling people,
I don’t have an option except to make something happen.
I guess I’m lucky. Because whilst most people get stuck in analysis paralysis, wondering what they should
do next out of the wealth of options that are in front of them, I’ve come to realise there’s no great options, except to do things that will move things forward.
At the end of the day, it’s about being stuck in forward momentum, where you’re constantly doing something that moves things forward. Sure, we can go into an
analysis about what’s the best thing to be doing right now, but sometimes, don’t think too much.
Just do it.
1 talk
“it’s impossible to be a maximizer about everything. The trick is to learn to embrace and appreciate satisficing, to cultivate it in more and more
aspects of life, rather than merely being resigned to it.
Becoming a conscious, intentional satisficer makes comparison with how other people are doing less important.
It makes regret less likely.
In the complex, choice-saturated world we live in, it makes peace of mind possible.”
- Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
1 tip
With the world at our feet today, we can make just about any decisions we want.
But just because we can do anything, doesn’t mean we should do everything.
Cutting down your options can sometimes be a good option. When you find yourself surrounded by
options, sometimes it can help to just come to a point where you care less about the options in front of you, and simply introduce artificial rules that constrain your decisions.
3 rules that can help.
- Location
- Time
- Money
For example, in my investment decisions, despite many telling me about the wonders of investing in the US, I continue to restrict myself to Singaporean markets,
for no other reason than that I want the money to flow into my bank accounts much easier.
Some restrictions may not make sense. But if they push you towards action, I would say that it’s more than worth it.
P.S. Want to think differently about a problem you're facing? Let’s chat (and no worries, there's no fee!)
John
Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love