The minute you walked into my friend’s house, you knew. He had all the usual trappings of wealth—the high-priced sports car, million-dollar home equipped with all the high-tech gadgets you could ask for, expensive furniture, the works.
You could say my friend had it all. But there was only one problem. And that problem was…
…he was never home to enjoy any of it.
In fact, he typically worked 80-100 hours a week. He maybe got to ride in his sports car an hour a week. He never watched his large plasma screen TV.
But to those around him. He was someone to be envied. “Look at all that he has. If I had that, I’d be so happy.”
And those people are not alone. When most people think about wealth, they view it in terms of possessions. Don’t believe me? Go take a look at those late-night info-mericials selling courses on real estate and other business opportunities,
What do they show? People on yachts. People in fancy houses. People in high-priced sports cars. You get the picture.
But I define wealth differently. I define wealth as having the time to enjoy your life. The time to spend some tie with the people you care most about. And most importantly to have the time to spend on your own personal development.
Some people envy “the rich”. But I know better. I’ve seen too many of the “rich” work so much that they never see their kids and their house staff enjoys their homes more than they do.
That’s not wealth. That’s just having money. Wealth is not just having money, it’s having the time to enjoy it.
So, when you map out your career, don’t just consider how much money you will make. Think about how much time you will get to enjoy it. Then you will be on your way to true wealth.
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Posted: October 16th, 2007
Categories:
Balance,
Financial Freedom,
Simplify Your Life,
Wealth
Tags:
defining_wealth,
enjoy_your_life,
personal_development,
possessions,
time_is_money,
true_wealth,
Wealth
Comments:
6 Comments.
A while back, my fried and author Steve Harper blogged about Michael Jordan. He wrote a great post about how Michael Jordan always took the big shot. And Harper went on how we should take the big shot like Jordan.
I commented on that blog post. But to be honest, I don’t identify with Michael Jordan at all. Michael Jordan is someone who is larger than life. A person who personifies greatness. One might even say that as far as basketball goes, Michael Jordan personified perfection as a basketball player.
How many basketball players have matched Jordan’s athleticism, basketball smarts, and the mental mindset that all the greats possess? The truth is Jordan was born with it all. Of course, he developed those skills by working hard but a guy like Michael Jordan doesn’t do it through sheer will. He’s born with a lot of it.
And that is hard for any of us to match.
But while it’s easy to look up to people like Jordan, it’s hard to emulate him. There were commercials of “Be Like Mike” but I for one was never going to get close. Because it’s just so darn hard to match the skill level of a Michael Jordan.
But I do identify with another player. Someone who we can look at as a role model
The basketball player I think of instead of Jordan is Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry.
Why him?
In the regular season the guy’s a glorified bench warmer. But in the playoffs in the last few minutes of a game, the turns into something else. He is not afraid to take the big shot. I remember watching him kill the Spurs when he was with the Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers. And then when he joined the Spurs, I watched a playoff game when the big stars (Duncan Ginobli) looked petrified down the stretch. I kept screaming “just give it to Horry, he’ll take the shot”.
And what happened? Horry got the ball and drilled the big shot over and over.
I once saw an interview with Horry and he said something that I thought was telling. He said something to the effect of when he gets the ball he is not afraid of missing. And then he goes on to say that if he misses 20 shots in a game no one will notice. But if he hits the big shot, everyone remembers.
Now, this is what we can do in our lives. WE can develop a “big shot” mindset. And the truth is no one will remember our misses. They’ll only remember your hits.
The key is to not be afraid to take the shot. The fear of missing (we can call this fear of failing or fear of rejection as well) is what stops us. But honestly, we are the only ones who remember our failings. Succeed once and that’s all anyone will remember.
Step up and take the shot. You don’t need to do it all the time. Just when it matters most. And don’t be afraid to miss.
No, not all of us are Michael Jordans who can carry a team by ourselves, but I think each of us has a little “Big Shot Rob” in them.
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A while back, I pulled a lat muscle at the gym. Now, if you’ve never pulled a lat muscle, let me tell you something:
You are lucky!
It hurts like heck. You use your lat muscle to lift, while you’re sitting, and it hurts every time you twist your body.
Well, after taking it easy for a few weeks (treadmills are boring), I was ready to get back to some weight training.
But not wanting to take any chances, I was pretty much on light weight training (and for full disclosure, my gym activities do NOT include lifting heavy weights…I have no intention to be the next wannabe Schwarzenegger.)
How did it go?
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When I was in high school. I always thought my mother was a little obsessive about my friends. Well, more about one of my friends in particular. In order to protect his innocence, I’ll refer to that friend as “Mason”.
My mother used to refer to Mason as a “wild child”. It probably had to do with the fact hat he dressed in all black, listened to heavy metal music, and he was very comfortable in bars (his mom owned a bar, what can I say?).
Despite her best attempts to get me to stop hanging out with Mason, there I was dressed in black, listening to heavy metal music, and hanging out in Mason’s mom’s bar…mostly drinking coke and playing pool very badly.
The truth is most parents can be obsessive about who your friends are. And not just parents.
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I hate the gym. Seriously. I don’t like going. I don’t like the way it smells. And unlike so many other people at the gym, I’m not into the whole “people watching” aspect.
For lack of a better word, I find the whole gym experience boring.
People who know me find this answer surprising since I go the gym 5 days a week. In fact, just the other day a friend of mine told me that I must “lover” going to the gym. Well, I don’t “love” it.
So, why do I go to the gym 5 days a week?
Actually, there are a few reasons why I do it, and it all has to do with the benefits of exercise. I do a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise. In my particular case, I do very little cardio and more strength training.
I don’t train to bulk up, but simply to maximize the muscle I already have. Why do I keep doing it even though I claim to hate it?
Well, I might not like the gym, but I do like to exercise. And there are 3 good reasons why I keep doing it.
1. More energy
Some people ask me if I feel tired after working out. Far from feeling tired, I get an energy boost. A month ago I was working 12-hour days for a week. And I worked out during my lunch hour (yes, I did eat properly which is just an important for health as exercise).
By the end of the day, I still had plenty of energy, whereas others were happy to call it a day.
2. Improved mental state
It may have something to do with that energy, but I always feel better after working out. And it seriously reduces my stresses. I used to find it odd that on the occasions where I was feeling a little down that I had absolutely no desire to work out.
I thought about this while I was in a good mood and it made sense. When you feel down, you tend to want to keep felling down. Exercising actually makes you feel better. So, the “down mind” wishes to deny you access to something that will kill it.
And exercise does a pretty good job of it.
One other thing I noticed is that when I exercise regularly I sleep better. And I need to sleep less.
3. Improved appearance
Yes, I am not above caring for my appearance. And, no, I don’t sit around looking at myself in the mirror. But improved appearance does make you feel better about yourself. That’s just a plain fact.
I’ve lost a lot of weight since I’ve started exercising. Part of it is because of a better diet, which is the other key component with exercising if you want to lose weight. But exercising regularly and a sensible diet have kept the weight off.
And my keeping a healthy weight and looking better, I feel better.
So, that is why I go to the gym. For those who do not exercise, I would recommend giving it a try for 30 days to see the benefits for yourself. I still hate the whole gym experience, but I do love to exercise. And I like feeling good.
When you are satisfied with your health and appearance, it creates a real foundation for personal growth. That’s why I consider exercising to be a key component in personal development.
Oh, and I heard a rumor that when you’re healthy, you can live longer. And I’m all for that.
Just let me know if that rumor is true.
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Do what you love and the money will follow. Heard that before? It sounds like an old tired cliché. I wouldn’t blame you for rolling your eyes or being cynical when you hear it. Personally, I hate those kinds of sayings. The reason is that although it’s easy to say “do what you love and the money will follow” it’s another thing altogether to actually do it.
I should know. When I went to college, I took the route of money. I majored in something that I thought would bring me money hand over fist. Yes, I majored in…
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The one thing that separates mankind from animals is imagination. The ability to imagine what is possible, what was possible, and what could be. This power. This gift allows us to go in endless directions. Gives us unlimited potential.
In order to realize this potential, we must find ways to stimulate our imaginations. I have found the most effective way to do this is…
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“You think everything is one big joke. Can’t you take anything seriously?”
This has been spoken to yours truly on more than one occasion. And I have wondered what the answer really is. I mean, I don’t think everything is a joke, but I DO find most things to be funny…things most people find not so funny.
For example…
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I am pleased to have been tagged by Priscilla Palmer and have her add me to her impressive list of personal development blogs. But I can’t take credit for it all. I’d like to thank those who specifically recommended my blog to be added to list like Daniel at Idea Sellers and Mark McManus at Build Your Life to Order . If I missed anyone else, I’m sorry.
The only blog I would add to this list is Steve Harper’s Ripple Effect Blog. He might think he’s writing a business blog, but it’s personal development all the way.
I cannot personally vouch for all the blogs on this list, but many of them I do read on a regular basis. There are many quality blogs to choose from on this list.
Also, be sure to check back this week to Possess Less Exist More as my posts this week will cover:
- Why you may not be getting ahead in life professionally or personally
- Why you should ignore 99% of the people around you
- The one word that can save you from yourself (new podcast)
- And more…
The Personal Development Blog List
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Posted: August 27th, 2007
Categories:
Personal Development
Tags:
personal_development
Comments:
5 Comments.
I have always liked those makeover shows. You know the ones. Woman comes out (usually a woman but a man every so often) looking not so hot, then throw on some make-up, change the hair, new clothes, and voila—she emerges one SMOKING HOT WOMAN!
I do know reality, however. Some producer probably told the woman, “now when you come on the show, be sure to wear your worst clothes—a sweatsuit is preferable—don’t wear make up and maybe just run a comb through your hair once.”
We all love contrasts, right? And they go for the highest contrast possible.
But contrast is not what makes these shows interesting to me or a lesson for all of us. The thing that makes these shows valuable tools is that they reveal one’s…
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