How You Think Affects Your Life

In the last few days I’ve been in two different situations where people were asked to think about what they would do if they had a billion dollars. One of them said that he would not want a billion dollars because if he had money he would not be struggling anymore. He also said that he would sit around with nothing to do all day. The other one said that if she had a billion dollars she’d just “fix up her house” a little, and maybe get a new car, but she didn’t really need all that money.

As I listened to them I wondered about their response. Basically, they said no to life giving them money. They had all these reasons for staying with the status quo of their lives and no openness to a miracle. 

A few months ago I was in my business networking group one morning when Betty Jo Waxman spoke about the power of our networking mind. She offered anyone $10 if they got to the front of the room first. One man jumped over the table to get to her and ended up getting it. Everyone laughed because his behavior was outrageous, but her point was…..why didn’t anyone else come running to get the $10? Okay, its just $10 but…our thinking about not wanting to look foolish, or whatever else kept us from going for it.

My friend who didn’t think she’d be able to use a billion dollars thought she was being “humble and not greedy.” But really, the more you have, the more you can share so isn’t it good to have? Even if you only share by buying things, fixing up your house, and shopping a lot, you’re putting back into the economy which is good for everyone.

Change  happens whether you say yes to it or no. Some changes are definitely easier than others. If you lose a loved one or get diagnosed with a deadly disease, saying yes to the change is extremely difficult. When you’re saying no to the possibility of a huge change like money in your life, what else are you saying no to?