Well, I got myself into this last week, so I guess I should continue...
Motivation may have "The Secret"; business has "The Questions." And the way I see it, there are three of them that need to be answered not just for success, but for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you're actually doing something positive with your working day...and your working life.
The inspiration for the second question comes from conversations I used to have with my late buddy, comedian Richard Jeni. A complex man of much introspection, Jeni and I would spend hours on the balcony of his Hollywood high-rise condo, ruminating on how life was a series of trade-offs.
Trade-offs like:
"Yes, the you can choose not to be sucked up into the vortex of the Hollywood lifestyle, but you'd have to live in some small town in Idaho, and lord knows it's hard to base a showbiz career there."
And on we would go for hours, always coming to the same conclusion: Life is a portfolio--there are wins and losses, and true peace only comes to those who can accept the balance between the two.
So here's Question #2, a quick ponder with mammoth ramifications:
IS THIS WORTH THAT?
Many times, we never ask the question and have to pick up the aftermath pieces of the answer; in other words, "Well, that wasn't worth it..." Too bad. Just a little proactivity can prevent a whole maelstrom of post-negativity.
There is no easy way out, and nothing without consequences. The current financial meltdown could've benefited big time--and possibly have been avoided--from a little time spent reflecting on Question #2. (Can't say we weren't warned--"Wanna keep your money safe? Then accept a 3% annual return. Want more than that? Gotta take a risk." Hey, as I said, it's all about trade-offs.)
Even the basic premise of this blog--creating Surprise--works best with a "Is This Worth That?" filter. By its very nature, you know that a Surprise is a game changer. You just have to decide how much game you want to change. Without it, you're status quo and boring. But if you go too far... (As I've said before, Surprise is like nitroglycerin; a little bit gets your heart pumping, too much blows up in your face.)
No matter what you do, want to do, are thinking of doing...every action could benefit from a bit of reflection upon the four RED words above that together make up Question #2.
Frankly, asking it is the easy part.
The tough part is accepting your answers.
So, to re-cap:
Question #2: Is this worth that?
Question #3: Coming next week
