If you won $1 million today, what would you do? Will you resign from your present job?
Research says that over 80% of people in the US will resign from their present jobs, do you have an idea what the statistics of Nigeria will look like? The interesting thing is, if you will resign from your present job, then you are in real trouble.
It means you have gotten the order wrong! You are waiting to make all the money you need, to begin to do the things that you love. It sounds like a good thing to do, after all, ABBA sang, ” All the things I could do, if I had a little money”. So you are waiting to have more money, then you will live the life of your dreams. It reminds me of the story of a fisher man. This fisher man was visited by an consultant from town, and they decided to go fishing together. The fisher man worked for 4 hours, caught a lot of fish, and retired for the day. The consultant was shocked, and the following conversation ensued.
Consultant: Do you know that I can show you a way to make a lot more money by doing this same business?
Fisherman: Aha…really, but what will be the need of that?
Consultant: See, if you spend 4 extra hours, making 8hrs fishing, you’ll catch double this number of fishes, you’ll be able to feed your family, sell the rest, make more money, re-invest it into your business, continue again tomorrow and before long, you’ll have enough money to buy a ship!
Fisherman: What will I do with a Ship?
Consultant: You’ll be able to go to sea, catch a lot more fish, supply the cities, and make a lot more money.
Fisherman: Then what?…Smiling happilly
Consultant: Then when you have made a lot of money, you’ll retire back to your village, work for few hours and spend the evenning chilling with your friends.
Fisherman: But that’s exactly what I do now! Why do I have to waste my time going that long route?
AHa…I hope you got that. Happiness is not the result of working tirelessly to make ends meet, then going ahead to do the things you love. Happiness is about finding the things that you truely enjoy, and following it with a passion. Successful people will tell you that they don’t work, they simply have found ways of being paid for what they love. In the words of Dale Carnegie, success is about finding what you love, and getting someone to pay you for doing it.
So take the $1million test, and be honest with yourself, what will change about your lifestyle and career? Whatever will change, needs to be changed! Start working towards it!
4 thoughts on “The $1 Million Test”
i really enjoyed this piece on doing what you love to do. i am currently trying to discover those things that i love. i have discovered a few but the real issue is getting people to pay me for doing those things. one example of such is photography. i just discovered in the second quarter of this year that i have a flair for digital photography but i havent gotten a way of being paid for it though i have some ideas. i guess my comment is basically that what you have said is easier said than done, so those wanting to tread the path to fulfillment must be prepared to face adversity. i am not trying to discountenance what you have said however, i’m just trying to be practical. let me add that reading an article like this tells me that i am on the right path even though things may be rough at the moment. so i’ll like to add thanks for the encouragement.
With my $1 million, I will quit my job sharp sharp, buy a small island in the Carribean and retire there with my babe. Just Kidding!
I would keep my job, keep the money in an account and let it simmer there till I figure out what to do with it.
I think that with the present situation in Nigeria, most people will QUIT their jobs! That kind money dey only come for inside dream.
It is very likely, that i would quit my job as well. That is alot of money. With proper management and investment, that amount of money is good enough to last me a lifetime
$1 Million. Wow! i wouldn’t quit my Job, it’s not necessary, many people have multiple streams of income, it’s OK. I really agree with you. I believe that doing what you love most helps you see your Job more natural than a duty that you are being paid for. You work to increase your values, to express your dreams and either you get big pay or not you are satisfied with what you are doing.
I believing Problem solving, Once we concentrate on solving peoples’ problems we don’t need to think about Money, it naturally flows in. Our society is really learning to appreciate quality service and it’s willing to pay for it. So we should do what we enjoy doing, do it very well that nobody could have done it better.
We should not really work for money, rather self satisfaction and fulfillment. Someone said “you not yet a millionaire until you have affected a million people. So more than Money, we should work to impact Lives.