MOTIVATIONAL THURSDAY

IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS BY RON WHITE

I saw a movie a few years ago that had a very funny scene. One of the characters asked the other what he would do if he had a million dollars. He replied, “Nothing.... If I had a million dollars, I would just relax all day long and enjoy myself.” Another guy chimed in and seriously stated, “Hey, you don’t need a million dollars to do that... just look at my cousin... he is flat broke and he doesn’t do a thing but sit there all day long.”

I think I laughed about that for an hour and it just caused me to smile again.

Although the line in the movie was a joke, it illustrates a truth of life. Whatever it is that you wish to do, do it! Why wait? Seriously, why put off your dreams until tomorrow or until you get all your ducks in a row. Guess what? The ducks of life sometimes have a mind of their own and tend to wander a lot. You may never get all your ducks in a row.

I have been a professional speaker since I was 20 years old. When I was 27, I was speaking with a woman and she said, “I am 59 years old and by the time I am 65 I would like to have my master’s degree and be working as a professional speaker.” I looked at her perplexed as I inquired, “Why in the world are you going to wait until you are 65 and have a degree? I am 27 years old with no degree and I am speaking tomorrow!” You could tell that my statement shattered her reality and she had no response.

This woman was waiting to pursue her dream until everything was just perfect. Until she had everything that she thought she needed to ensure maximum success, when in reality the greatest thing that she could have done is simply move in the direction of what she desires.

The greatest resistor of human dreams is the “If I had a million dollars” attitude. Individuals dream that if they had a million dollars, they could pursue their vision. No they wouldn’t! If you don’t pursue your vision when you are broke, when you grasp a million, you will create another reason why it isn’t possible. Or if you are one of the few who would actually live their dreams if you had a million dollars, what is the probability that you are going to save a million dollars?

Ever heard this train of thought?

Once I get out of high school I am going to see the world and travel…
Once I finish college I am going to see the world and travel…
Once I get married I am going to travel with my spouse…
After our kids are older we are going to see the world and travel…
When our kids get out of high school we are going to see the world and travel…
As soon as we retire we are going to see the world and travel…
Now, I am out of school, the kids are gone and I am retired; if I was younger and my health was better I would see the world and travel…

Don’t wait…

Many questions of life are complicated and unclear, yet the question of if you should pursue your dream or wait until you have a million dollars is as clear as the waters of Fiji. You are not promised tomorrow. You are not promised a million dollars. Pursue your dream today and inch closer or it will remain equally as distant as the pages of your life near the final chapter.

—Ron White

2. Quotes of The Week

Change/Choice

“We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.” —Jim Rohn

“The time is always right to do what is right.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” —Winston Churchill

“Today changes must come fast; and we must adjust our mental habits, so that we can accept comfortably the idea of stopping one thing and beginning another overnight. We must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all.” —Donald M. Nelson

“Be prepared to reinvent yourself every year. Imagine starting over with no limitations or encumbrances.” —Brian Tracy

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Mohandas Gandhi

“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” —Lao Tzu

“Whatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You can replace old patterns of self-defeating behavior with new patterns, new habits of the effectiveness, happiness, and trust-based relationships.”

Her Prettyness