Would a One Million Dollar Reward Change Your Plan?

One morning during the recent holidays, while I was working in the kitchen, my young granddaughters sat at the breakfast table playing a game of Table Topics.  That’s a game consisting of a pile of cards with questions.  It was fun listening to them as they took turns reading the questions and then discussing their answers.

One question in particular caught my attention. “If you were offered one million dollars could you get straight A’s next year?”  Of course, both of them answered in the affirmative and said that they were already trying to make straight A’s so it probably wouldn’t make any difference.

STRAIGHT A’S

I immediately started thinking about that question as it might relate to more average students.  After all I am a former college instructor.  A high school or college student might get very motivated by that possible reward and do some things differently, such as:
1.) Really pay attention in class.
2.) Make an appointment with their teacher/professor if there was something they didn’t understand.
3.) Hire a tutor for the subjects that were more difficult for them.
4.) Make sure they were spending enough time studying and doing class assignments.
5.) Roll back on any extra curricular activities that were interfering with their study time.
6.) They would make sure they got enough sleep each school night and that they ate nutritious meals so they would be at their best in class.

NEW BUSINESS IDEA

If you’ve been thinking about getting a new job, starting a part-time business or even launching a big project, what would you do differently to pursue that goal if you were offered one million dollars to get it done in the next year?  You might take some of the following actions:
1.) Maybe you would have a new sense of urgency and wouldn’t let other things get in your way of working on it.
2.) You would really try to develop your goal and figure out exactly what you want to accomplish.
3.) You would possibly hire someone to help you, such as a coach, a mentor, a professional resume’ writer or even a graphic artist.
4.) Maybe you would take on a partner so you could share your expertise and resources and work together.
5.) You would probably make a list of all of the steps you could think of to make your project a success.

ORGANIZE YOUR HOME OR OFFICE

You may have been thinking about organizing your home or office for a couple of years, but just haven't gotten started.  If you were offered a million dollars to get it organized, you might think about the following ideas:
1.) You would probably make a specific list of exactly what you want to get organized.
2.) If you are not the organized type, you might call in a professional organizer to help you.
3.) Maybe you would purchase some plastic bins to use for sorting – the things you will keep and the things you will dispose of.
4.) Once the sorting is completed, you might decide to spruce things up a bit by purchasing some new furniture or storage units so you would be more inclined to stay neat and organized.

LOSE 20 POUNDS

I know most of you have been thinking of losing some weight but you just haven't gotten around to it. What if you were offered one million dollars to lose that extra twenty pounds in a year?  That could  be the motivation you need.  Some steps you might take would be:
1.) Research and decide on a diet plan.
2.) Find an accountability partner or a coach.
3.) Keep a journal of all the food you eat.
4.) Weigh weekly.
5.) Read motivational stories of others who have lost weight.
6.) Stick with your plan.
7.) Revaluate monthly.

I’m sure you have thought of even more ways that a one million dollar reward could get you started on one of your goals.  Thinking that way certainly helps you develop some clarity about what it is you would need to do.

Let me know if that imaginary one million dollar reward helps you refine what you want to accomplish and gives you some understanding about how you would do it.

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© 2007-2015 Melinda Coker

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