TIP 22
BE AN INSTANT BILLIONAIRE
After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.
Every now and again it is a good idea to play the billionaire game. When sitting around with your friends and family members, ask the question, “If you had a billion dollars, what would you do?” Or you could do it by yourself. Take out a pen and paper and make a list of at least 100 things you would love to do, be, or have. Don’t limit yourself in any way. Money is no object. Just start writing down everything that pops into your head. Do not censor anything right now. (You can do that later). If you always wanted to have a house on the beach, write it down. If you’ve hankered for a Ferrari or a Rolex, write it down. What about taking private dance classes, going to Hawaii, learning how to scuba dive? Write down every wish, desire, fantasy, dream, and hope that you can possibly think of. Most people pick up their pads, start writing, and pretty soon they get stuck and can’t even come up with 100 things they would want to do, be, or have. Push yourself past your limit and invent some more stuff.
Don’t worry.You don’t actually have to do any of these things. This is a wish list, not a goals list. The idea is to think bigger and break through your financial limitations.
Start writing! Let your imagination run wild. And, have fun because it is just a game!
Now that you have your list, let’s go through it. First of all, how many things on this list do you really want? Do you really want that Mercedes? What would having a Mercedes do for you? Are you willing to maintain it? We often forget that the real price of having something is the cost of maintaining it. Have you ever driven one? My client, Richard, spent one summer driving a Mercedes and realized by the end of the summer that he didn’t want one. First of all, it was slow to accelerate. Second, it took only diesel fuel so he had to drive out of the way to find gas for it. Third, its electric window kept getting jammed, and he had to keep taking it to the shop only to discover that repairs or parts were quite expensive. Fourth, he was terrified of getting a ding or scrape on it. Richard realized he was much happier driving his old Honda because he never worried about anything happening to it.
Now take a few minutes to examine your own wish list. Do you really want to become a famous opera singer? Or, given the time and training it would require, are you perfectly content to sing in the shower?
From this list, pick the top 10 items that you really want to do, have, or be in this lifetime. If you were on your deathbed looking back at your life, these would be the things you would regret not having done. “Oh, I always wanted to see the Acropolis in Greece, and I never went.” By the way, I’ve never yet heard of anyone on his deathbed saying he wished he had bought that Rolex. Usually we regret not doing things or not saying things. You could save yourself loads of money by realizing this right away. Make sure every remaining item is aligned with your values (Tip 52). I don’t mean moral values, but what is really important to you. Now that you know what you really want, pick one lifetime goal and get started on that today.
You will notice that once you have cleared out the clutter, creating harmony and order in your home, and are now focused on adding things that give you joy, you’ll naturally spend less money. Then, when you figure out what your needs are and get those met (Tip 43), you will want a lot less stuff than you did before.
I did a variation of the billionaire game when I was writing this book. To keep me inspired when I felt like tossing the whole thing, I made a list of everything I wanted to buy with my book advance (this was before I had even found an agent, let alone a publisher). I ended up with a surprisingly modest list for a former shopaholic. I wanted a new winter coat, a brown cashmere twinset, pots for the patio, designer eyeglasses, and a new rug for the living room. I wrote down this stuff along with the approximate cost of each item. Then forgot about it until I actually got an offer from a publisher. I dug up the list to see what I was now entitled to buy and was amazed to find that I already had attracted most of it and at a fraction of what I had expected to pay. A friend had given me planters for the patio; my aunt, the flowers; and my cousin, the new rug. I had found a brown cashmere twinset and a camel hair coat on sale that were perfect. The only thing I didn’t have was the designer eyeglasses, and I realized I didn’t really want them because the ones I had were just fine and I hardly ever use them. I wound up being able to make a whole new list of things for the advance. If you do nothing else, make your list. There is power in writing it down.