Here’s a question for you…What if some of the biggest blockbuster movies ever made, had been created without the use of scripts? No lines. No queues. No prompts. Just total ad-lib.
Neo would have never left his apartment and we’d all be controlled by the matrix.
We wouldn’t have seen Forest run.
Hell, we would have never known who Luke’s father is!
Thankfully, the movie producers know that a movie without a script would be a disaster. Nobody would pay to see people just bumbling about.
Yet, that’s what many do in their own life “movie”… they just bumble about.
Like a pinball machine’s ball, they head off in a direction with no plan and just bounce off of whatever they encounter. They then head into the opposite direction until they come in contact with something else and bounce off it.
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
Jobs, relationships and money.
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
Being laid off. Divorce. Broke.
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
Game over.
When I see this, the first thought that comes to my mind is this – that person lacks a script in their life.
In other words, most people wander aimlessly from week to week, with no clear destination or boundaries in mind. Many are then surprised when life doesn’t turn out like they hoped. But is it any wonder?
Stephen Covey uses a great analogy in his classic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to illustrate what happens when you don’t follow a script in your life.
Imagine filling a jar with rocks, pebbles, sand and then water. The rocks represent the important things to you such as your family, financial freedom and fulfilling your purpose in life. The pebbles, sand, and water represent the less important yet necessary things you do on a regular basis such as commuting to work, running errands, answering emails, shopping, and so on.
If you do not have a script for your life, there’s a big chance that you will fail to put in all the big rocks in the jar before everything else, so you will not be able to fit them all in. You will find in the end that your life, full as it is of endless tasks and activities, is empty because you failed to fit in important parts of it.
You’ve heard the quote, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
In practice, this quote looks like this…
While a person is busy making plans to spend all their paycheck, a mediocre life happens to them.
While a person is busy making plans other than saving and investing, a mediocre life happens to them.
While a person is busy making plans to blow their weekends watching TV, a mediocre life happens to them.
Here’s how I would rephrase that quote…
“A bad life is what happens to you, when you’re busy making other plans.”
If you listen to people who are struggling financially, there’s a common pattern that emerges – they’re surprised they are in trouble. As if their money problems happened overnight. Yet, as they explain things it’s clear that their financial train went off the track years ago. Sometimes decades ago.
This is because they weren’t tethered. There were no core financial principles that grounded them. There was no financial script that would have sounded an alarm, each time they made “other” plans:
“Blowing an entire paycheck is for losers. That’s not for me. I will be financially free.”
“Failing to save and invest is a recipe for failure. That’s not for me. My investments will allow me to be financially free”.
“Mindlessly watching TV and social media creates adult zombies. That’s not for me. I’ll spend my time reading and improving, which will help me to become financially free.“
Friends, if you don’t have a financial script in your life you’re leaving the door open to “other plans”. Make no mistake, those other plans will take you far away from financial freedom. To see this in action, just look around you. We have an epidemic of mediocrity in this country. So many people, who are just bumbling along.
If you’re not sure how to build a financial success script, here’s where to start:
Step 1: Decide what you DON’T want in life. While it’s important to know what you DO want, it’s equally important to know what you want to avoid. Financial struggle. Divorce. Being broke. Cultivate a passionate disdain for these things. Disgust is powerful motivator. Become disgusted with every condition of the mediocre. Passionately reject those things. They are not for you.
Step 2. Decide what you DO want in life. Financial freedom is available to everyone, not just a chosen few. Drop any thoughts, habits or behaviors that give air to the idea that being wealth is a fantasy. It’s a reality to anyone who will decide that must have it. Decide that you will be financially free. Adopt the language of success – “I will be a millionaire. I will be financially free. I will be wealthy.” Don’t be like Alice in Wonderland, know which direction you’re heading and why.
Step 3. Build a set of mantras (scripts) that support what you want in life. Write them in the 3rd person, as if they’ve already happened. “I am a multi-millionaire. I am wealthy. I make great decisions with my money and my life. I am successful.” Repeat them daily so that they become part of your DNA. When faced with life’s everyday dragons that could pull you into mediocrity, use these scripts as your sword and slay them. Take some queues from the military. In a submarine, every command is a script and is repeated before being executed so that there’s no mistake – “Left rudder full ahead!” “Aye, aye captain. Left rudder full ahead!” There’s a reason why the military wear their medals on the outside of their uniforms where they can be seen. They can be seen not only by other people but also by the wearer. It’s a script. It reinforces who they are. When people start to remark on how disciplined a person you are with your money, your decisions and your life, take it as a badge of honor. That’s your success scripts shining thru to the outside.
I often compare success principles to children because of the similarities – you must nurture and protect both. You wouldn’t send your grown children into the world without a set of life scripts to protect and guide them. Similarly, you wouldn’t let your toddler wander aimlessly away from you. They’re tethered to you. On your hand or on your hip. So that you can protect them.
Have a set of success scripts that guide you. Create a script of your ideal, future life, five to ten years into the future. Create a script of money philosophies to direct you daily. One thousand words is all it takes. Those one thousand words will make millions for you. Carry them with you. Tether yourself to them so that you don’t stray into mediocrity. Anchor yourself to a core set of success principles and let them guide you to the place you must go – financial freedom.
Be free. Nothing else is worth it.
P.S. Why aren’t you wealthy yet? It’s because of something you don’t know. Otherwise you’d already be rich! Isn’t it time to learn what you don’t know? Consider signing-up for my newsletter below, to help you build wealth faster.
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Ready for more tips on how to achieve the free life? Check-out more articles from the blog archives below:
For Most Americans A Lower Tax Rate Will Be Completely Worthless, Because They’ll Do This…
Here’s The Tortured Truth Behind Those Stupid Statements People Make About Retiring Early
The Duality Of Man: Why People Do The Opposite Of What They Should Do With Their Money