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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Derek Olsen, I have a 3 month old baby girl, and I believe if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a simple question that changed my life……
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Now, let’s get to today’s show.
What I Learned Yesterday:
Questions can be powerful.
Have you ever had someone ask you question that rocked your world? I have. I was asked a simple question by a guy I had never met before and it changed my life.
Several years ago I had a job that just wasn’t working out for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with the company, the people I worked with or even the job itself. It just wasn’t a good fit for me. I had been looking for a way out but didn’t really know what I wanted to do. So, I hung on to that job a lot longer than I probably should have.
Then I was asked the question. The question was in a book. The question changed my life forever.
The question was simple, if the next five years of your life are the same as the previous five years of your life, would you be okay with that?
This question rocked my world. I had mixed feelings about the answer to the question. The answer was easy, no, I would NOT be okay with that.
The answer uncovered many realities. I’ll share just two of them with you today.
ONE: The answer scared me and upset me. It just so happened that I had been working at my job for just over five years. I could not believe that I had stayed at a job I didn’t like for so long. I was mad at myself for not having the guts to make the right move and quit. I was upset that I had wasted five years at a job that wasn’t right for me. I was scared to think of what might have happened had I not read that book and been asked that question. Just the thought of staying at that job another five years was too much for me to even think about.
TWO: The answer got me excited. The question – if the next five years of your life are the same as the previous five years of your life would you be okay with that? – was exactly what I needed to be asked. It was the perfect question at the perfect time. I realized that the thought of re-living the previous five years over again was such a turn off that it was just the motivation I needed to move on. I got excited about getting off at the next stop and heading out in a different direction. At this point in the story I still didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do. But the idea that future was wide open was all I needed to hear.
If the next five years of your life are the same as the previous five years of your life, would you be okay with that?
That question gives me chills to this very day. I hope I’ll continue to ask myself that question the rest of my life.
So here’s what I learned…
If things in my life are going in such a way that I don’t want them to repeat themselves, it’s time to make a change. And if things are going in such a way that I want them to continue then I’ll know to keep things the same.
I’m Derek Olsen and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
Oh and by the way, that guy who asked me that question, his name is Dan Miller and the book was 48 Days to the Work You Love. Thanks Dan, you changed my life.
I’d like to give you a free e-book. It’s call 4 ½ Conversation Starters. This little book is perfect for any married couple who would like to get on the same page in the finance department. Visit derekandcarrie.com to get your free copy of 4 ½ Conversation Starters right now. And if you just can’t get enough, check out my other podcast called Better Conversations on Money and Marriage.
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