MONEY MADE FUN eBOOK
The motivaider: a great tool to keep you on track.
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Once upon a time, there was a wise old woman who had the ability to heal the wounded and ensure the success of almost any endeavor by the judicious use of the power of her word. It was also rumored amongst those that had heard of her powers that she refused to teach her secret to anyone for fear they might use it for harm instead of good.
One day, an earnest young man decided to put these rumors to the test. He went to the wise old woman and challenged her. "I have heard it said that you have the power to heal the wounded and ensure the success of almost any endeavor using nothing more than the power of your word," the young man began.
"That is true," the wise old woman said.
"I have also heard," the young man continued, "that you have refused to share the secrets of your power for fear that it might be abused by those less scrupulous than yourself."
"That is also true", replied the wise old woman.
"I am a man of honor", the young man said boldly. "I want to share your wisdom that I too might gain your power. What can I do to prove to you my sincerity and my worth?"
The wise old woman smiled at him kindly. "I doubt neither your sincerity nor your worth, for your sincerity pours forth from your eyes and your worth has been yours since the moment of your birth. As for the power, it is not mine to give, but I will teach you the secret to access it within yourself if you agree to follow my instructions exactly as I give them to you."
When the young man excitedly agreed, the wise old woman handed him three scrolls with the following direction:
The first scroll was to be opened at sunrise on the very next morning. As soon as the instructions on the first scroll had been followed to the letter, the next scroll could be opened; when the instructions on that scroll had been carried out in full, the contents of the final scroll could be revealed.
The next morning, the young man awoke long before dawn, unable to sleep with anticipation of what was about to be revealed. The moment the sun appeared over the peak of the tallest mountain, he broke open the seal of the first scroll.
Here is what he read:
"You must climb to the top of the tallest mountain. Take with you three things - enough food to sate your hunger, a knife sharp enough to kill the fiercest lion, and a pillow filled with feathers soft enough to ease the most troubled sleep."
The young man was indeed sincere in his desire, and he did exactly as the scroll said. After many days and nights, he finally reached the top of the tallest mountain, where he was buffetted by mighty winds. He carefully broke open the seal on the second scroll, holding it tightly lest the wind blow it out of his grasp.
Here is what he read:
"Use the knife to cut open the pillow, and allow the great wind to scatter the feathers to the four corners of the earth!"
Again, the young man quickly did as he was asked, pausing only to admire the way the wind took hold of the seemingly thousands of feathers, lifting each one and carrying it far into the distance in every direction. He then opened the seal on the third scroll.
Here is what he read:
"Now gather up each feather that the wind has taken from the pillow and bring it back safely to me. When you have succeeded in your quest, I will share with you my secret."
The young man was nearly overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge, but he was indeed sincere in his desire to learn the secret of accessing the power of his word. For a full year, he journeyed to the four corners of the earth in search of every feather from the pillow. When the year was over, he returned to his village defeated.
Because he was indeed a man of honor, he returned to the wise old woman's home to admit his failure. To his surprise, she was no longer there. When he asked after her, he was told that the wise old woman had died. Heartbroken both that he had failed in his quest and that her secret was now buried with her in her grave, the man went to the cemetery to pay his respects. Instead of flowers, he left a vase filled with the few feathers he had managed to gather up in his travels around the world.
No sooner had he placed the vase atop her stone than an old gravedigger appeared and handed him a familiar looking scroll. "Begging your pardon, sir," the gravedigger said in a raspy voice, "but I was told to give this to the first one who visited the grave with feathers as a gift."
The young man hurriedly broke the seal on the fourth and final scroll.
Here is what he read:
"Like the feathers in your pillow spread by the wind, every word you utter goes out into the world, never to be returned. If you speak words of anger, despair, envy, and desolation, they will cut through others like the sharpest knife and you may never be able to fully undo their effect. If you speak words of love, kindness, appreciation, and hope, you will never need to try. Your words will carry throughout the world like feathers in the wind, bringing rest to the weary, comfort to the sick, and hope to the downtrodden. When you truly recognize that each word you speak has the power to cut like a knife or comfort like a pillow, your word will be your wand and that which you have been seeking will be yours."
Today's Experiment:
You can do these sequentially, all at once, or in any order which appeals to you. Please share your successes, failures, variations, insights and discoveries with me at michael@successmadefun.com.
1. For the next 24 hours, do not complain to anyone. About anything. If you catch yourself complaining before the 24 hours are up, simply begin again.
(I first came across this exercise in Hal Urban's wonderful book "Life's Greatest Lessons" - it took me over a year to actually try it and then eight successive attempts over about four days in order to pull it off. It was definitely worth it, and I highly recommend it!)
2. For the next week, do not gossip or entertain gossip about anyone. From anyone. If someone persists in attempting to gossip with you, you may ask them to stop, explain this experiment, or simply walk away. If you catch yourself gossiping before the week is up, simply begin again.
3. For the next month, do not criticize any member of your family or inner circle of friends. You may of course make requests of them if there is something which you would like them to do differently. Be honest with yourself as to whether or not your request was a genuine request or a secret criticism. If you catch yourself criticizing a close friend or family member before the end of the month, simply begin again.
Bonus
Experiment:
For the next hour, do not criticize yourself! If you catch
yourself criticizing yourself before the hour is complete, simply
begin again.
4. Decide what you want to use your word to create in the world, and commit to it. If you notice yourself using your word in violation of your commitment, simply re-commit and begin again.
examples:
I commit to using my word to promote well-being in the world.
I commit to using my word to encourage and appreciate myself and others.
I commit to using my word to take complete responsibility for myself and my life.
I commit to using my word to create what I want with ease and joy.
Have fun, learn heaps, and may the power of your word help heal the wounded and ensure your success in nearly any endeavour!
