The Banana Approach to Life

CBN.com – Joanne and I just returned from being in New York City. The crowded streets, horns honking, sirens blaring, people screaming at each other, and the concrete and asphalt made us thankful for the life we live here in Franklin, Tennessee. I'm glad we all have choices and I'm glad not everyone wants to live right here where we do, but I do wonder about the challenges of finding courtesy, creativity, and peace in the midst of constant chaos. I'm just thankful that we all do have the choices we have available.

Be reminded that you have chosen the life you have today and can choose the life you'll have tomorrow. In my toughest times, I have looked back at the choices that got me where I was and then planned the steps to get me to a better place.

Be encouraged that you are in the driver's seat for creating the life you want. You can map out your own plan for a life of purpose and fulfillment. What a privilege!

Why the Cold Water?

Here's a story from ThinkerToys by Michael Michalko. Imagine a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage there is a banana on a string. Before long a monkey walks over and reaches for the banana. As soon as he touches the banana, all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to grab the banana with the same result. All the monkeys are instantly sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to reach for the banana, the other monkeys will try to stop him.

Now forget the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and obviously goes over and starts to grab it. But to his surprise, all of the other monkeys attack him to prevent him from touching the banana.

Next, remove another of the original monkeys and replace it with a new one. Now all of the monkeys currently in the cage stop the new one from getting to the banana. Replace the third, fourth and fifth monkeys with new ones. Each one becomes a willing opponent to allowing anyone to touch that banana.

Now, none of the monkeys in the cage at this point were every sprayed with cold water. But they continue to prevent each other from grabbing that banana, the one food that they should all naturally love. None of these monkeys ever approaches the banana again. They have no idea why it's off limits. But that's just the way things have always been done around here.

Sound familiar? If you walked in to your work, church, marriage, or neighborhood as an unbiased outsider, what would you question about the "normal" activities there? Are you accepting old traditions that defy the intelligence or spiritual insight you have today?

• Do you still kiss your spouse when you arrive home or have you gradually become accustomed to expecting less?
• Are you looking for meager salary guarantees and benefit packages and depriving yourself of the rich opportunities for free-lance work?
  
• Does your company require you to be at the office each day because you could not do the same work from home, or just because it's always been done that way?
• Are you trying to get people to buy Edsels just because you're an Edsel salesman, even though your customers want a Mini Cooper?
• Does your church sit in pews, sing 3 songs and have a 30 minute sermon because that's the best way to complete God's work here, or just because that's become a cultural tradition?

Take the next 7 days to challenge all your daily assumptions. You may be surprised how you can uncover some readily available fresh, tasty bananas right within your reach.

Principles from 48 Days to the Work You Love

Why Did You Do This?

My friend Cindy Cashman is releasing the 20th anniversary issue of Everything Men Know About Women (written under the pseudonym Dr. Alan Francis). Now this is a great story -- 20 years ago she released this "book" to rave reviews. I must warn you that it is 128 blank pages; thus the title. She sold over a million copies herself. People bought them by the caseload to give away to friends.

Check it out for yourself. Buy some copies and check out her other new books.

Now here's the point. How many of you are saying, "I could have thought of that!" Well, why didn't you? And if you thought of it, why didn't you act on that idea?

Maybe you're trying too hard to develop a new idea. Maybe you just need a contrarian twist on an old idea. In 1956 a couple of brothers named Jacuzzi were selling water pumps for farm use. Their cousin had arthritis, so they designed a special whirlpool bath for her use. They did nothing more with this idea until 1968 when Roy Jacuzzi took that arthritic pool and repositioned it as a luxury item rather than as a treatment for a negative medical condition. Bathrooms have never been the same, and the brothers' fame and fortune exploded.

Do you have a unique writing idea you could turn into dollars? It might be a good time to pick up Write to the Bank.

Quotes: Meaningful Living

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
—Woodrow Wilson

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and sings it back to you when you have forgotten how it goes."

"Treat every person with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you. Remember that you show compassion to others not because of who they are but because of who you are."
—Andrew T. Somers

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
—Helen Keller

"A person is not old until regrets take the place of dreams."
—John Barrymore

"At the end of life, it's the laughter, the tears, the shared joys, and the shared heartaches we remember. The wealth, the work, the trials, and problems are as nothing. It's the quality of our days and the people we share them with that makes the difference."
—Margaret James

Helpful Tips

Getting Old
Every now and then I run across a Web site that is just a lot of fun. My daughter Ashley alerted me to this one recently. I've put in my picture and a short message of what it would feel like to be in work that I did not love: Old Dan. You can create your own special message—and see how you will look a few years from now.

Do You Need a Coach?
We have a growing list of 48 Days Coaches. In our current ranks are people with proven expertise in sports and fitness vitality, financial prosperity, spiritual vitality, business planning, and even specialty areas like dealing with diabetes or ADHD kids. One of the ways I have increased my knowledge and success over the years is by working with people who were experts in certain areas. If you would like to grow and thrive in a particular area of your life, and could benefit from someone else's insight, check out our coaching options and complete our simple information form. I'll review it personally and select a couple of our best coaches for you to talk to. Don't wait for success to sneak up on you; go out and find it. 48 Days Coaching

Even in Death the Meanness Continues
Hotel billionaire Leona Helmsley died recently and left her Maltese dog, Trouble, a $12 million trust fund. Two grandchildren were left $5 million each, with the requirement that they visit their father's grave site once each calendar year. Two other grandchildren were left nothing for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote in her will. Mrs. Helmsley became known as a symbol of greed and earned the nickname "the Queen of Mean" after her indictment and conviction for tax evasion. One of her employees had quoted her as snarling, "Only the little people pay taxes." The Queen of Mean. What are you doing to make sure you don't leave a legacy like this?

Chuck Bowen Personal Financial Coaching
Chuck is a longtime friend and one of the most successful coaches I know. He is on our 48 Days Coaching Connection advisory board, and is one of Dave Ramsey's coaches to all the other financial coaches! Chuck has a thriving radio show in his hometown of San Antonio, TX. Chuck is offering his financial coaching services to all 48 Days subscribers. You may call Chuck at his offices at 866-99-CHUCK (866-992-4825). Also, even if you don't need a personal coaching session, visit his site now at www.chuckbowen.net and sign up for his newsletter.

Dan Miller is the bestselling author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and a renowned Life Coach specializing in career fulfillment. His weekly newsletter reaches 70,000 subscribers. Dan’s articles are featured here at CBN every Tuesday, and you can find out more about Dan at www.48days.com.