Real-life makeover thought experiment: Money versus time
The thing that continues to really thrill and baffle me as we all figure out how to live a meaningful life is this: the way we feel about our lives is hugely affected by how we think about our lives. Meaning, you can make big, sweeping Real-Life Makeover changes not by dropping everything for a trip around the world, but by making different decisions and shifting your perspective on things a little (or even a lot).
So I was reading this article the other day that got me excited, one of those, "Think about this," articles that gets your motor running, kind of like Choose Your Own Adventure for grown-ups, only the adventure is your whole life. And since you guys loved thinking about your passions, I thought you'd love it as much as I did. Here's the deal:
Today you will receive two phone calls. The first is from some distant relative you've never heard of who lets you know that a $20 million inheritance is coming your way. But the money comes with a slight hitch: you have to use $10 million of it to improve someone's life (or many people's lives) other than your own. Score to the max, right? Well, the second call is from your doctor, informing you that you have a rare, terminal, incurable disease and have only ten years to live (and not the kind of ten years that thankfully stretches into fifteen or twenty).
Is your mind reeling from the possibilities yet? You have $10 million for your life, $10 million to make the world a better place, and only 10 years to do it all. What do you do? Go!
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