2 Questions, and answer the second one first
I was re-reading Chris G’s great little book “World Domination” (download for free here), and in that book, he asks two questions:
“What do you really want out of life?”
and
“What can you give to the world that no one else can?”
The remarkable thing about the above two questions is that the first one does not prepare you at all to answer the second one. And as you’d expect, let me explain:
I had the first question answered down to the last cross on the “t” and the last dot on the “i”. I knew exactly what I wanted out of my life. This was in early 2000 and I was in college.
Life, in point-form
At that time, what I wanted out of life itself was to:
- have a number of businesses (be an entrepreneur rather than a businessman)
- have a very practical, great-looking, comfortable car
- be able to travel to anywhere in the world if I wanted to
- have my own timings, be my own boss
- be a published writer
Ok, so, I don’t know about you, but for me, at that time, these were worthy objectives. Most of them still are. When everyone around me were talking about working for this bank or that telecom company or even Microsoft, I didn’t even apply anywhere. I wanted freedom, money and I wanted to be different.
When in doubt, design!
I didn’t have the money to start any capital-intensive business, so I started a non-capital-intensive one; I started designing websites. I was already doing that while at college. I was self-employed before I became employable.
And it was because I was self-employed (read: had lotsa time on my hand), I was able to partner up with people with money. Things moved – now that I have the advantage of hindsight – really, really fast.
All I want is everything
3 years out of college, I not only achieved the above 5 ‘objectives’ but was already bored out of them. I had three profitable enterprises, owned an Accord CF3 and had a whole floor as my ‘personal office’ in the poshest of areas in Lahore (Y Block, DHA for the initiated). I was not rich, I didn’t have extra cash in the sense we imagine ‘rich’ people to have, but I was exactly where I wanted to be. By God’s Ultimate Grace.
So many years after that exceptionally wonderful experience, I only wish I knew the answer to the second question.
I only wish to find the answer to the second question now.
The first question has lost its appeal in totality. Now ‘what I want out of life’ can only be inspirational enough if it helps to achieve the objectives of the second question, “what can I give to the world that no one else can?”
I would in fact invite the Chris himself to perhaps suggest some ideas on the answer to the second question. How do I figure out what I can give to the world that no one else can? What is that Chris can give to the world that no one else can?
What can you give to the world that no one else can?
We all contribute in making the world what it is, so by the simplest of all logic, we can change it too. And we can do it at will.
Have you even pondered over this question? What are your ideas?
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Image from Josh Russell
