When you’re in possibility, options are limitless.
When you’re outside of possibility, everything looks hopeless.
It would be unreasonable to expect that you will always be in possibility. And it’s importance to notice when you’re not. Because it’s easy to give up in those moments. But giving up will not serve you when being in possibility would present you with new, worthwhile options. Jumping to conclusions is dangerous.
When you are in possibility, take full advantage. Notice. And generate as many possibilities as you can. You could use them on a rainy day.
But whether you see it now or not, remember that you are in a world of possibility. And you just need to be in a state to be able to see it for it to be true. It’s always true, it’s just that you’re not always in a state to be able to see it.
I remember walking a fellow entrepreneur through the paces of creating her own possibility list and it was anything but comfortable, especially as she was facing financial ruin and was in desperate need of cash.
At the time, we called it an “options list” and later revised it because she found the name a little too constraining. And, understandably, she had some negative feelings attached to it.
It was then created newly as possibility list, and it has stayed that way ever since. Whether I’m creating one for myself or others, we refer to it as a “possibility list.”
Anyway, despite the initial discomfort, I committed to helping her create her list and action the steps.
Your possibility list details every action you could possibly take to restore your financial integrity, and because it’s indiscriminate, it includes things you wouldn’t necessarily do under normal circumstances. But in a worst-case scenario, you might.
And from there, the list started to grow. We were off to the races.
(That’s a key point as well – you want to keep adding ideas to your list as they come to you.)
There were items she especially didn’t want to action, including selling her car (which, from my perspective, was an opportunity to instantly add $6,500 to $7,000 to her cash balance).
But that’s okay, because, except in extenuating circumstances, you will never have to action “bottom of the list” items. It’s been my experience that by the time you’ve considered and actioned a few, you will have made some serious headway in your financial life.
Only once have I had to resort to “drastic” measures, and although selling my house wasn’t all candy bars and gumdrops, in the grand scheme of things, it’s exactly what I needed to do to usher in the next phase of my life.
It can’t hurt to start developing your rainy-day possibility list now. You may never need to put it to use, but just the act of adding to it can put your mind at ease. And, in less-than-ideal circumstances, it will be there waiting for you, ready to be utilized.
As for my friend, she managed to survive with my help and a little extra support from her family. Eventually, she was able to relocate her business to a new city, and although her path hasn’t been without challenge, she continues to find inventive and creative ways of drawing revenue from her business.
Quick reminder – you can now get The Music Entrepreneur Code – 2022 Edition (just in time for the holidays). Don’t get left behind – be the first to get my latest work into your hands!
Because listening suggests we’re hearing what’s being said. Most of the time we’re not hearing what’s being said at all.
And you’re already off in the weeds because you’re thinking, “the reason we’re not listening is because we’re thinking about what to say next.”
I didn’t even have to say it, and already you’re leaning on something familiar. Your mind is making familiar connections it has probably made thousands of times.
At no point in this post was I going to suggest we don’t listen because we’re thinking about what we we’re going to say next.
What I wish to share is this:
It is possible to come from a new space of listening. And from that space, you won’t automatically jump to what’s familiar.
Transcription:
When it comes to listening, most people will say, “I’ve been listening my whole life. Therefore, I am a master at listening.”
But if you’re coming from a place of judgement saying “I like this, I don’t like this. I agree with this, I don’t agree with this. I think it’s good, I think it’s bad.” Basically, you’re not hearing anything.
And that’s the greatest challenge of listening. Most people are off somewhere else in their minds.
Let me demonstrate this. I could bring up any subject and instantly your mind goes somewhere. Here’s a good example – influence.
I say influence, and instantly your mind goes to, “influence ripples out like a pebble being dropped in a still pond.”
The challenge is you’re still thinking of the pebble. You’re not even hearing what I’m saying anymore, because you’re associating influence with something familiar, something you already know. And that’s firing up all manner of neuropathways in your mind. I’ve lost you.
First and foremost, the best thing to practice is to listen from nothing. If we can listen from nothing, we can hear what’s truly being said.
The magic of listening, though, comes from consciously choosing where to listen from.
You can listen from, “what is this person’s need or desire – how can I help them?”
You can listen from, “what’s the opportunity here – there’s got to be a win-win.”
You can listen from, “I want to make this moment even better than it is.”
You can listen from anywhere.
But first, you’ve got to be able to listen from nothing. Once you’ve mastered that, you can begin listening from a place you consciously choose and tap into the unlimited possibilities and opportunities that exist. That’s the magic of listening.
Shh… Don’t tell anyone. Only the cool kids are talking about it.
