What would I do if I won fifty million pounds? That was the subject of this week's experiment. Not only did we have to consider this question but we had to write down our answers.
I love making lists. For me, they help me free up space in my mind. Once my thoughts are on paper I don't have to worry about remembering them, my mind feels clearer and I can focus better on other things.
After I'd finished I thought about sharing my list on here, but decided it was personal to me and that I preferred to keep that part of the experiment to myself. It's probably more useful to people if I share what I'd learned through doing this exercise instead:
1. Making the list was harder than I thought: I thought it would be easy to write a list of things I'd do with all that money. I don't know about you, but I'm always thinking about the things I don't have, wishing I had what others had, instead of concentrating on what I have. Because of this I thought I'd be there for at least an hour, filling up several sheets of paper with my thoughts. But it didn't quite go like that. I struggled to think of things and when I did get going, the list wasn't as long as I'd expected. I learned that, in reality, I was probably a lot more content with what I had than I led myself to believe and I needed to focus more on those things.
2. It has helped me realise what is important to me: Identifying those things I'd do if money wasn't an issue helped me understand what I really value. Obviously there were some things on the list that were simply nice to have, but on the whole I could spot themes in what I'd written that helped me learn what was truly important to me.
3. There were things on the list that I could start doing now: I didn't need to wait until I had fifty million pounds before I could do some of the things I wanted to do. Things like spending more time with loved ones, for example, could be achieved now if I made the effort. It's all about making the time for these things and not letting other, less important stuff get in the way.
Now that I have written these things down I can keep this list to refer back to when I find myself getting caught up and distracted by things that aren't helpful to me, and when I feel myself getting stressed. It will remind me of what's important to me and to focus more time on those things, helping me to get a better balance. This way I also hope that I can live a life that is more authentic and connected
3 Comments
Many lottery winners end up very unhappy, maybe that is because they forget what it important like spending time with those we love..........
I am going to write my list Preeti and see what I would do with £50 million
I love the way this experiment has highlighted things we can introduce now that have nothing to do with money...
Great insight Preeti, thank you, big love Chris xx