Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman didn’t always want to be an actor. As a young black man growing up in the American South in the 1950’s, you can imagine that he wasn’t starting out with the best of advantages. But that didn’t deter him, because what he wanted more than anything, was to become a fighter pilot. 

He joined the US Air Force at age 16, as an engineer, and studied and worked hard until finally, at age 21, he was given the opportunity he’d dreamed of for so long – to train as a pilot. Given the prejudice and barriers in place at that time, this was an incredible achievement. But as he sat in the cockpit of the plane for the first time, a transformation came over him. A fundamental change took place. This wasn’t what he wanted at all.

Freeman realised that he was sitting in a machine designed specifically to kill and destroy. That would be his job – his role in life. And that wasn’t the idea he’s fallen in love with. What Freeman had fallen in love with was some Hollywoodesque notion of what a fighter pilot was and represented – how they were seen, perceived and treated. He wanted to play the role of a fighter pilot, but without having to do what a fighter pilot does. He walked out on the US Air Force that day and never went back.

Here’s another story. I suspect this one isn’t true, but it further illustrates the point I’m hoping to make.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked. “Not so long,” said the Mexican. “Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.

“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American. “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.” 

The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican. “With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican. “Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American. “And after that?” mused the fisherman.

“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican. “After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

We all have goals and aspirations. We often spend years dreaming about them and working towards them, but without giving a great deal of thought to the key questions…

Why do I WANT this? Do I REALLY want this?

These are uncomfortable questions because they get right to the heart of who we are, what really motivates us, and what we really want out of life.

Morgan Freeman discovered that he didn’t actually want to be a fighter pilot, he’d just bought into a myth about what a pilot was and wanted the status, prestige and standing that a pilot enjoyed. The Mexican fisherman realised what the American tourist couldn’t yet see… that he already had what great wealth would bring – the time and freedom to live exactly as he pleased. He didn’t need to invest the 20 years of blood, sweat and tears to become wealthy to get the benefits he wanted. So what about you?

What are you dreaming about or working towards? If it’s a particular business or career, do you really want to go into that business or career? Or when you think deeply about it, are you doing it to garner some social or financial benefits that you feel will come with it. And if that’s the case, is there some (perhaps easier or more palatable) way you can enjoy these same benefits without spending a huge portion of your irreplaceable life working towards something you don’t really want?

Morgan Freeman discovered his outlet through acting. The Mexican fisherman was smart enough to realise that he already had what he wanted. Very few people do this – unless they happen to be fictional characters, created to make an important point! So again, what about you? 

What do you really want? Is it to be at the top of the ladder you’re currently climbing? And even if it is, might there be another ladder somewhere else that gets you exactly where you want to be without the steep climb or the feeling of vertigo when you get to the top. These are questions that only you can answer, but I hope I’ve at least given you a reason to ask them.

Kind Regards

John Harrison  

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Kind Regards

 John Harrison – Streetwise Publications

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If you’ve ever visited Edinburgh, I’d be prepared to bet you’ve also visited its castle. Most visitors do. It’s one of the most photographed buildings in the UK and famous around the world. It’s on the tick list of every self-respecting North American, Australian or Japanese tourist. So would it surprise you to learn that 20% of people living in Edinburgh have never visited it?

If I look out of the window right in front of me as I write, I can see The Magna Science and Adventure Centre. Whilst it’s not quite on a par with Edinburgh Castle, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the North of England. And yet less than half the people in my office have ever visited it. They could walk there, and yet more have visited Alton Towers than the attraction on their doorstep. So what’s going on here?

Between 1900 and 1925 a gentleman by the name of Russell Conwell delivered the same iconic speech around 5,000 times. And the fact that 20% of Edinburgh’s residents haven’t visited the castle, 50% of my staff haven’t visited Magna (and someone sitting six feet from me right now has been to most corners of Europe, America and the Far East, but has never visited the Yorkshire Dales) suggests the message Conwell delivered, in that oft-repeated speech, is as relevant today as when it was first delivered. What’s more, it’s a message that could be the key that unlocks a number of financial, psychological and social treasure chests for you.

Conwell’s speech centred on the apparently true story of a North African farmer who became frustrated at being poor. He heard tales of how other farmers had made millions by going out and discovering diamond mines, and got very excited by them. In fact he became so excited that he couldn’t wait to sell his farm and go out prospecting himself. With his farm hastily sold, he set off to roam the African continent, searching for those elusive diamonds. He had no success, and several years later, tired, beaten and disillusioned, he threw himself in a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, things were going a little better for the man who bought the farm. One day, he was walking across his newly acquired land when he spotted an attractive blue and red rock on the bed of a small stream. He didn’t know what it was, but liked the look of it and so picked it up, took it home and placed it on his mantelpiece as an ornament. A few weeks later, a visitor to the farm picked up the rock and almost fainted. He asked the owner if he knew what it was… he didn’t. The visitor told him that it was a huge rough diamond – as it turned out the largest ever discovered – a fact that was of intense interest to the owner as there were hundreds of similar stones in the stream. The farm, which the original owner abandoned in search of diamonds, turned out to be the source of one of the largest diamond mines in the whole of Africa.

I’m sure you can see what pulls all this together. The human psyche default position seems to tend towards attempting to fulfil wants, needs and aspirations externally. The unwritten, underlying subtext is clear –the answers to our needs and problems are to be found far away. They can’t possibly be close or we would already be benefiting from them. I can’t pretend to understand the psychology of this, something to do with taking for granted what we already have and over-valuing what others have perhaps, but whatever it is, it creates it’s own reality.

So what’s to be done about it? Well let’s stick with the farm analogy for a moment. Your farm might be a business, a job, a relationship, a house or something else that’s important to you. Heck, it might even be a farm!

Have you really had a good look around your farm recently? Do you know everything that’s there? Might there be undiscovered diamonds lying hidden in areas you haven’t recently explored? Might the diamonds be in the rough and difficult, at first, to spot? Do you know anyone who might be able to help identify and then polish these rough diamonds? Do other farms only look good from a distance? Might the diamonds in other farms be just as difficult to harvest once you get there?

The truth is that when you see other folk showing off their diamonds, they don’t necessarily have a better farm than you. But what they’ve learned to do is:

1. Search their farm properly

2. Recognise what rough diamonds look like

3. Polish these rough diamonds effectively.

You see, it’s only when you’ve done all this that it makes sense to move off the farm. Every one of us is sitting on our own personal ‘field of diamonds’. No two are exactly the same. Your knowledge, skills, experience, contacts, strengths, weaknesses, interests and preferences all determine your field’s boundaries. And the great thing is that to mine this field, you don’t have to go anywhere. Because the excavation tool you need is located right between your ears.

Kind Regards

John Harrison  

PUBLISHERS NOTICE  

“Is This The Fastest Way To a Luxury Retirement?”

Dear Streewise Customer,

Did you know that by doubling your money, you’re only 16 steps from turning £100 into more than £1,600,000 – (THAT’S ONE MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS!)…

This powerful wealth strategy is THE fastest way to a luxury retirement. What’s more, it’s now available in one full package for the very first time.

Let me introduce you to one of my most trusted insider sources. To meet him visit:

www.streetwisenews.com/onemillion

It took me a while to arrange this invitation, so I hope you’re going to take advantage of it. Don’t waste this chance, you’ve just been referred to someone who can change your life.

Kind Regards

 John Harrison – Streetwise Publications

PS This comes with a full cast iron money back guarantee. Take a look today with no risk what so ever.