From my interviews with financially successful women, I learned there are two games to play:
- The Underearning Game
- The High Earning Game
The Underearning Game is called Not To Lose. The goal is to stay safe, look good, and be comfortable. The way to play is by avoiding uneasiness or fear.
The High Earning game is called To Win. The goal is to go as far as you can with all that you’ve got, and when you fall down, you get back up and keep going. The only way to play the high earning game is to play full out.
Problem is, sometimes it’s hard to tell which game you’re actually playing. There are times when I swear I’m giving my all, when later it hits me—I was fooling myself. I really wasn’t playing a true full out.
So I devised the following list to help you assess which game you’re really playing.
Ten Signs I’m Playing Full Out
- I know what I want and am committed to getting it. (And if I don’t know, I devote time and energy to figuring it out).
- I am so focused on my vision that I don’t get distracted or scattered by irrelevant, draining, or conflicting tasks.
- I am willing to experience whatever it takes—defeat, embarrassment, even humiliation—to achieve what I want.
- I am always doing things I’ve never done before and/or don’t want to do.
- I make at least one unreasonable (i.e. scary) request a week.
- I don’t say ‘yes’ when I really want to say ‘no,’ even if it means rocking the boat or upsetting another.
- I regularly seek out support, and refuse to spend time with or discuss my dream with naysayers (even if they’re related)
- Every time I’m afraid to do something, I force myself to do it anyway. (And I catch myself when I try to justify not doing it.)
- I am rigorous about the thoughts that I think and the words that I use, making sure they’re positive, supportive, and appreciative (of myself and others).
- I take time to relax and pamper myself so I don’t burn out.
What do you think of this list? Is there anything you’d add?
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