Millionaire VS Billionaire.

​People often throw these two words around as if they're close. If you're a millionaire you're on your way to becoming a billionaire, right? Not quite...

We usually think of these terms around money however I was introduced to another way of thinking.

This idea was introduced to me through another great podcast on The Tim Ferriss Show with Graham Duncan.

1 million seconds = 11.6 days

1 billion seconds = 31.7 YEARS!!!

Right now I'm a Time Billionaire.

I love being rich :)

Last night I was a part of a mind-expanding conversation after a group meditation. The conversation started with "do you believe in reincarnation?"

What's interesting is that the whole conversation was our brains doing their best to explain something that the brain will likely never understand using the limited words of the english vocabulary.

Here's what I believe...

We are all connected.

Just like the individual parts of our bodies, we are all individual parts of something larger.

Coincidences are not coincidences. They are our brains needing to explain what happened.

There is a force greater than us that we will likely never be able to explain. Something that keeps our hearts beating without having to think about it.

Everything is energy.

We are all limitless. Maybe not our human bodies, but our spirit.

Next time you interact with somebody, remember, they're just an extension of you.

A good portion of my week last week, the majority of the weekend and yesterday morning were spent putting together a tender package for a large project. Two hours before the dead line, I received an email saying that the deadline was extended by two days. At this point my team and I had finished the majority of it and we were just proofing and printing the pages.

What do we do? Do we take the additional time to make it even better? Do we proof again? Tweak this? Teak that? We are human so there's a good chance there are mistakes we did not catch yet.

Or do we just deliver it and be done with it?

We opted for the second option and delivered the package.

This is an example of Parkinson's Law (work expanding to the time allotted for it). We could have taken more time but would it have helped us in any way? Potentially. But potentially not.

We figured that delivering as per the original deadline was more important. What's the point in delaying if it's done. It was time to shelve my perfectionism for this one.

Now my mind is free to focus on the next priority.

Yesterday morning as I was working away at my desk, I received a very nice message from a new friend:

It obviously made me feel really good. For him to take the time to write this was a really nice gesture. I'm sure it made him feel great as well so it's win/win.

What's interesting is that I have nice thoughts like this go through my head all the time. The difference is that I don't act on them. Why don't I take 30 seconds to send a nice message like this to somebody I care about when it pops into my head? I really don't have a good reason not to.

​Might as well start today!

What's the point of attacking or blaming other people?

Does it make you feel better?

Does it make you feel superior?

What are you hoping will come of the situation?

​Are you hoping the other person will feel just as shitty and miserable as you?

If they do, does that mean you succeeded?

Perhaps there's another way to approach the situation.

This past week has been a rollercoaster to say the least. There has been exciting highs and not-so-fun lows. Nothing ground breaking. Just life happening as it should.

What I have come to realize is that life is a roller coaster.

There's always going to be ups and there's always going to be downs. It will be fun, exciting, scary, and sad (yes I have been on some sad roller coasters). You'll laugh, cry, smile and you may even get sick.

The trick is to learn how to enjoy it. You know the ups and downs are coming so there's no point in fighting them. Accept them. Put your hands up and scream if you want to!

What's the alternative anyways? Close your eyes and miss all the fun?

The ride will be over before you know it so you might as well make the most of it.

P.S. Here is one of my favourite business books:

Your thoughts are not your thoughts.

Wait... What?

The thoughts that are going through your head right now are universal thoughts. They're not yours and they are not new.

That's why it's 'The Mind' and not 'Your Mind'.

I can promise you that whatever you're thinking right now, somebody else has had the same thought.

Maybe we ARE all one...

"Daddy, why do police officers carry guns? I know bad guys aren't real."

This question has me thinking...

Are the guns to protect us or them?

Do they really protect or just give a sense of protection?

Are bad guys real or are they just people who have made less than desirable decisions?

Do "bad guys" choose to be "bad guys" or are they a product of their environment?

What makes somebody a "bad guy"? Who's the judge?

What if we removed that label from our vocabulary? How would that change our perception?

​What if we all approached the world as 5 year olds? Innocent and full of love and curiosity.

Foundations are an integral part to any sort of structure. Without a solid foundation the whole structure could collapse. Or, perhaps worse, it could slowly get worse as the years go on and the occupants don't realize something is wrong until it's too late to repair.

Yesterday I took a look at a building for a friend. We were having a conversation about what could be done with his building. Repair it? Tear it down? What can we built on the lot? What would it be worth? What could he make for rental income? And so forth.

The picture below shows how much the foundation has sank over the years. The thing to look for is how out of level the brick is above the windows and door. It looks as though there was a modification done at some point over the last 105 years and the back portion of the home has slowly been sinking. My friend knew something was wrong but did not know what. Part of the problem was that he did not know what to look for and the other part is that he had been living in the house for so long it had become normal to him.

The good news is that he knew who to contact :)

This is typical for our lives. Often we're trying to build something but we have not taken the time required to build a solid foundation on a solid base.

We build relationships with loved ones without first building a relationship with ourselves.

We take care of others without first taking care of ourselves.

We build a business without understanding whether or not the business is making money.

We workout at the gym without understanding proper technique.

We want instant gratification and are often willing to sacrifice the long term success for the short term gain.

I've done all of the above...

Whatever it is you're building, ask yourself:

• Are you building on a solid foundation?
• How do you know?
• Who can you contact to make sure?

Do you remember learning how to walk? Probably not. I sure don't. I do remember watching my son learn how to walk though.

He was very persistent.

First he learned how to stand but even that came with commitment and persistence. Then he was moving while holding onto things. Soon after he shifted to short bursts without holding anything and before we knew it he was running.

Did this come easy? No.

Did this come with many falls and bruises? Yes.

Is there still falls and bruises? Yes... And they're harder falls with bigger bruises (and sometimes even cuts).

Just because we know how to walk does not mean we won't still fall every now and then. We may trip or slip when we least expect it. In fact, that is exactly when we trip and slip. When we're not ready for it. If we knew it was coming we would prevented it from happening.

In life and in business, persistence in a must. When you fall, you just get back up. Simple but not always easy.

A little tip... Just like when you were a kid, don't be afraid to ask for help or surround yourself with people who will happily help you up. I'm sure you'll be able to return the favour soon enough :)