Who Will Cry When You Die\?: Life Lessons From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari pdfdrive com

76.
Become the CEO of Your Life
“If it’s going to be, it’s up to me” is a wonderful mantra. I recently read in a
newspaper that fully 10 percent of the population is betting they will win the
lottery to finance their retirement. Too many people are leaving the quality of
their futures to chance rather than to choice. It reminds me of the habit my
brother had as a kid. When he saw that a glass was about to fall off a counter,
rather than rushing to save it from falling, he would cover his ears with his hands
so he could not hear it smash. (He has since grown up and become a Harvard-
trained eye doctor, so his unique habit does not appear to have held him back all
that much.)
This anecdote’s point of wisdom is simply this: we need to keep our ears
and eyes open to the realities of life. If we don’t act on life and take action to
make things happen, it will act on us and give us results we might not want. This
is one of the natural laws that has governed humanity for thousands of years. To
become more proactive during the weeks ahead, begin to see yourself as the
chief executive officer of your destiny, the CEO of your life. All effective CEOs
realize that “if it’s going to be, it’s up to me” and act as the catalysts of their own
dreams. Similarly, if you want something done, rather than waiting for luck to
look your way, take steps to get it done. If there is someone you know could help
you solve a problem or seize an opportunity, pick up the phone and call him or
her. Remember, you can make excuses or you can make progress, but you
cannot do both.
When I was practicing law, I would make a forty-five-minute journey on a
commuter train to my office in a downtown tower. Every day, a man would sit in
front of me who I came to see as a model of the Become the CEO of Your Life
principle. Instead of sleeping or daydreaming like most of the other people on
the train, this man decided to use his forty-five minutes to exercise. From the
moment he sat down until the moment we arrived at the station, he would do arm
stretches, neck rolls and a series of rigorous exercises to improve his health.
Rather than joining the legion of people who complain they don’t have enough
time to work out, he took matters into his own hands and took charge of the
opportunity. Sure he looked a little silly. But who cares what others think when
you know that what you are doing is the right thing to do.

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Seeing yourself as the CEO of your life can create a fundamental shift in
the way you perceive your world. Instead of sailing through life as a passenger,
you become the captain of the ship, leading things in the direction you choose to
move in rather than reacting to the whim of the changing tides. And as you take
greater control of your life, reflect on William James’s inspiring words:
“Humankind’s common instinct for reality has always held the world to be
essentially a theater for heroism.”

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