We were unfortunately lied to repeatedly by Parker Brothers and the original inventor of the game, Monopoly. If you were a child in the early 70s, you all played Monopoly repeatedly with family and friends. I always won, btw. I was always called a cheater by people I played against. To this day my wife refuses to acknowledge that I beat her at this game while dating and my sister says that when I played the game, “you became a different person.” I have many fun holes that I could poke at this game, the first being the single tax theory that is underlying the entire premise. I also have NEVER got $200 for passing GO. The one that I want to focus on now, is the famous – “Get Out of Jail Free Card.”
I have never been incarcerated, well, except for that one time in high school when I got pulled over by a helicopter, but I will leave that story for another day! Anyway, those that go to jail absolutely do not find an opportunity to draw a chance card and get out of jail free. They also do not get lucky by rolling doubles either. Going to jail is definitely not a place to hang out toward the end of the game when you really want to avoid paying rent. I think for many of us we still carry this “Get Out of Jail Free Card” in our back pocket and like to use it at opportune times.
Listening to a Goggins podcast, my favorite thing to do when I need a good kick in rear end, I heard him refer to this concept. From his perspective, he is still that lazy, out of shape person that was drinking a milk shake on a coach after his shift spraying for cockroaches. He still views himself that way sometimes, so he has a different reaction when someone finds out about some great feat he has accomplished. You ran that Badwater 135 mile race and came in 3rd? – Wow. You are a nut, that is not for me. There is no way I can do that. You did how many pull ups? That is not for me, I am not that dedicated. Did you catch that? That is the get out of jail free card.
I understand this. It happened this morning. A woman at my kids’ school said, have you been losing weight? I told her. She asked how. I gave her quick elevator pitch on what I committed to. She said this – “I just do not have that kind of will power, I could never do anything like that.” Yup – she just played her get out of jail free card. A year ago, I was in a lot worse shape then she was. I was older, weighed more, and probably had some issues that she did not have being as young as she is. My knees hurt, I was short of breath, my doctor was telling me I had better start watching my salt intake and kidney function. I had her same opinion. I could never do that, in fact I had a whole deck of get out of jail free cards. I played them frequently and often.
The point is that you can. Burn that get out of jail free card. Better yet, sell it to your little sister for her Park Place real estate. Now that you have read this, I hope that I have created the same dilemma in your mind that I have in my mind. Whenever I hear or see someone doing something amazing, I admire them for sure. However, when my mind says – there is no way I can do that – I stop for a second now. No, I don’t have a get out of jail free card, I could actually do that. It may take me a long time, but if I added some progressive step to my routine then eventually I could get there. I may not do as great as a job, but I could do it.
Now I am not telling you to go climb Everest, but you could climb Whitney in a year from now. This mentality is not all physical. You may not be able to make 5M this next year, but you could make 500K. You may not convince a loved one to love and trust you completely, but you could certainly make a significant improvement in the relationship in one year from now. You can and you should accomplish great things. You are capable of almost anything. Pick something! Get on the Path! Stop hoping for Jail or Free Parking! Roll the dice and GO!
Guy Reams (432)
365 Alumni
81 Days Left to 1st Marathon
