The 20-10 Test

This last week I was reading a very interesting book titled A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink.  In the book, Pink gives six essential abilities you'll need to expand your "right brain," followed by a "Portfolio" of suggested activities, tools, and further reading to enhance one of those six abilities.  One of these abilities is "Meaning," that is, the meaning we put on our lives and the big picture we create for ourselves.  I want to describe one of the activities he suggested that, indeed, we may find valuable, especially if we're currently striving for happiness.  This activity Pink got from Jim Collins, author of Good to Great.

Look at your life- in particular, your work- and ask yourself whether you would still be doing what you're doing now if you had $20 million in the bank or knew you had no more than ten years to live.  If you inherited $20 million, would you spend your days the way you spend them now?  If you knew you had at most ten years to live, would you stick to your current job?  If the answer is no, that ought to tell you something.