That was the last line of a video I
was listening to by a guy named
Matthew Ferry, a sales trainer
and "happiness expert".
I actually backed up the video so I could write it
down and think about it.
"My opinion is the source of all my suffering"
I'm going to assume he didn't mean physical
suffering such as that suffered by the victims in
Boston. (I hope you and yours were not affected.)
Then I started to think about the suffering caused
by money issues.
And I was hard-pressed to come up with anything
that didn't fit.
For example...someone who is behind on their
credit cards, house or car payments...
That can be stressful and cause suffering so I
thought about what a person in those situations
might be THINKING to cause that suffering.
1. I'm dumb
2. I'm a failure 3. All the bad stuff happens to me
4. The bill collectors calling all the time will yell
& ridicule me if I answer 5. If I lose my house or car, other people will think 1 or 2 about me (or worse!)
These thoughts brought to mind the first two of
Byron Katie's "Four Questions"
1) Is it true? (Yes or no.)
2) Can you absolutely know that it's true?
(Yes or no.)
Answered objectively, the answer is NO...none
of that is true.
1. You're not dumb...you've made mistakes...we all have. The great ones make MORE mistakes than most.
2. You aren't a failure until you quit. If you're still
in the game you haven't failed.
3. This is a focus issue. What's going RIGHT? Much more than is going wrong. Did warm water come out of the shower today? Looks like your internet access is flowing nicely.
4. They won't yell or ridicule you because all
calls are recorded and the media would love
to hop on a story of a nasty creditor. The big
companies are also aware and wary of the power
of social media.
5. We can't control what anyone thinks about anything. People are so wrapped up in their own lives they have little time to worry about you.
Sadly, "what will others think" is one of the most
common causes of suffering.
I had a gentleman write to me and say he'd never
use coupons because of "the message it sends".
When asked to elaborate he was afraid people
who saw him using coupons would think he was
having money troubles, or that he was "cheap"
or that he was like those extreme couponers on TV.
It was his OPINION that others would think he
had money problems or was cheap or that he
was like those extreme couponers on TV.
Those were expensive opinions because based
on the numbers he shared with me he could
have saved at least $300 a month with
the strategic use of coupons.
SAD...in my non-suffering opinion!
The "message" couponing sends is that you value
the time and energy it takes to earn money and
you don't want to waste it.
I saved $19 shopping for a friend last Sunday...it
took less than 10 minutes to get all the coupons
together plus I got $7 I can use on my next
trip...that's like saving $26 in 10 minutes.
Part 1 is for those with little to no couponing
experience. Part 2 is for those who have couponing
experience and want to make some extra money
from that experience.
This has gotten to be a long post but I hope you
got something out of it and I hope you will consider
what started this all...
"My OPINION is the source of all my suffering"
Don't let your "opinions" about coupons, couponers,
couponing, saving money, my hair or whatever untrue
bunk may be swirling through your head, cost you
money.
Failure to use coupons will cost you THOUSANDS of
dollars in your lifetime. That's not an opinion.
That's math. Does 2+2=4 in your town?
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"My opinion is the source of all my suffering"
