What would be exciting?

In his book The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris states asking people ‘What would make you happy?’ is the wrong question. And that people don’t really know what would make them happy. He says the opposite of happy is bored and the antidote to boredom is excitement.

I can relate to this. For example when I was younger I had a blue Ford Escort and someone pulled up to a junction alongside me in a Ford Sierra. I remember thinking ‘if I had a Sierra, I will have landed and I’d be happy’. A while later I was promoted up the career ladder a little and was given a brand new, bright red Ford Sierra LX with alloy wheels. I was really happy – for a week, then I got used to it.

Maybe some people are like me, they say new car, more money, holiday, ‘senior’ and the like, get it and they are happy for a few weeks though it doesn’t last. So what are you to do, keep giving them presents and rewards to keep them ‘motivated’? You can only add ‘senior’ to their job title once and there are only so many job titles.

Ferris reckons the right question is ‘What would be exciting for you?’

It’s a great question, one that I frequently ask myself and other people. It is often met with stunned silence and sometimes with ‘I don’t do excited’. Though I have learned to be patient, wait and listen while they think. Almost without fail they then say something like ‘Well, actually Dave, if we did this and this, then that would be exciting’. More often than not it’s not massive and doesn’t cost much or any money, frequently it’s just something a bit different.

So, is Ferris is on to something? Maybe you could keep asking what would be exciting and before you know it, it may be really exciting round here.

As for me, work wise, I have developed a new programme check out www.delegate4results.com and away from work I am doing my first open water swimming event for twenty years this Saturday in Lake Coniston. I am a little nervous about both though really excited.