The Million Dollar Question
💰 a consistency framework
You know that moment when you’re hanging on by the thinnest emotional thread?
The job feels like a drain of your soul.
The relationship feels like it's drifting away from what you once treasured.
Parenting? You adore them, yes, but also, you've started fantasizing about faking your own disappearance and starting a new life.
That's the moment I reach for one question:
What would this look like if I were getting paid millions to do it?
It's ridiculous and it’s wildly effective.
Suddenly, I'm not trudging through the motions. I'm a globe-trotting storytelling badass, balancing client calls from Nairobi to Nigeria to New York with a doodle-head in my lap as he waits for us to take mindful walks between meetings.
I'm showing up with the energy, presence, and calm I thought I didn't have left because it wasn't energy I was missing—>it was motivation.
For me (and I bet you as well) almost all of the time motivation can be manufactured with a little mental gymnastics.
Here’s the thing though, the Million Dollar Question isn't just a one-time deal. To truly shift our mindsets the question needs to become part of our mental toolkit.
It needs to be a consistent practice we rely on whenever our brains want to slide into "everything is terrible and I cannot handle it any longer" territory.
Five ways to make this question a habit:
🤑 Visual Anchors
Write the million-dollar question on sticky notes and place them strategically around your environment. Visual cues trigger a mental shift when we need it most.
🤑 Link It to a Routine
Habit-stack the question onto something you already do like brushing your teeth, making coffee, or giving yourself a pep talk before you join that weekly Teams call.
🤑 Don't Shame, Reframe
This isn't about guilt-tripping ourselves into performance. It's curiosity, not criticism: If I were at my best right now, what would that look like?
🤑 Invite Future You to the Soiree
When in doubt, consult your Future Self. Future You isn't magically less tired, but they have the perspective of having survived this moment. They've developed better boundaries and prioritization skills. Simply ask: "What would my Future Self advise me to do right now?"
When we turn this question into a habit we see how consistency shifts identity.
Million-Dollar Question as a consistency tool:
What makes this approach effective is how it works with human psychology:
💸 It doesn't demand perfection, just consistent application of a mental shift.
💸 It acknowledges reality while providing a framework.
💸 It creates an instant perspective shift that makes consistency easier to maintain.
The million-dollar question, as silly as it sounds initially, offers a consistency concept that works with our brains instead of against it. Its strength lies in its repeatability. Unlike motivation that flames then fizzles, this question can be pulled out of our mental toolkit during any low moment.
And, unlike productivity strategies that collapse under real-world pressure, this one thrives in chaos. I’m living proof.
The worse things get, the more powerful the question becomes which is why it sticks when all else falls apart. And for me that’s the real sign of consistency: not that we avoid the mess, but that we know how to regroup when we’re in it.
Because when everything feels uncertain, having a way back to ourselves
isn’t just helpful, it’s the most consistent thing there is.