Are You Easily Replaceable?

I was checking my FriendFeed and saw this post by Aydin Senkut. OMG Thanks for the laugh Aydin. This is a robot manufactured by California based Anybots.

After laughing for a few seconds, my first instinct was to forward it to my wife. Even though my wife isn’t much involved with washing the dishes, when it comes to talk, she thinks females are NOT replacable.

One step at a time, we will get there. She should start getting scared now

Anyway, enough joke, let’s learn something from this picture.

Think about your everday life. Things, stuff, your car, your iPhone, your office space, your job, your employees, your boss, your mp3 player, your house… and thousands of more things and people.

From 1 to 10, start putting numbers near everything on your list. If something/somebody is easily replaceable, it gets 1. When it gets harder to replace it, the number gets higher. Similar to:

My PC – 1
My iPhone – 2
My office space – 3
My brother – 10
My mom – 10
My dad – 10
My sister – 10
My wife – 10
My car – 3

and so on…

Stay with me, we are brainstorming here, right?

Now throw that list in the garbage, and put only your NAME on the list.

How easy is it to REPLACE you?

It’s like CRM. Try to look from the customer’s perspective.

- If you have a 9 to 5 job, you have an employer.

How easy is it to replace you with a new employee?

- If you play basketball at your local team.

How easy is it to replace you if somebody new moves in town?

- If you have a wonderful relationship.

How easy is it to break up with you for your spouse (ask her/him, I’m serious, it’s for your own good, beg for an honest answer).

Change the scenario/question depending on your situation. Add your score from 1 to 10 near each question in your list. If any of these scores are lower than 10, that’s where you have to start working.

If you score less than 10, it is your mistake, nobody else’s. (do not cheat on the scores, be honest to yourself. Nobody knows you better than yourself).

Whatever you do, wherever you do, whenever you do. If it’s your job, or raising kids, or relationship with your spouse, always ask this question to yourself “Am I easily replaceable?”.

Do a damn good job at what you do, make it impossible for others to replace you. It will boost your personal confidence and you will enjoy higher performance and productivity in life.

Remember to ask this question before you go to bed tonight:

Am I Easily Replaceable?

If you don’t have a confident NO as an answer, start working on improving yourself right now.

Here are some online learning resources you can use for free.