Filthy Money

What is success?  What a great question.. in my opinion..people judge success in the wrong way... by the size of your bank balance.

This seems like a natural assumption....right?.... wrong... where along the way did we lose sight of what’s really important.. where did this disgusting greed for money come from? 

What happened to personal success.....life success... looking at what we are, who we are and who we are with.... the great achievements we’ve had along the way that don’t require money....our first swimming badge ... the first time we rode our bike without dad holding on to the seat... the first day at school... school sports day...the birth of
our first child (which I am yet to witness and yet crave so badly).....all the things that are truly amazing ... scary... but wonderful.
 

The smile on the face of our parents. We are giving them something worth so much more than money.. happiness.

As we grow older, society dictates that you must get a job.. you must progress, get promoted, rise through the corporate structure.. reach the top... I’m not saying I disagree with this... it’s good to have dreams, something to aspire to.  But along the way, we lost focus, we lost the true reason why we should do things... the pursuit of happiness... that self satisfaction that we are doing something we enjoy.  That we are growing, developing, becoming a better human being... respectful of others, giving our time and our knowledge.

Some people have become so selfish in the pursuit of wealth that they trample over anyone that gets in their way.  They have forgotten the people who gave support and encouragement, without whom they would not be where they are today... and all because of money.  How happy are these people?  I’m sure if you looked deep enough... you’d find most are alone... yes they may be married with children, but when It comes to work... everyone fears them, they are totally unapproachable, they make it known that they are the boss.  Employees worry about talking to them... ‘I can’t talk to him... what if I say something stupid...what if he fires me?’... Does success mean that you lose touch with the people who are helping you increase that bank balance?

Don’t get me wrong.. I’m not naive.. I know you have to be strong, be first to market, be a leader... but how about sharing some of that wealth... and I’m not talking about your filthy money... I’m talking sharing your passion, sharing your vision, sharing your ideas, collaborating with your people, making them feel part of the process.  Do you honestly believe that you alone... one person, has all the answers... if you do, you’re a fool unto yourself... companies employ great talent yet fail to plug into the obvious creativity and amazing ideas that go unheard.  So why not stop... take time to genuinely listen to your staff.. let them feel like they have a voice... given them that sense of achievement ... let them feel part of something... feel they are making a difference... have a sense of pride in what they do, not who they work for...  

So I say don’t let others judge your success...but judge for yourself, look around you...not at your belongings... I mean at who you are, how you treat people, how you act.. have a personal sense of pride in the things you do... make them mean something to you... that is success!