BUSINESS MATTERS (Beyond the bottom line) By
Francis J. Kong A teacher asked her third grader to write about their personal heroes.
One little girl brought the essay home and showed it to her parents. Her father was flattered that her daughter had chosen him.
"Why did you pick me?" he asked expectantly. And the sweet little girl replied: "Because I couldn't spell Schwarzennegger."
Who are the people you admire? Who are your heroes and role models in life?
Who would make it to your personal "5 Most Successful People list?"
To many business people I know, the five names on their Successful People list would most likely be found in the world's richest people list.
But what about yours?
Who would make it to your list? Michael Josephson takes it a step farther. He says: "Think of the five most successful people you know. Now think of the five happiest. How many made both lists?" Amazing isn't it?
The five most successful people in the world for you may not exactly turn out to be the five happiest people in the world too. Here is the reason why.
My heroes in life are certainly not the names you find in business magazines.
They are heroes because they have positively impacted my life and inspired me to become better.
In real life, the greatest heroes are often found among the most ordinary people.
Josephson says: "Most people think of success in terms of possessions and achievements, while happiness is a state of mind. It's common to think success will bring happiness, but that's often not the case." Think about what the people on your happy list have in common. I'll bet they have better-than-average relationships, especially with their spouses and children. Of course, other factors besides good relationships also tend
to produce happiness – like good health, enjoying one's work, and having fun.
And people driven by spiritual and ethical values usually are more content than those who measure success in terms of prosperity, pleasure, and peer approval. Why are many successful people unhappy?
I guess one of the reasons is that in their quest to succeed, the journey getting there has been littered with a lot of relationship casualties along the way while those who are happy have very healthy relationships.
And if I were to choose the one thing most essential to happiness, it would be good relationships. Many leaders fail to understand this.
They would sacrifice relationships just to achieve their own versions of "success" and then one day looked at themselves in the mirror and say:
"It's lonely at the top." If that is the case, then there is something wrong.
Real successful people are those who do not only have healthy accomplishments they have healthy relationships along the way and they share the joy with other people at the top. Think about it. The happiness quotient of people who live high-flying lives of the rich and famous or the swinging lives of the young and beautiful is surprisingly low. Yes, these people experience plenty of moments of soaring satisfaction, but they become harder to duplicate and sustain. Often such people are left with an "Is that all there is?" feeling that can lead to depression and boredom.
No matter how rich, sexy, or famous one is, happiness is almost impossible for people who have hurtful and unsatisfying relationships.
Yet people surrounded by the affection, love, and respect of others can find their way to happiness in spite of economic hardship, hard work, and even ill health. That's good news. We can't all be rich, famous, or beautiful, but we can all find people worthy of our love. And when you have it you are successful aren't you?
I don't know about you but as long as I know that there is a God who loves me and I live my life for Him, I am both successful and happy and you should be, too.
