Love as a means to measure success
Sep 30th, 2008 by Dave
I wanted to share a post that I just made over at another blog I write at, Born Entrepreneur:
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Sometimes it takes hearing something that takes your breath away to make you second guess yourself about how you measure success.
I encourage you to reevaluate what you’re trying to do in life by looking at the end goal of it all. Is your end goal really money? Or is it simply just happiness and you’ve brainwashed yourself to think that as soon as you get enough money you’ll finally have the time to be happy? I know it seems like hackneyed idea, but really dig deep and ask yourself “what the hell am I doing?!”
I remember several years ago I read a business book that interviewed one particular successful business man and he said the secret to his success was his wife and family. What? I read that at 21, and I thought “what a load of crap.” He said his wife’s support and love for him helped him through the toughest times and allowed him to strive for the highest peaks. Honestly, I thought he was kind of pathetic. I had always subscribed to the thought that “I don’t have time for a serious relationship. I may never get married because I wouldn’t be able to dedicate enough time to the relationship to make it work. I certainly won’t ever have kids—it’s the sacrifice I need to make in order to be ’successful’.” I look back on that mentality and realize how ignorant I was. I was totally missing the point of it all—”it” being life.
It’s not going to be here forever, so embrace every aspect of life that you have already attained–your family, your friends, your significant other, the success in your business thus far. In fact, you might be surprised to find out how successful you already are and that you’re not doing so bad after all. Once that gives you a mental confidence boost, you also might start to realize that the money part might just get a little bit easier and not seem so daunting.
Don’t neglect the loves in your life. Because that’s what got you here. And that’s what’s going to get you to the next step too.
Hi, David.
Thank you so much for this post; it brought back strong memories.
I was fifteen at the time, and my dad only had two more weeks on earth (he died in a tragic accident). We were on the way to church when daddy pulled over the car, and turned around and said, “I thought I loved your mother when I married her, but not like I do now”.
That was back in the day of front bench seats. They snuggled close and kissed. My brother and I were appalled, and stuck our fingers down our throats to mimic gagging.
Today, it is one of my sweetest memories of my father. I still miss him.
~Lavanna Martin
@lavanna i bet you didn’t realize at that moment that memory would stay with you forever. a great moment indeed