WHY SUCCESS SHOULDN’T BE MEASURED BY HOW MUCH MONEY YOU EARN
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How much do you attribute success to what you earn and your net worth? I’ve found earning money – even lots of it — can certainly be a by-product of being successful. But wealth is so often not the primary driver for successful people. Many of the world’s big money earners are in fact driven by something they are passionate about not because their sole motive is to be rich.
LIVES TRANSFORMED IS THE BEST MEASUREMENT
Microsoft founder Bill Gates becomes one of the richest people in the world doing something he was passionate about. And after being so successful corporately Gates found arguably a greater passion: giving his fortune away. He saw that ultimate success was in seeing lives transformed. During a speech in 2014 Michelle Obama said “Success isn’t how much money you make but how much of a difference you make in peoples’ lives.
Throughout history, and even in tough times, people driven by purpose like the Wright Brothers, William Wilberforce, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela are all remembered as being successful. Few are known for their net worth. Earlier generations, shaped by World Wars and The Great Depression, struggled to put food on the table. Today many in developing nations and war-torn countries are still in this subsistence mode. For those stuck in poverty, sadly their options are limited.
However, psychologist Abraham Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs suggests once we are past subsistence living we actually need a greater reason to get out of bed. For many just earning more money won’t cut it –we want our lives to count for something and we want to ultimately leave a legacy. [TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE]
John Sikkema is a Philanthropist, Thought Leader, Entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of Halftime Australia, inspiring leaders to live their life purpose now.
