Know your place
“Earn money fast!”
“Be a millionaire!”
Look at the number of ‘money books’ being churned out by local authors, urging people to ‘invest’ and earn a fortune. While a good number of them are authored by knowledgeable people, others just wanted to jump into the bandwagon.
I want to be comfortable, I work hard in order to meet my needs, and people close to me know me as an eternal optimist. While I am all for having a positive mindset, I have always maintained in all of my seminars that optimism must be combined with realism. I am an entrepreneur and while I hope for the best, I also prepare for the worst. And in all of my years of labor, I have come to terms that not everyone can be as rich as the people featured in Fortune Magazine.
But this doesn’t make me feel inferior.
It is not a crime to want to be successful, but it is a self-defeating venture when we try to compare ourselves with others and then feel bad because we have not matched their standards or feel smug because others do not match up to ours.
We need to know our place and discover our purpose for being.
Life is not fair. Had it been fair then all of us would have been building condominiums. We need to understand that the rich have luxury cars, have signature bags and live in posh subdivisions not only because they can afford it but also because they are really rich. “Duh!”
And because I am not that rich, I drive an ordinary vehicle, I live in a simple place, I wear mass produced garments and accessories and that’s okay. Why? Because I am not rich. Double Duh!
Problems arise when one tries to look wealthy when truthfully, he or she is not. There is a big difference between looking wealthy and actually being wealthy.
Am I going to feel bad because I don’t belong to the luxurious wealthy group? No. Why should I? The rich have ‘rich people’s problems’ -which I am not capable to handle, and the poor have ‘poor people’s challenges’ that they alone can handle.
The one thing I have discovered about the wealthy is that they are all extremely hard working; they have been gifted with the ability to create wealth. They have discovered ways to meet their challenges, and they are extremely good at what they do. This is unique to them, and I understand this very well.
They inspire me to aspire. It is always a good thing to have a benchmark, but I know that God’s plans for me are different. So I study what they do, avoid the wrong things they have done, and learn the lessons they teach. All these can equip me to become better.
And when I see starters entering business for the first time or those starting their careers, if needed, I would offer advices and give ideas on how they can become better. They remind me of the early days of my own career. And I know the value of people offering insights as I have been on the receiving end once. There is no need to feel smug just because one has more than others, and there is no need to feel envy against others who have more.
It is important for me to be contented with what I have, yet never to be contented with what I can become. To be extremely rich is not my main objective -as this kind of purpose will rob me of the joy of living.
I will work hard, know my place, and be diligent in saving for the rainy days because I know they will come.
To enjoy life, stay realistic.
To be happy, understand your place.
To be realistic, do not believe your own press releases.
To be likeable, refuse the urge to be a prima donna.
Be humble and treat everyone as equally important and you will be fine.
Knowing one’s place is extremely important. There is a word for one who doesn’t know, it is called…lost.
(Mark your calendars. Spend two inspiring days with Francis Kong learning leadership and life skills as he present Level Up Leadership on Sept. 23-24 at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 for details.)
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