Does money equals true success

by Sicebise Msengana

Pic: Marcusdussault.com

In a materialistic culture we tend to place value on stuff than people, relationships,ethics etc. We have twisted the true meaning of success and even go so far to say, ''the one with most toys wins!'' There has never been a time in history where some people used their wealth and rewards of success to destroy themselves and worse others. Don't get me wrong material wealth acquired is not bad, but we should seek a balance in life.

What is success?  Unfortunately, the world and the popular media have turned the real definition of success upside down. Success by the  world's standards is defined by power, fame and money. The more a person has those things, the more it looks like that person is successful. However, true success has absolutely
nothing to do with  power, money and fame. But, in its true form success is what makes a person to be a person of true value to others, God, the world and self. Think of Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and many others, they all served and were successful as a result.

Striving to be a ''roaring success''  is so damn expensive. It can cost you your health, family, friends, a peace of mind, and so much precious time to acquire it. Having gained the whole world, you can still  have that empty feeling on the inside that something is still missing-a void. Because of the pain (emptiness on the inside ) relief can be sought through obsessions and addictions such as drugs, money, sex, TV, internet, affairs, work etc. These and many others can be ways to fill the void. However, one can eliminate that by focusing at what matters in life. Forget distractions.

Look around you. Before you come to a conclusion that money equals true success, you need to look around you to see how happy and fulfilled are high achievers. 

Keeping the score. There's a high value placed on winning these days that we are afraid to fail. Failure is not where any of us want to be, and unfortunately, it is unavoidable. But we can take our failures and learn from them. 

Wrong messages. In a world we are living in, we are often fed with the wrong message that what makes a person successful is a talent to earn lots and lots of money. However, there's nothing wrong with being rich or earning a seven figure, but the BIGGEST question is, are you living a meaningful life? Wealth comes with a great responsibility in spending and managing it well. 

On the mountain top. Everyone is rushing to get first to the mountain top and shout,'' hey, look at me.''  But the truth is, 90 percent of our lives are lived in the valley and all of happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing, not while you're sitting at the top alone. 

After years of hard work these high achievers reach the heights of success they truly deserve because of their hard work and many forget that success is temporary, it can fade. Too often we measure the standards of success by the education we've, the money we've in our bank account, the house live in and many other form of material possessions we own. Its not wrong to have these things( as some believe). But in the long run its how we treat people and what we do with our wealth, education that people will remember and treasure us after we're gone. Anyway we won't take anything with us when we die. Success doesn't equal true success. Period.

Your thoughts?