In 1860, John Ruskin published a collection of essays titled Unto This Last. He tells the story of a man who had acquired great wealth and who was forced to abandon ship during a storm. He “fastened a belt about him with two hundred pounds of gold in it, with which he was found afterwards at the bottom. Now, as he was sinking — had he the gold? Or had the gold him?”
What has your success cost you?
I had to answer that question as part of the Halftime Fellows Program. It was jarring. I have since asked coaching clients that question. It was jarring for them, too.
When we ask that question, what we usually mean is, “What has your financial success cost you?” And we know some of the typical costs. There are strained relationships, health problems, and loneliness.
It’s easy to become like the man in John Ruskin’s story. We get to a point where we no longer have the gold. Instead, the gold has us.
What you chase can catch you.
I’ve known many people who chased wealth until wealth caught them. Others chased sex, status, and power. At least one chased revenge.
It’s easy to convince yourself that the chase is worthy because the goal is good. It’s easy to believe that more money will help us provide for our families better, for example. It’s also easy to believe that the chase is only temporary. “I’ll stop,” we tell ourselves, “When I’ve achieved my goal.”
The danger is that what we are chasing catches us. When that happens, the gold or the sex or the power are in charge and drive our decisions and actions.
Choose wisely.
Why not choose to pursue something that will rule your life for good? What would it be like to be ruled by love, forgiveness, justice, peace, or God?
Life would not be perfect. Life never is. There will still be trials and tragedies and trade-offs. But it would probably be different.
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How would your life change if you pursued love, forgiveness, justice, peace, or God?
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Terry Moore, CCIM, is the author of Building Legacy Wealth: How to Build Wealth and Live a Life Worth Imitating. Read his “Welcome to My Blog.”