“Be broken to be whole… Have little and gain much… Have much and get confused.” Lao Tzu
“So wise souls are good at caring for people, never turning their back on anyone.” Lao Tzu
Okay. I can already hear your thoughts: What do,” being broken,” and “caring for people” have ANYTHING to do with “It’s all about Me?”
And my response is, “Everything.” Your life does indeed center on you. After all, wherever you go who’s there? You are! You are the one that decides what kind of You, you plan to be. Do you plan to be greedy, selfish, and self-centered? Of course there are many advantages to selfishness: money, prestige and popularity, just to name three.
What About You?
The only problem with this selfish quest for personal gain is that it’s most generally short-lived and most certainly unfulfilling. The only answer for satisfaction is “getting more and more and more.” Pretty damned tiring if you ask me.
So why not make “all about you” a generous proposition in which you elect to achieve the greatest of personal gain by giving and not getting, and by random acts of kindness? The richest people I know are philanthropists, givers of time and kindness and compassion and yes, even money.
Difference-Makers of the World
My friend is retired from a Law Firm with his name on it. He’s got plenty of cash and plenty of time to enjoy it. Instead, he works nearly full time for a non-profit and gives an abundant amount of cash to that same entity.
As a result he is one of the most passionately contented men I know. It’s all about him—not what he receives or spends but about how he contributes to the value of society (Aristotle).
Think about Brat Pitt, Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington. Few people arrive at the level of public success as these five and yet what are they most satisfied with? Money and notoriety? No way. They are givers of time and energy and money, all to make a few people in the world live better lives.
I recently became acquainted with two up and coming stars in Hollywood, Keleigh Sperry and her fiancée Miles Teller. He’s about thirty years old and she is at the ripe old age of twenty-five. Sure they work hard in their businesses—very hard—and yet they are both dedicated to doing good in the world. They have richly received, now they want to give back.
It really IS all about you. It about the choices you make that matter. When you chose to be a contributor, you have chosen the path to meaning and fulfillment.
When All About You is Really
All About the People You Serve
Photo courtesy of Same Og
