The Cost of Trivial Excellence

Once there was a man who set out to get rich so that he could afford all the things his heart desired. He hung pictures of expensive cars and boats, luxurious homes, exotic vacation resorts, and the latest entertainment technology on his wall. He believed that these pictures would motivate him to work hard for the things that he wanted. He devised strategies to meet persons of means and influence, to impress them, and to earn their trust. He believed that these people would provide him with opportunities to make money.

So the man worked very hard, met all the “right” people, and eventually became very rich. Then he discovered that the amount of work required to maintain the lifestyle he had built left him with little time to enjoy that things he had accumulated or the people he had so impressed. He found himself very lonely. He eased the pain of his loneliness by turning with even greater intensity toward the thing he had learned to be good at, making money. His life grew increasingly complex. More money required more work, added stress, and even greater isolation. He was left with no time to love or to be loved.

Is your life filled up with busyness in the pursuit of things that lacks eternal value? Do you keep doing something you’re good at just because you’re good at it? Do you avoid things that are more important because you’re not good at them? It takes great courage to evaluate the value of what you do. Purging your life of trivial busyness can be as challenging as overcoming an addiction.

What kinds of pictures do you hang on your walls? These are the same images that hang on the “walls” of your mind and heart. They are the things that drive you; they are the things that you love. It has been said that one kind of person loves people and uses things; another kind of person loves things and uses people. Do you find yourself being inauthentic with people in order to get what you want from them? If so, than which kind of person are you?

~John