So, 'Your worth consists in what you are, and not in what you have'. This quote was originally placed under a Quotes on Personal Power. To some extent, I suppose that is true. To me though, this quote touches more on the notion of integrity rather than personal power, though what exactly Personal Power is defined as by Celestine I do not know.
"Your worth consists in what you are". These days, the word integrity is used a lot. It is mentioned in almost every self-help book out there, speaking about the utmost importance of integrity. Integrity, or the 'Adherence to moral and ethical principles' is one of the most sought after traits in people. This is true in both business and life. Employers would most likely rather employ someone who can show that their integrity is solid, that they are not unscrupulous or untrustworthy. People like people who mean what they say, who do what they say they will do and do not misplace or betray that trust.
There are several self-help notions out there, one of them being 'Do whatever it takes to to accomplish the goal'. A lot however fail to add 'Within ethical and legal boundaries' to that statement. Yes, to truly do what one dreams to do, sometimes we have to go all in. However, if we crosss that line when it is morally wrong to do something, we will have lost our integrity. And once that reputation for having no integrity, having no honour becomes cemented in society, it is very hard to get back.
I once knew someone, who upon hearing about a deal that was very dirty and not ethical at all (I will not go into specifics), stated 'Excellent. That is the right way to do business' while I looked at him, horrified. We even had a miniature argument, me arguing about how immoral said deal was and the importance of integrity and veracity, while he argued back about how my opinion was fundamentally flawed, that in the business world, dirty is the only way to go, that you had to do 'whatever it takes'. He did later recant that opinion, but it came a bit too late, by that time the image I had of him was irreversibly tainted. But the truly scary thing is, that many people think this way. That in order to be successful, you have to 'Do whatever it takes', no matter how immortal, dirty or just fundamentally wrong it is.
"- not in what you have". Here this quote, I think, stresses the lack of importance of material wealth when it comes to integrity. These days, a lot of emphasis is placed upon wealth, on being rich, on having a lot of money. But the point here is, no matter how much money you have, it does not change who you are as a person. I once read a book, I think "Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires" by Adam Khoo. In it, a very, very powerful concept came across to me, which was first, money is not the root of all evil. The lack money of is. But more importantly, money is only a personality magnifier. If you were a good person before you had money, then when you have an abundance of wealth that will not change. If you were a bad person before you became wealthy, then having a lot of money will not change that either.
Which goes back to the overall quote. Many people want to be rich, I know I certainly do. But many also believe that by becoming rich, the money buys respect, integrity and honour. It does not. Character/Integrity is what earns respect, not material wealth. And that, I think is what this quote means.
Once again, anybody who reads this either now, or in the future, feel free to say anything about what you think.
~
"Your worth consists in what you are". These days, the word integrity is used a lot. It is mentioned in almost every self-help book out there, speaking about the utmost importance of integrity. Integrity, or the 'Adherence to moral and ethical principles' is one of the most sought after traits in people. This is true in both business and life. Employers would most likely rather employ someone who can show that their integrity is solid, that they are not unscrupulous or untrustworthy. People like people who mean what they say, who do what they say they will do and do not misplace or betray that trust.
There are several self-help notions out there, one of them being 'Do whatever it takes to to accomplish the goal'. A lot however fail to add 'Within ethical and legal boundaries' to that statement. Yes, to truly do what one dreams to do, sometimes we have to go all in. However, if we crosss that line when it is morally wrong to do something, we will have lost our integrity. And once that reputation for having no integrity, having no honour becomes cemented in society, it is very hard to get back.
I once knew someone, who upon hearing about a deal that was very dirty and not ethical at all (I will not go into specifics), stated 'Excellent. That is the right way to do business' while I looked at him, horrified. We even had a miniature argument, me arguing about how immoral said deal was and the importance of integrity and veracity, while he argued back about how my opinion was fundamentally flawed, that in the business world, dirty is the only way to go, that you had to do 'whatever it takes'. He did later recant that opinion, but it came a bit too late, by that time the image I had of him was irreversibly tainted. But the truly scary thing is, that many people think this way. That in order to be successful, you have to 'Do whatever it takes', no matter how immortal, dirty or just fundamentally wrong it is.
"- not in what you have". Here this quote, I think, stresses the lack of importance of material wealth when it comes to integrity. These days, a lot of emphasis is placed upon wealth, on being rich, on having a lot of money. But the point here is, no matter how much money you have, it does not change who you are as a person. I once read a book, I think "Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires" by Adam Khoo. In it, a very, very powerful concept came across to me, which was first, money is not the root of all evil. The lack money of is. But more importantly, money is only a personality magnifier. If you were a good person before you had money, then when you have an abundance of wealth that will not change. If you were a bad person before you became wealthy, then having a lot of money will not change that either.
Which goes back to the overall quote. Many people want to be rich, I know I certainly do. But many also believe that by becoming rich, the money buys respect, integrity and honour. It does not. Character/Integrity is what earns respect, not material wealth. And that, I think is what this quote means.
Once again, anybody who reads this either now, or in the future, feel free to say anything about what you think.
~
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