Enough
“The greatest misfortune is not to know contentment.” — Dao De Jing
Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were attending a party at a billionaire’s estate on Shelter Island, NY.
Heller, the author of Catch 22, one of the most acclaimed novels of the the 20th century, was asked a question.
Vonnegut: “Joe, how does it feel that our host made more money yesterday than ‘Catch-22’ has earned in its entire history?”
Heller replied: “I’ve got something he will never have.”
Vonnegut: “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
Heller: “The knowledge that I have ENOUGH.”
Ambition is a double edged sword.
What fuels our ambition is the same thing that keeps us from enjoying what we have.
The need for ‘MORE’ can crush our HAPPINESS.
It stops us from feeling GRATITUDE for the gifts we already have.
Even after we aquire ‘MORE’, the next level always comes into sight.
Ryan Holiday wrote, “It’s delusional to think that doing more of the same will bring about a different result. The need for more will keep you from being happy.”
HAPPINESS and GRATITUDE can’t be found externally.
They come from within.
Over 2,500 years ago Lau Tzu wrote, “When you realize that nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
There’s no denying there are some things we need MORE of in our lives.
But they are those intangible soft skills that can’t be bought or shown on a balance sheet:
EMPATHY.
SELF-AWARENESS.
More TIME with the people we care about most.
Nothing we BUY or SELL can ever take the place of these.
Because what’s essential is invisible to the eye.
On his death bed, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club, was the richest person in the world.
As his family gathered around his hospital bed during his final moments, Walton looked around the room and said his last words, “I blew it.”
No need to blow it.
Stay ambitious.
Please give us your best work.
Just make sure to measure what matters.
#Enough
-Joe Ciccarone
