Synchronistically Speaking Ezine

The Art of Affluence

Article # 23, Synchronistically Speaking series, February 2010

A wise master was walking along the sandy banks of a lazy river, breathing deeply, enjoying the feel of sunshine on his skin, and taking in the beauty all around him. Just across the river one of his students was walking anxiously back and forth, scanning the perimeter of the river and the surrounding land. When the student saw his master, he began waving his arms and shouting, "Master! Master!" The Master looked up and waited silently for his student to continue. "Master," said his student, "How do I get to the other side?" The master simply replied, "You are already there!"

One of the many things this Zen story speaks to is the desire we all have to be more, do more, and have more. And one thing people throughout history can't ever seem to get enough of is money.

Wealth has been used as a scorecard for success throughout the ages. From its conception, its lure has led many to do things that are not in the best interests of others. We have been conditioned to believe that it is the key to freedom, happiness, and security. People often take jobs that are not truly aligned with their talents and passions because they fear that without them, they will not have the money they need to satisfy their basic needs. Many seek positions of leadership because of the increased pay it has to offer and all the things they could buy as a result.

Money has also allowed organizations and people to expand their level of influence, improve the quality of services and products they offer, and attract key talent that will allow their visions to become a reality. It allows programs to be created and perpetuated that improve the quality of life within communities and the world at large. It pays our bills and puts food on the table. And it allows us to travel and buy things of beauty and utility that can become the source of inspiration and joy.

There is nothing wrong with wealth, just as there is nothing wrong with prestige, power or pride. The key is the manner in which these needs are met, and where the desire for them originates. If the aspiration is for a greater purpose - one that is not solely self serving, the desire is aligned with a higher good and the resulting outcome will be as well.

If the motive is not in the best interests of others, it is more aligned with ego and likely to lead to objectionable behavior, such as greed, envy, insensitivity, arrogance, and paranoia. Those who attain what they seek in an effort to serve others are far more likely to sustain it. Those whose motives and tactics are more aligned with serving themselves alone will live in fear of the inevitable loss of their fleeting success.

Often people are drawn to formal positions of leadership for what they have to offer - power, control, prestige, and higher pay. These things feed the ego, which would have us believe our inherent value is equated with them and that the more we have, do or achieve, the more successful we are. The problem is that no matter how much power, control, prestige, and money we acquire, it never seems to be enough. Life can become a series of races, battles, and games to be won with little time left to savor the victories, which are often short lived.

This orientation has many leaders acting in ways that are more about themselves than the organizations and people they lead. And when leadership is focused upon what can be gained from a position or title, any success that accompanies it cannot be sustained for long. When people working within such an organization find that it lacks something substantial enough to hold and nurture their energy, interest and passion, they will eventually withdraw it. These people may still be a part of the organization, but their hearts will no longer be in it. The organization risks becoming a facade: merely a shell of what it once was - or has the potential to become.

When money is the driving force in what we are doing, we short circuit ourselves from our true creativity, ingenuity and strength. The energy that fuels us is rooted in fear and lack. We cannot create something of true value when we start from a place of deficiency. As a result, that which is created solely from a desire for wealth often lacks substance or value.

Many multi level marketing schemes are a great example. They are often engineered to allow people to capitalize on profit generated by others who, in turn, seek to move from being the creator of those profits to becoming the beneficiary of them. Such a system is likely to place more emphasis on helping those who work within it to get rich than on delivering something of true value to the consumers that purchase it. Of course, there are exceptions.

In the last several years, we have seen the mutation and collapse of institutions whose aim was purely the generation of profit. We have also seen the fall of once affluent individuals whose fortune was generated with the same end goal. The age of hierarchical structures designed to allow some to prosper at the expense of others seems to be slowly coming to an end. When we look more deeply into the true essence of money, perhaps we can begin to better understand this phenomenon.

Money is essentially a form of energy. Profit is achieved when the energy of people's creativity, ingenuity, determination and talent is focused into the creation of something perceived to be of equal value to the energy of currency. It is only in mastering the former that the latter can be truly sustained.

The greatest leaders know that there is more to be gained from generating and harnessing the energy of the human spirit (their own as well as that of others) than the tactics and strategies of money making ventures. The paradox of money, like happiness, is that when we become fixated upon achieving it at the expense of all else, it has a way of eventually eluding us. It is only when we find the energy of abundance, creativity and joy within ourselves that matches that which we seek that it comes to us without abandon.

To tap into this energy, we must start on the side of the river that we already find ourselves on. Rather than looking longingly at the opposite bank wishing for things we don't believe we have, we can look within and use the gifts we have already been given to create something of true value. Forgetting about making money and instead focusing on the act and meaning of our creation is a bit of a leap of faith. It requires us to trust that our creations will yield fruit - that our investment of time and energy will have some kind of return.

For many of us, it is far easier to follow a path that leads to guaranteed payment even if it requires that we perform in ways that do not feed our souls and nurture our spirits. However, when we succumb to such arrangements, the wealth we accumulate will ultimately fail to satisfy, for it will be devoid of that which we truly desire and lead us to feel unfulfilled without really understanding why.

Look around and you will find plenty of examples of people who seem to have all manner of material wealth and are still lonely, unhappy, unfulfilled people at the whim of largely insatiable desires. Those who enjoy their wealth have learned how to achieve it in a way that it is simply an outward manifestation of their inner prosperity, creativity, abundance and generosity. And of course, there are many who are rich in spirit without feeling the need to match it with outward symbols of worldly affluence.

The next time you find yourself looking longingly across the river, see if you can plainly identify exactly what it is about the other side that is so appealing to you. Then come back to where you already are with the intention of seeing it clearly. Rather than comparing yourself or your situation with others, look with eyes that reveal the riches you already have - which exist all around you in the potent form of possibility that lies waiting to be tapped. You just might be sitting on a gold mine.

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Diane Bolden is passionate about working with leaders to unleash human potential. An executive coach and organization development professional with over 18 years of experience in leadership development, coaching and consulting, Diane has worked with managers, directors and vice presidents/officers in Fortune 500 companies and non profit organizations to achieve higher levels of performance and success by helping them to bring out the best in themselves and everyone around them. To receive her free special report on Ten Traps Leaders Unwittingly Create for Themselves ~ and How to Avoid Them, visit www.UnleashTheExtraordinary.com.

Know Anyone Who Likes to Play POKER? Come ante up for a great cause and I'll send you a free gift to thank you for your contribution!

The Center for Humane Living (CHL) is hosting its first annual No-Limit Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament on Saturday March 6 at Dave & Buster's at Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix, Arizona. Check in will begin at 2:00pm and the first hand will be dealt at 3:00pm. Throughout the afternoon/evening, prizes and raffle items such as a flat screen TV, hotel packages, golf packages, restaurant gift certificates, electronics, massages and more will be raffled off.

The entry fee is $100 (which is fully tax deductible). 100% of the net proceeds from the event will go directly to The Center for Humane Living (CHL), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the personal and spiritual growth of individuals through an innovative approach to traditional martial arts education. The Center for Humane Living offers to students of any race, color or ethnic origin, a tuition-free, quality education teaching confidence in non-violent conflict resolution, character building, respect, and technical physical proficiency. Click here to register or donate. Email your receipt to me at Diane@DianeBolden.com and I'll send you a link to download my MP3 on The Seven Secrets of Extraordinary Leaders . CHL is also looking for sponsors who might like to get a little publicity by donating an item for raffle or silent auction, buying a sign or setting up a booth showcasing their products and services.

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