Success Versus Money

Like it or not, most often success is judged in terms of a person's bank balance. In a consumer-driven economy, a penchant for selling—ideas, concepts or products—goes a long way in earning money, as well as in being materially successful. "If you don't want to sell what you produce," asks Lester, "why would you produce it?"

Which is why, today, even spiritual leaders and healers need to advertise their unique capabilities because the most successful are those who reach out to a wide variety of people. After all, how would a person sitting in Timbuktoo know where to go for something as esoteric as rudraksha therapy, if not through advertisements?

Despite consumerism, it would be a mistake to read success as a synonym for money. Although the two often go hand in hand, money itself cannot make you a success, and vice-versa. Take A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former chief of India's Defence Research and Development Organization. A simple man who came from a not-so-well-to-do family, nobody can deny that he is a success. Yet, who is interested in how much money he makes? What makes him a success is his intellect and achievements.

What about the sages who left all to seek something much more intangible? Were they any less of a success? Would the Buddha have been more successful had he stayed with his palace and wealth?

Money rarely defines a person's worth in the real sense of the term. In an ideal world, money would change hands ethically and the money that you earn would be directly proportionate to your capability. In the real world, money is often a result of lineage, contacts, unethical shortcuts or exploitation, so that the respect it should demand in ideal circumstances eludes it.