One of the biggest blessings in the work that I do is getting to know all sorts of successful people. I’m defining success here as based on professional work and the fruits that tend to come from such work.
Recently I was at the front door of a beautiful home waiting for my client to arrive. The home is a stunner, just like my client and his wife and family. In fact, much of the reason why I decided to commit this moment to writing is because of the degree to which this client and his wife and family epitomize perfect.
I’m used to beautiful homes, nice cars and wonderful watches. My product and service fits right in. This client and his wife have all that and are on a different level, in my opinion, from this already high level. They are tall, thin, striking, successful in their work and have the proverbial “all.”
After hitting the doorbell I was standing close and listening through the door to hear if any footsteps were coming. That’s when I noticed the poster. In a side room off the entryway was a large piece of posterboard.
When I noticed it I found myself fascinated. What is it?
I noticed pictures and words taped to the posterboard. It looked like the product of some magazine pictures and articles that were used in combination with some actual photos.
I realized it was a vision board.
If you’re not familiar, the idea is to create a poster or “board” that has images and words that paint a “vision” for where you’re trying to go with your life. If you are looking to lose some weight you might put a picture and words that help you hold that image of health and wellness so you can visualize and emotionalize it. If you’re interested in a 2nd home on a lake (I can relate to this one) you might have a photo of the type of house you’d like.
The idea is to use these pictures and words to enter your subconscious so you move towards that with which you put on the vision board.
In the bottom right corner I noticed the words “What would make you happy?”
In that moment I froze and my mind went racing. I reflected. And I thought...
...the endless search of we modern humans and our happiness....
We can all relate to the desire to answer this question. We can relate to our desire to direct things just like this vision board is supposed to do for my client and his wife.
Yet, here I was in front of this beautiful, magazine ready home owned by a couple that epitomizes beauty and prestige and success and who have “the life” by any stretch of the imagination.
On most of our vision boards we would have pictures of THEIR house and THEIR bodies and THEIR vacations and THEIR income. We would tend to think the question “What would make you happy?” is a question this perfect couple would never need to consider because it would interrupt their happiness. What makes you happy? Just look in the mirror! Just look at your house! Just look at your life! You’re happy! Right?.....
How naive we are.
We all are on the same path. All of us. And what unites us and provides common ground is our poverty.
Not poverty as the world knows it. Rather, real poverty.
Real poverty speaks to the desolation and depression and miserable life that exists separate from the love of God. It speaks to the reality that we as humans need God desperately.
Whether someone is living in a 10,000 square foot home or a cardboard box, the key to their happiness and real wealth is accepting the love of God. Period.
Real poverty doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, healthy, sick, handsome, ugly, the poverty is there. In some sense this poverty speaks more profoundly to the rich, healthy and handsome, as when we move past surviving and have what we need and more, we come to realize how much we really lack. That’s my guess however, as I’m sure not speaking from personal experience:)
We are at the perfect point in the history of the world to realize this poverty and hijack it. Hijack it in the sense that we run towards it. When we do we realize it’s time to re-frame our outlook on happiness.
When we are wrapped up in our own happiness, how does that play out?
Then we’re just millions of needy little humans worried about ourselves. Imagine looking down on that. We’re like little rats just trampling over each other in a rush for the happiness that we’ll never find. Proven by someone who has it all but nothing at all.
We are all called to realize knowing God is happiness and we don’t “need” anything else. Then we can shift our thinking from “What would make me happy?” to “What would make them happy?”
In doing this we remove ourselves from the mosh pit of selfish happiness seeking. Through prayer and prioritizing REAL wealth we realize our work is to help those who are lost and alone and afraid and addicted. Our goal is to bring them to their God.
What’s the kicker?
The happiness we used to seek will find us. Not because we found it, but because our love of God and desire to bring others to Him brought it forth.
Recently I was at the front door of a beautiful home waiting for my client to arrive. The home is a stunner, just like my client and his wife and family. In fact, much of the reason why I decided to commit this moment to writing is because of the degree to which this client and his wife and family epitomize perfect.
I’m used to beautiful homes, nice cars and wonderful watches. My product and service fits right in. This client and his wife have all that and are on a different level, in my opinion, from this already high level. They are tall, thin, striking, successful in their work and have the proverbial “all.”
After hitting the doorbell I was standing close and listening through the door to hear if any footsteps were coming. That’s when I noticed the poster. In a side room off the entryway was a large piece of posterboard.
When I noticed it I found myself fascinated. What is it?
I noticed pictures and words taped to the posterboard. It looked like the product of some magazine pictures and articles that were used in combination with some actual photos.
I realized it was a vision board.
If you’re not familiar, the idea is to create a poster or “board” that has images and words that paint a “vision” for where you’re trying to go with your life. If you are looking to lose some weight you might put a picture and words that help you hold that image of health and wellness so you can visualize and emotionalize it. If you’re interested in a 2nd home on a lake (I can relate to this one) you might have a photo of the type of house you’d like.
The idea is to use these pictures and words to enter your subconscious so you move towards that with which you put on the vision board.
In the bottom right corner I noticed the words “What would make you happy?”
In that moment I froze and my mind went racing. I reflected. And I thought...
...the endless search of we modern humans and our happiness....
We can all relate to the desire to answer this question. We can relate to our desire to direct things just like this vision board is supposed to do for my client and his wife.
Yet, here I was in front of this beautiful, magazine ready home owned by a couple that epitomizes beauty and prestige and success and who have “the life” by any stretch of the imagination.
On most of our vision boards we would have pictures of THEIR house and THEIR bodies and THEIR vacations and THEIR income. We would tend to think the question “What would make you happy?” is a question this perfect couple would never need to consider because it would interrupt their happiness. What makes you happy? Just look in the mirror! Just look at your house! Just look at your life! You’re happy! Right?.....
How naive we are.
We all are on the same path. All of us. And what unites us and provides common ground is our poverty.
Not poverty as the world knows it. Rather, real poverty.
Real poverty speaks to the desolation and depression and miserable life that exists separate from the love of God. It speaks to the reality that we as humans need God desperately.
Whether someone is living in a 10,000 square foot home or a cardboard box, the key to their happiness and real wealth is accepting the love of God. Period.
Real poverty doesn’t discriminate. Rich, poor, healthy, sick, handsome, ugly, the poverty is there. In some sense this poverty speaks more profoundly to the rich, healthy and handsome, as when we move past surviving and have what we need and more, we come to realize how much we really lack. That’s my guess however, as I’m sure not speaking from personal experience:)
We are at the perfect point in the history of the world to realize this poverty and hijack it. Hijack it in the sense that we run towards it. When we do we realize it’s time to re-frame our outlook on happiness.
When we are wrapped up in our own happiness, how does that play out?
Then we’re just millions of needy little humans worried about ourselves. Imagine looking down on that. We’re like little rats just trampling over each other in a rush for the happiness that we’ll never find. Proven by someone who has it all but nothing at all.
We are all called to realize knowing God is happiness and we don’t “need” anything else. Then we can shift our thinking from “What would make me happy?” to “What would make them happy?”
In doing this we remove ourselves from the mosh pit of selfish happiness seeking. Through prayer and prioritizing REAL wealth we realize our work is to help those who are lost and alone and afraid and addicted. Our goal is to bring them to their God.
What’s the kicker?
The happiness we used to seek will find us. Not because we found it, but because our love of God and desire to bring others to Him brought it forth.