Money, Motivation, Success and Who?

It was 7:30 on a Saturday morning, and I was setting up to do the opening keynote for the conference. For some reason--I have no idea why--the sound man thought his ten year old daughter would enjoy my presentation. He'd brought her with him to work.

Watching her father wiring this and plugging in that, the girl was soon as bored as only a ten year old can be. Eventually, she sauntered over to me.

"So who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm Barry Maher."

Overwhelmingly unimpressed, she asked, "And who the heck is Barry Maher?"

"I'm the speaker."

"Is that a big deal?"

I laughed. "Not apparently to you."

"Not if all you do is speak. Everyone speaks. Even my little brother speaks, and he's an idiot." Sighing dismissively, she spun and walked away, in search of something--anything--more interesting.

"And who are you?" I don't want to get particularly philosophical here, but obviously that's the most basic question we all face.

So who are you? Aside from being CEO of Amalgamated Amalgates, that is. If your self worth is dependent upon your work, I would suspect you might be heading for a fall, sooner or--at the very least--later, when retirement comes. There's more to you than what you do for a living. Or at least there should be.

I'm not my job and neither are you. No matter how successful or how unsuccessful we might be at those jobs. We all know some big career successes who are very unsuccessful people. And some who are very unhappy. None of us should be surprised that there are some very successful and very happy people--great friends, loving spouses, wonderful role models for their children--who have never cashed a big paycheck.

"His picture hangs on every wall," one self- described peon said of the company's chairman of the board. "His name is invoked in reverential tones. But aside from making himself very rich, what does he really do for the world? Besides making it safe for one more set of unnecessary, environmentally devastating, energy wasting products."

"He's helping to perpetuate a lot of jobs," I answered. "Yours included."

"He is. But judging by the happiness the people around here seem to be getting from those jobs, they may not be eulogizing him at his funeral for that."

Tip: If you're not impressed by your own career thus far, you might still be better off than you would be if you were successful by the standard definition of success. Especially if that's not really your definition.

A friend of mine once said of his business partner, "He's given up his life in the single-minded pursuit of wealth. And now, wealth is all he has. So he obsesses about losing it. Since he never had a life, he has no idea of what to do with his money, even if he had time to enjoy it, which he doesn't because he's so accustomed to the treadmill he can't even imagine getting off. Of course, the beautiful thing about the pursuit of money is that you've never got enough. So he keeps on chasing it, simply because he as no idea of what else to do with his life."

I like money is much as anyone, more than many. And a big title impresses. (It especially impresses small minds, those we're least interested in impressing). But we should never forget, this is business: quid pro quo. We always have to measure the value of what we're getting against the value of what we're giving up.

Who are you? And who do you really want to be?

© Copyright 2005, Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates, Las Vegas, Nevada

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.barrymaher.com

Barry Maher writes, speaks and consults on management, communication, motivation, leadership and sales. His books range from "Filling the Glass," ("[One of] The Seven Essential Popular Business Books" according to Today's Librarian magazine) to the cult classic fantasy novel, "Legend." His client list ranges from ABC to the National Lottery of Ireland to Verizon.

For conventions, conferences and meetings, Maher is an "expert keynote speaker, an inspirational motivational speaker and a worldclass trainer." Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.barrymaher.com or simply send a blank email to barrymaher-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

A nd when it comes to sales motivation and sales training, as Selling Power magazine says, "To his powerful and famous clients, Barry Maher is simply the best sales trainer in the business."

---

Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:05:39 GMT PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done - Detroit Free Press Boston Globe PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done Detroit Free Press - 6 hours ago BY JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Prosecutors rolled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plea deal into court Thursday praying the wheels wouldn't fall off. Detroit Mayor Acknowledges 'Poor Judgment' NPR Detroit mayor pleads guilty, to leave office Reuters DetNews.com - International Herald Tribune - The Associated Press - WWJ all 853 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:57:24 GMT In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem - Wall Street Journal In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago By GAUTAM NAIK After struggling for years to improve the treatment of cancer, scientists now hope to fight the disease with the help of the same techniques that deciphered the human genome eight years ago: mapping it. What You Need to Know About Mapping the Cancer Genome U.S. News & World Report Data on defective genes make tailored remedies possible Baltimore Sun Reuters - The Associated Press - Bloomberg - eFluxMedia all 261 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:01:28 GMT Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon - Xinhua Sydney Morning Herald Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon Xinhua - 2 hours ago BEIRUT, Sept.5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese ruling majority accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of interfering in Lebanese internal affairs and not recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty, local press Naharnet reported Friday. Video: Sarkozy in Syria : the press is divided france24english Editor's Notes: A losing battle, so far Jerusalem Post PRESS TV - Ynetnews - Ha'aretz - New York Times all 1,062 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:59:29 GMT Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) - Bloomberg AFP Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Juho Erkheikki Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, forecast a drop in third-quarter market share after competitors slashed prices and a new handset was delayed. Nokia Sees Market Share Slipping in Third Quarter Wall Street Journal Nokia Lowers its Third Quarter 2008 Mobile Device Market Share Outlook FOXBusiness MarketWatch - Reuters - TheStreet.com - The Associated Press all 138 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:50:07 GMT Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia - CNN International BBC News Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia CNN International - 1 hour ago By CNN's Matthew Chance MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia on Friday rejected sharp criticism by US Vice President Dick Cheney that its intervention in Georgia raises doubts about Moscow's reliability as an international partner. Video: Cheney Slams Russia for War Against Georgia AssociatedPress Russia says Cheney fanning Georgian aggression Reuters India Reuters UK - guardian.co.uk - RIA Novosti - Voice of America all 2,162 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:45:40 GMT Dell looks to sell factories worldwide - CNNMoney.com Wall Street Journal Dell looks to sell factories worldwide CNNMoney.com - 50 minutes ago By Scott Moritz Dell (DELL) is getting more serious about trimming costs and is exploring plans to sell its PC manufacturing plants, according to a news report Friday. Dell said to consider sale of factories MarketWatch Ahead of the Bell: Dell may sell plants, WSJ says Forbes Bloomberg - EETimes.com - BloggingStocks - Zacks.com all 83 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:09 GMT Reviews of McCain's speech - MSNBC Telegraph.co.uk Reviews of McCain's speech MSNBC - 30 minutes ago The AP’s Ron Fournier says McCain “preached bipartisanship and unity from a stage retooled to carry him out to the Republican faithful. McCain: I work for you CNN Political Ticker ‘Change is coming,’ McCain tells GOP in speech Kansas City Star CNN - Houston Chronicle - Forbes - Chicago Sun-Times all 906 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:35:16 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon Tool

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Make a Difference - Sweat the Small Stuff First

My background is in retail management - yes, running stores,... Read More

What are Your Best Practices?

Best Practices StudiesThese studies can be defined as inquiries into... Read More

Planning For Growth

Are you planning your business or are you... Read More

Innovation Management ? how will we make the go or kill decisions?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Training Managers and New Trainers

Training managers use many of the same interpersonal and analytical... Read More

The Myth Of Relationship Selling Revealed At Last

The second you quit being the 'best deal' for your... Read More

The DNA of Motivation

It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More

Birds of a Feather May Be Turkeys

Birds of a Feather May Be TurkeysBy Gene Griessman, PhD... Read More

Communicating CEOs

I see a PR firm has done a survey on... Read More

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More

6 Steps To Effective Management During Change

Take the pain out of gain and decrease the upheaval... Read More

Are you NICE or do you CARE?

Are you NICE or do you CARE? ... Read More

Human Resource Employee Risk Profile - Management Risks Explained

Human Resource Employee Risk ProfileIs your business at risk? Do... Read More

Teamwork Training: Learning to Build a Successful Team

Teamwork is a process that can be experienced outdoors and... Read More

Overcoming Perfectionism

Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing... Read More

Management Consultants, Creativity, Innovation

Most firms have intelligent, capable, knowledgeable managers who are very... Read More

Use Noncompete Agreements To Protect Your Business

Q: One of my former employees has launched an online... Read More

A Comprehensive Sarbanes Oxley Act Summary

Individual and corporate security stand in the center of the... Read More

Stopping The Brain Drain: How To Capture Key Business Knowledge Before It Walks Out The Door

The verdict is in: More and more baby boomers will... Read More

Too Much Time Treating Symptoms

A man drives down the highway each day on his... Read More

You?re Hired, Now Go Home: Managing Workers at a Distance

Telecommuting or virtual work opens up a wider net of... Read More

Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal

PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to... Read More

ISO 9001 Okay Now You Have It How Do You Market It?

Marketing ISO 9001 2000.Lately we've been seeing a lot of... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 2

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More