Weekly       eCoach

BORA Consulting - Consultancy for Entrepreneurs - Ralf Borlinghaus
contact: ralf.borlinghaus@bora-consulting.com, +41 44 58 66 157

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." Albert Einstein

Does striving for success conflicts to become a man of value? As a value driven person you only can put all your energy in achieving your targets if the contradiction between success and ethics is neutralized by the definition of what success really mean to you. If not, you will get into inner conflict - consciously or unconsciously - by always putting into question of what you are doing and striving for. That takes away your power and vitality. And if you refuse to listen to that inner voice, it will continue working subconsciously and come up again with unhappiness and illness.

Therefore, it is necessary not to addict to superficial definitions of success. Clarification of what to achieve with ones own life requires attention against oneself and ones needs: What does partnership, family, friends, social and cultural life, health, spiritualism and hobbies mean to you? - Some are  successful in terms of money and power, however, privately they feel absolutely miserably. Others dedicated the best years of their life to the family and are proud of well gotten kids, however, they have the deep feeling that other essential talents haven't been developed yet. Others do manage career and family perfectly, however, they feel burnt out and overburdened.

So you cannot do it correctly? - The examples show that there is no right or wrong. The challenge is to find ones own way and to go it consequently. So many great things would not have been achieved, if single human beings would not have been fully dedicated to it. To prescribe a work-life-balance policy with defined working and recreation hours would have been contra productive. Others would perish without the harmony of a well regulated working life.

The post-modern society with its anything goes attitude is indifferent towards possible layouts of life. Therefore, the question for successful life has to be answered by everyone him- or herself. However, life is not a supermarket where nice products just have to be put in the basket, be paid and be consumed afterwards. Moreover, we have to look for appropriate environments and contexts of life, where our potential can become real.

The contradiction between success orientation and ones ethical standards is solved, if ones personal values are considered in ones targets and become an essential part of it. This awareness towards oneselve leads to a biographic decisiveness, which confirms ones biographical layout and helps to move forward consequently.

 Your comment is welcome

"We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom."

Steven Vincent Benét, 1898-1943
                                                              

Ethics In Daily Life                                                      

Strategic Self-Manager                                               

"ETHICS - I'll Never
Leave Home Without Them"

By the way, there are some ethical standards to be applied anyway, otherwise...