The secret to success I was not expecting
Many moons ago I was pretty hung up on the idea of pursuing wealth and creating a fortune, now nothing at all wrong with that but my personal priorities have changed a lot since those days.
But during my fortune hunting endeavours, I used to write a personal development newsletter and interviewed some successful business owners that achieved a high level of success (most who I met during my days managing a Mercedes-Benz dealership).
There was one of these interviews however that really shifted my gears and it also ended up being the last of those kind of interviews.
This guy was worth a trailer load of money, the wealthiest guy I had met and he was in his mid 40’s (the house he lived in at the time was worth over $10 million 15 years ago). Had a wonderful family and was really living the western world dream.
And more importantly incredibly humble with zero pretension.
He was a natural starter for my search for the secrets to success and he agreed to catch up for a coffee and an interview.
An interview that caught me off guard, massively.
So I start asking the scripted questions: what’s your secret to your success, what drove you, if you could go back in time what would you say to your 20 year old self. You know the ones.
But he ended up cutting through all that.
“Rich, you know what you really want to know don’t you? It is nothing to do with any of those questions.”
Ah, no, pretty sure if I can understand all that, I can emulate, model and start to follow suit… and hopefully make a fortune as well and start living the dream!
“Nope, you don’t.”
Here’s where it went a little mystical. And confronting as we were sitting in a food court in a large shopping mall.
“Rich give me both your hands”
Yeah, yeah, I hear you, I thought the same thing.
Hmm, okay, what the… your freaking me out a little here. But I figured he was about to give me some powerhouse insight into the money market or a secret illuminati handshake.
So there we sat – remember in a food court in a shopping mall – Elbows on the tables and he held both my hands.
“Now close your eyes.”
Hold on, now I’m starting to get more than a little concerned, my inner dialogue screaming at me “what in the world is going on, what is everyone going to think…” I am sure you get the idea.
But I thought what the hell, if this is the secret to untold fortune, I’m playing all in.
The first few minutes my mind was still running the what will people think dialogue.
But then it all disappeared.
All the noise and all the internal mind chatter.
My mind was totally at peace, no thought, total surrender and I kinda felt like I was sitting on the top of a stunning mountain, bathed in nature just a whole lot of love and light. I felt so connected to a source beyond myself. Then after a few minutes he brought me out and back into the smell and sounds of Maccas and the masses.
It was incredibly profound and beyond logic.
And reflecting on this now, seems fanciful, but this was legit.
Now I knew this guy was a very spiritual guy – from our previous conversations.
But this was next level, kinda like he had some psychic ability, like he actually saw in my youthful crazy mind, searching for answers for self worth in the material world. A quest that no matter if achieved or not would never deliver fulfilment. So he decided to intervene and bring me back to the search for self fulfilment rather than material fulfilment (a search that I was on prior to my wealth pursuits).
And this was from a guy who literally had everything money could buy. He used it wisely as a tool to experience life but did not judge himself or others based on wealth. So really in a position of authority to advise that fulfilment does not come from wealth.
Like Jim Carrey’s saying: “I wish everyone could experience fame and fortune so they can see it is not the answer”.
Yet the power of the western system drags us into this myth and pursuit where we continually exchange our time for money, now I’m not one of those guys that gets too hung up on this, I get it we need to partake, serve and support but the biggest issue is when we attach ourselves, our sense of self to what we do, how much we earn or how much we do not. Success is great and man has achieved so many amazing things.
Here’s the great thing about Vedic Philosophy as per Maharishi saying: Life is given to enjoy, one should live 200% of life.
Ambitions and desires are a way to grow in life and we live 100% with a rich inner life and 100% in the relative world.
What’s that mean?
Well our happiness, contentment and fulfilment comes from within yet we still live in the relative world and get to play full out in that realm to, so if we want nice cars, houses, clothes, what ever it may be, we can. But with no attachment as they really at the end of the day mean nothing. Its the love in our heart, the joy in our minds and light in our eyes that cultivates true happiness.
Hence why some with everything are so miserable and some with nothing can be so happy.