I recently posted to challenge you to think about what you are in pursuit of and now I want to talk about the personal results of your pursuit.  If someone recognizes you out in public they might yell your name and come over to say hello if you have had good interactions in the past with them or they might pretend they did not see you and keep on moving hoping that you didn’t recognize them.  Which option feels better in your mind?

It’s not about pleasing people, its just about being good

I would definitely want someone to say hello and know that we have a positive connection rather than someone not wanting to say hello because of how I treated them or made them feel.  Now keep in mind that we cannot possibly please everyone and in fact we should not really be trying to please people. Some people might never like us no matter how nice we are to them.  Having people like you, or having a good name is absolutely not about being a people pleaser. Instead it is about being a good person, having honorable intentions all the time and taking care of those around you when it’s possible in a healthy manner for both them and you.  

We can’t be best friends with everyone but we can be nice

Part of being a good person is sometimes serving others without benefit to yourself.  Being nice to the person that’s not nice to you and living a life that makes people want to be like you because of who you are at the core.  This doesn’t mean you need to be best friends with people that are not nice it really just means you can treat them respectfully when you do interact with them.  By all means keep your distance and protect yourself but be nice when you do meet.

I think we need to focus on loving others more, not loving money or things

Having a good name is a concept that I feel has really been lost in society today.  Instead, the majority of us feel like it’s all about what we can get for ourselves, how we can further our goals and just focusing on how can we get more stuff.  When we live our lives solely focused on ourselves and how we can get what we want we become self centered. Generally people are not trying really hard to be close to self centered people…unless of course those people can help further their own self centered life in some way.  

Doing positive things, being a good person earns you a good name

I personally do not want to be that kind of a person, or follow that kind of person.  I want to be generous, giving, loving and I want to have a good name that people know because of the good person I am and the positive things I have done for those around me in a healthy way.  Doesn’t that sound nice? Doesn’t that sound more fulfilling than having everything you ever wanted but getting there by wrecking someone else’s life?

I definitely believe that having a good name and being a good person is so much more desirable in the long run than having lots of money and not being a good person.  If you believe that money and stuff is more important than any relationship in life it’s definitely time to rethink your life strategy. If you would use any means to get to the top regardless of who you step on in your journey, is it really worth it?  Once you get there and look around at all the devastation you created in your climb are you really going to feel good about it?

Feeling good about having everything you want only lasts so long

If you feel good about getting your way by running over everyone around you then it will only be for a short time until you realize you destroyed every relationship and there is no one left to enjoy your success with.  When you realize your name is passed around like a dirty word by everyone around you…what then? It’s not worth it, I am telling you it is not worth it. There is no ultimate fulfillment in money or things, but there is fulfillment in being a good person and having a good name.  Being a person that others can rely on and that will support those around them however they can. There you will find joy and fulfillment, there you will find your way to true riches.