IF YOU BELIEVE... by Joan Marques
The famous South African singer Roger Whittaker really got me thinking this
morning. Not about anything I had not heard earlier: it was more like a
renewed confrontation with a theory that has been contemplated many times
before. I was listening to the song "If I were a rich man," in which
Whittaker deliberated endlessly about his trips and skips if only he was an
itty-bitty rich: He wouldn't have to work hard; he would build himself a
humongous house with staircases for special purposes: one going up, an even
longer one coming down, and one more, leading nowhere just for show.He would
fill his yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks for the town to
hear them squawking just as noisily as they could, so that all those
outsiders could say, "Here lives a wealthy man!" You know, the way some
affluent people do?
But then, at the end, the singer wakes up from his wild dreams. He sighs,
and asks the higher power who made the lion and the lamb, and who decrees he
should be what he is, "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if I were a
wealthy man?"
And that's what did it for me today: That particular sentence that can be so
far-stretching if you want to take a profound look at it. And what I
realized brought renewed peace within me, because it made me understand that
the art of living lies in doing your very best at whatever you do, but not
push it too far, and not let your priorities get out of sight. I realized
how crucial it is not to live in overdrive all the time, just because there
is this goal that you want to achieve no matter what. And I realized that
everything may very well be predestined, so that it becomes of no use to try
to be what you will never be.
However, that being said, I also think that nothing will be achieved without
genuine effort. In other words: you can only be what you want to be if you
really work hard at it. Not if you just sit back and relax, and think, "Oh
well. If it was preordained for me to become a millionaire, I will be one,
even if I don't do anything."
Because, you see, I think that's the problem of many people who live under
more miserable circumstances than they probably should: they acquired
themselves a victimized outlook on their life, blaming their background,
culture, color, or disability, and considering themselves a lost case even
before the first round of their match has started. And so they dwell in
their desolation, and they refuse any constructive opportunity handed to
them, for they feel that they were born defeated.
And then, on the other hand, there are those who live so fanatically in the
fast lane that they tend to lose their humane perspectives. All that matters
to them is quantity, not quality of life. And they allow themselves to get
involved in all sorts of inconsiderate politics and backstabbing activities,
only to make one step ahead on the corporate ladder or earn a few dollars
more.
So, now that the two extremes have been displayed against each other, here's
in conclusion the essence of Whittaker's song to me: It's good to work hard,
and it's vital to be determined in reaching your goal. It's wise to stay
alert, and it's smart to do all the things that today's management theorists
teach us to do in order to stay in the game: Yes, we should maintain a
Rolodex with people that may be important to our progress in life. Yes, we
should regularly read new things to stay abreast and enhance our
creativeness. Yes, we should have a plan and work out a strategy toward
realizing our goal. And yes, we should not shy away from dreaming big,
because only those who dare to dream big make it big.
But we should never lose our serenity and sanity over our drive toward
accomplishment. The intrinsic part of everything we do should be centered on
happiness and humaneness. We can achieve all the things we want and still be
kind and respectful; trustworthy and honest; encouraging and helpful toward
others along the way. For if it fits in the vast eternal plan that we should
be wealthy, influential, and powerful, we will be.
Burbank, California; August 13, 2003; Joan Marques, MBA, Doctoral Candidate
(URL: http://www.joanmarques.com)
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About the Author:
Joan Marques, holds an MBA, is a doctoral candidate in Organizational
Leadership, and a university instructor in Business and Management in
Burbank, California. You may visit her web site at www.joanmarques.com
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