One day my friend and I were having a conversation (or this day it is more like chatting than talking) about our future and family. Well, to be honest it is still far away from me. My friend is way ahead in terms of these things. For example, my friend is currently working and planning for marriage. As for me, I'm still stuck studying for my Master degree.
In the past, I was amazed by how much money many CEOs and any other executive board members earned every year. There was one time my father showed me earning figures of CEOs of Fortune-500 companies. Among the top of the list for that year (which I unfortunately have forgotten) is the wage of Coca-cola company's CEO which amounted to USD100million. My thought was "would I be able to earn that much of money in the future?".
I have always remembered that time. I started my undergraduate study in business a few year back and that thought have stayed with me for quite a while. I admired those people that could make it to the top. Those that have money and power. I wanted to be just like them. Successful, rich and powerful. Perhaps that is why business is rather an obvious choice for my study.
People say that the older you get the wiser you will be. Or should be. It might be that or perhaps just a simple realisation moment that I had as I move on with my life. I come to realise that what I have imagined to be ideal future dream before was just a plain foolishness. I come to an understanding that money is not everything. Power is not everything. When you succumb to this thought to earn as much money as you can, you are starting a life of misery. You will always be on a search and yet you will never find what you aim for. You will never be satisfied with one house that you have or perhaps one motorcycle that you own. You want more, more and more. You want your first Toyota, your first Mercedes, your first Ferrari, and so on.
I realise now that life is much more than that. Life is not about on a constant search of your dreams. At some point you need to decide for yourself whether you want to stop or not. Your dream is your creation and it should not supersede you. You should be the controller of your life and not some goals. I'm not saying that you should not have a dream but instead you should know when to be realistic. When to stop dreaming and start treasuring your life. Life is not perfect no matter how much money or power you have. Life is not about having a dream. Life is about living your life everyday to the fullest. It is about how to be happy and glad for what you have today. And it is about how satisfy are you with your effort to be a better man along the way. A better person for you, your family, friends and community.
Back to my conversation with my friend. I said to her that I'm not looking for the best paying job around nor aiming to be the richest CEO in this planet. I want to work in something that I enjoy not because it pays me tons of money but because I like the job. Some of you may not have that chance anymore. But you can always choose to make the best out of the situation that you have. Life your day gladly and be happy for what you have. You may not always succeed in life but you can always be worked hard and be satisfied with what you have.
So, how rich do I want to be? Well, I want to be rich in happiness and satisfaction from knowing that I have done my best everyday. I don't want to be the richest man on this planet nor I want to be the most powerful man around. I want to be able to enjoy my day and be merry for what I have. What about you?
