In my quest to business success and our quest to inspire people I am asking myself more and more what people really want and whether I or we have the right or duty to interfere with that.
Last night I happened to spend some time in the cheapest type of karaoke bar in The Philippines where people were just having fun drinking, smoking and singing together. And nearby where I live there is also a very small and simple karaoke place where mostly the owner and his family just sing and drink. And do nothing else mostly.
And living in The Philippines for quite a while my opinion in general is that Filipinos are very happy people. They are or seem to focus on happiness and togetherness, not on ‘success’ in a more western type of view, like career and money. I know there is more to this, as this type of Filipino happiness might also be some kind of way of dealing with poverty, real poverty, like nothing to eat.
And comparing myself I also often ask myself if I shouldn’t just ‘stop’ with my ambitions in career and finance and stuff as my work seems to have not been of any use to anyone, at least most people seem to have not been really happy with the work I have been doing, either as a customer, a boss, or an employee. As I am very persistent (or stubborn) I have basically always stood up again after business defeat: find a new job after losing the old, starting a business, finding new customers after losing old customers, finding new employees after old employees left.
And besides how you could look at my career through the Principles of Success, I often ask myself whether I should not just stop with my business ventures, sell the house and just buy a hut on the beach or something and just do what many, especially poor, people do here: basically nothing, except smoking and chatting and drinking a bit. And what’s wrong with that anyhow? It’s a bit a similar issue as in the story about the Mexican fisherman (just search in Google for that).
So yes, should we inspire people to do more, be more, achieve more, dream more? Or not?
Looking forward to your comments.