Exjackly

What is Rich?
A rich man decided to go on vacation to a faraway land, bringing his family with him to enjoy the experience.  When he arrived, he saw some friends and invited them to join him for the weekend.  The entire group went up into the mountains to the private retreat.

The first evening, everybody was having a great time after dinner when they were interrupted by a big ball of smoke exploding in their midst.  As the music died and the smoke cleared a small, stout man with a fat cigar and a smile on his face could be seen.

‘What madness is this?” yelled the rich man.

“I am here to show you the greatest collection of riches in the world.  It will be yours if you want it” said the rotund rascal.  “All you must do is to follow me.”

That got everybody’s attention.  There was some talk about what kind of joke it might be, but curiosity got the best of everybody.  In a matter of minutes, everybody had their coats on and car keys in hand.  “Where are we going?” was the most common question.

“You will not need your keys.  Just follow me out and up.”  With a quick whirl the man turned toward the door and ran out.  Once outside he turned back, inhaled on the cigar until everybody could see the glowing ember, and once there was motion to follow, he continued on his way.

The rich man quickly made his way to the front of the pack.  At first, the going was easy as they walked across lush lawns under bright sunlight.  Still, looking back it could be seen that the group was spreading apart.  The rich man had no problems keeping just a few yards back from their guide.

As they continued, the way became rockier and started going uphill.  It began to darken as a mist came up and the moon waned.  The guide continued on, not looking back.  The rich man looked back less and less, but each time he did there were fewer and fewer friends and family behind.  His wife was the last one he saw before the fog closed in completely and following became more about listening than seeing.

After some time the fog began to clear.  The way grew less steep and much smoother.

The portly man was waiting for him, sitting on an old stone bench, still smoking the same cigar.  Beyond him were two doors, both open, both brightly lit.

Pointing at the doors with his cigar, he said, “You must choose which one you live for.  Whichever door you choose, at some point you will regret that you did not choose the other.  One of these doors is to the friends and family that helped and followed you on your way to here.  Behind the other are the riches you thought I was going to lead you to.”

“Choose financial wealth and you will still have friends and family.  You will still enjoy time with them.  What will be less is the amount of time you spend with them and your bonds will be fewer and not as strong.”

“Choose friends and family and you will still have financial riches.  You will miss many opportunities to expand your financial holdings in exchange.  This choice is not exclusive.  Instead, it is about how you measure success.  The way you measure success determines how you will spend your time and effort, and thus how you will succeed.”

“Which do you choose?”

The rich man thought for some time.  He wanted both, but he knew that he could not strive for two goals with all his heart.  He loved his family and enjoyed his friends.  At the same time, his image of himself was measured in dollars and yen.  With resolution, he made his choice and walked through that door, knowing what he chose and why.

Do you know what door he chose?  There is not a wrong door to choose, although there is certainly a preferred one that most people will suggest to have been taken.

Think about what your choice of doors means and why you picked it.