Emporer's New Clothes

Beware of the naked man who offers to sell you the shirt off his back.

Remember the Danish fairy tale depicted by Hans Christian Andersen of the emperor whose delight and ego revolved around wearing the finest wardrobe? This 1837 story relates the tale of ego, vanity and swindlers. The crafty swindlers received the finest silk, most precious gold-cloth and large sums of money to weave the most elegant suit for the emperor. The secret of the con game was that anyone unfit for their office could not see the fabric. Read the full story at http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html.

Ah the perils of ego, vanity and dishonesty. When you truly desire to serve others and improve lives, dishonesty never enters the picture. Ego gets set aside in favor of customer service. Lead with your ego and you may be parading through the streets without your clothes. Now that is a sight to consider. Lead with your ego and you become vulnerable to the swindlers. Like minds do tend to associate. Remember the old “birds of a feather tend to flock together” saying.

Just as the swindlers took the finest cloth and large sums of money and delivered nothing, so the naked man can not sell you something he does not possess. Relying on ego and greed has corrupted many a man. As Napoleon Hill stated in “Think and Grow Rich, “Taking the path of least resistance has made all rivers and some men crooked.”

How do you want your legacy to read? Are you ego driven and perhaps a bit crooked or value oriented? If a man gains the whole world but loses his soul, he has nothing. What is your driving motivation? Sure I know you are not running a business for the practice. I get that. You will either be remembered for the problems you solve or the problems you create. Abraham Lincoln and Adolph Hitler are both remembered - one for the problems he solved and one for the problems he created.

How would you like your legacy to read? Would you like to be remembered as the man with the ego so strong that he walked around naked pretending to be elegantly dressed? Would you like to be remembered as the person who swindled others in order to gain his fortune or the person who provided so much value that he achieved wealth? Personally, my mission in life has always been to deliver value, inspiration and enjoyment. Value must be short term and long term and far exceed the cost involved. Providing information which is essential not only to move one’s personal life forward but also to improve their professional life represents extreme value.

Correlation? Mindset, emotions and values play a significant role in our lives. Even though many do not want to recognize that fact or do anything about it, does not negate the truth. Do an honest personal check. Are you creating problems or solving them? Are you earning by swindling or providing value?

Just like the emperor with no clothes or the naked man, be certain you are practicing solid values. The naked man can not give you something he does not have. The emperor can not even see beyond his ego and vanity. Where is your mindset? Ego, vanity and greed are frequent bed-fellows. How do you want your legacy to read?