FACADE

FAÇADE
So… I really took some time to think today. Me… alone… nothing but water, nature, and the elements above and around me. One thing that I truly love is the questioning of viewpoints. Ahh….the wonderful question of why. Why do we believe the way we do? How do our ideas become so subscribed that they show up continually and never change? Are we addicted to our beliefs much like our weekly TV shows and daily routines? Is it that we fear change or is it that immense a challenge to re-evaluate ourselves and our relationships?
One of my toughest Critics is Dr. Mary Maples. She is like a mother to me and is probably harder on me that anyone ever has been. She cuts to the point and lays it out – and sometimes it is literally enough to lay you out! She once told me that I needed to drop my façade – that I wasn’t as cool or as tough as I think I am. The way she said it crushed me – it bruised my ego – and god… did I hate her for this – but only for a moment. After I scurried away like a wounded animal – I went in my hole to die – or shall I say be reborn.
I am currently reading Alan Greenspan’s book – the Age of Turbulence – which lays out the economic history not only of America but that of the World and how the flattening effects of technology are changing the landscape forever. What can an Economist teach us about personal growth? Quite a bit actually… much like economies, people prosper and fail. Greenspan writes:
“The evidence suggests that rising incomes do raise happiness, but only up to a point in time. Beyond the point at which basic needs are met, happiness is a relative stat that, over the long run, is largely detached from e3conmic growth. The evidence shows it is determined mainly by how we view our lives and accomplishments relative to those of our peers. As prosperity spreads, or perhaps even as a result of its spread, many people fear competition and change that threaten their sense of status, which is critical to their self esteem. Happiness depends far more on how peoples incomes compare with those of their perceived peers, or even those of their role models, than on how they are doing in any absolute material sense”
How do we then measure success? Obviously those who are very successful in the working sense are greatly rewarded financially. The best sales people make the most. The best leader (theoretically) should by the president or CEO.
A couple of things….
I think:
The world is generally speaking – insecure. People depend on others – we need others to complete ourselves.
American culture is tied to success, ego, and image.

A couple of confessions:
Until the tumultuous downtown of our economy I identified too much with my success. Namely my monetary / investment success and my performance in the financial market at work.
I am full of shit. Yeah… I know a lot about a lot of things but I am not the expert. However – I am the pro of ‘fake it – till you make it’.
I try way too hard to impress people. My accomplishments are just that.. my accomplishments. The rest of the world does not need to know where I went to school, the type of car I drive, my GPA, or the stories of my success. They do, however, need to know that I am genuine, cultured, accepting, and a good person.