I saw a posting on Facebook that read something like, “Big houses, expensive cars, designers, and a fancy lifestyle is not wealth. It’s debt. Wealth is time, freedom (from debt), real friends, genuine good times, options and health.” I recently came across an article in the New York Times about a family of four that seemingly had it all including a 5,500 square foot home in the Hamptons, a 4,400 square foot townhouse in Manhattan which they rented to keep up appearances for $47,000 per month, plus a $1million speedboat—all of which were financed with debt. As Neil J. Young, an historian who is writing a book about the Hamptons said, “This place is predicated, for a certain set, on showing off. It’s the things one has, the things one does out here—from the restaurants to the workouts to the parties. But it’s a place where you can get overextended really quickly, where a house of cards can suddenly collapse.” That’s exactly what happened to this family and when it did, the husband took his own life, and the wife was saddled with a huge mountain of debt and the unenviable task of sorting this whole mess out. Yes, it looked like they were living the dream, but it was all an illusion. I’ll take real friends and genuine good times any day!!
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Recommended Reading
Leading from the Back: To Achieve The Impossible
Are you looking for a leadership model that is uncomplicated, easy to use and produces amazing results? If so, then Leading from the Back is for you! In it you will find everything you need to become a superstar leader. You will learn how to earn respect from your team members and help them in achieving the impossible. No more learning about numerous principles and laws of leadership. Just a three-part model that has an amazing track record of proven success.
Through an engaging parable about the travails of an upcoming young manager, Shiv Kundra, whose leadership style hampers both his ability to lead and his ability to deliver, the authors outline the fascinating concept of ‘leading from the back’.
Leading from the Back is a distillation of the collective experience and wisdom of Ravi Kant (former CEO, vice chairman, Tata Motors), Harry Paul (co-author of the bestseller FISH! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results) and Ross Reck (co-author of The Win-Win Negotiator).
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