These days everyone tries to show themselves in the best light to the world, sell their good qualities and their achievements to those who are prepared to listen. Such sales pitch is not restricted to the workforce but is often carried over into the personal lives of various individuals. With that, modesty and respect for others is often lost in transition.
Our generation seems to only be interested in monetary success rather than in being a good human. More often than not people would measure how successful they are by their apparent ‘achievements’ in life in a form of physical possessions. Very rarely would you hear someone say “I’m very successful because I help others” or “I’m successful because I have a family, healthy kids and am happy and in love “. Instead, you would hear about that person’s job, house in a prestigious suburb, car, holiday or all of the above. And people tend to judge the success of others based on the values they exhibit themselves.
So when did we become so materialistic? When did success start to equate to having a large bank account and nothing else?
It appears that most of us would benefit from a lesson in humility. This includes trying to praise those people who help you instead of taking all the praise yourself more often, thanking others, showing appreciation of your life including your health and your loved ones, listening more when others speak and no longer judging others and their choices in life, as one day you may be in the same shoes.
In other words, start exhibiting some modesty and appreciation for your life and others around you, as it is a very attractive quality in a person. As C.S.Lewis put it: “true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less”. Praise your colleague when they have done a good job, tell your partner you love them more often, take time to see your parents, spend more time with your children and in all that remember that although money is the necessary evil, money does not bring happiness and it does not make you a better person.
'No problems - just projects!' By Jane Garber-Rosenzweig 
The current young family generation lives in a world where “What I own is who I am” – where “Fake it ’till you make it” are operating maxims.
As parents of 5 adult children and 7 grandchildren we have had an extraordinary opportunity to observe the value system of the generation we have created.
On the materialism axis it is impossible to compare my generation’s higher education focused, problem solving, service based value system to that of our children’s.
The capacity to move from “Me” to “We” is in short.
supply.
I entered the world of work in the 60’s. We were blessed with extraordinary career employment opportunity. We knew exactly who and what we were. We did not require ‘material’ props.
The current graduating generation can’t find a job. That failure is ours – not that of our grandchildren. Hence their current focus on “Me”.
We have earned a societal grade of F in our innovative ability to prepare our economy for the growth our children and grandchildren require to simulate the abundant opportunities we had.
It will require a generation to correct this economic and social shortcoming.
Humility is an ‘inside job’. It is a by product of a lifetime of continuing exponential personal growth through achievement in our education, our work and our family.
Let’s hope we can solve the shortcoming.
The financial, political and healthcare dysfunction we are witnessing in our US neighbor is a case study in our failure to prepare for the future.
Respectfully,
Dan Zwicker
Toronto Canada
Daniel H. Zwicker
B.Sc. (Hons.) P.Eng. CFP CLU CH.F.C. CFSB
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