Happy for Their Success

No one knows the true intentions of our thoughts and actions except for us. The scary thing is that we as humans are exceptional at finding justification for our thoughts and actions no matter how distorted and dysfunctional they may be.

I read (listened to) an awesome book last week called “Leadership and Self Deception” by the Arbinger Institute, actually I listened to it twice. One thought that really stuck with me is the question “when are you the most satisfied, when people fail or when they succeed?” It’s a question that I definitely had to put some self reflection into because I know at times towards certain people the answer to that question is embarrassing for me.

I don’t really think it’s necessary to go into a commentary of why wanting people to fail is a bad thing. But I do think it’s important for us to reflect on if that’s the case and if it is dig into why. Why do we hope others will fail? Is it so that we look better when they fail, because your opinions differ and you want yours to be right. or it is it more malicious like you just don’t like them and wish the worst for them? All of these reasons are deep seated in selfishness and hopefully that’s not who we want to be or how we want to live.

Maybe it’s time to turn our focus more outward, gain satisfaction by helping others succeed and grow. That’s the kind of satisfaction that is truly fulfilling. There’s so many people out there who need good influence in their lives and need to learn from others experiences, filling those roles is how we make a difference.