It was 2013, I was on a trip to Hawaii. My friend Juergen did show me around the exotic island. However, I would not have felt complete without a visit to the local Toastmasters club. The Aloha spirit of hospitality was all over, the local Toastmasters community was no different and I thoroughly enjoyed delivering a prepared speech in Winner’s circle Toastmasters club near Waikiki beach.
After two days, I got a text from Toastmaster Carl Takata checking if I was free for dinner, in no cost would I miss the opportunity to connect outside the regular meeting. His wife July and Carl turned out to be great hosts. Being an Inbound tour operator in Kathmandu, I was looking for Hawaii-based outbound tour operators. Carl had a solution; he told me about the local newspaper that published classified ads of tours around the world if I wanted to take a look. He drove me to his office (Edward Jones, an Investment company) where he handed me the newspaper. I did note a few leads and made cold calls the following days. I was lucky enough to get appointments and one of them converted into a business. I was indeed very grateful to Carl for his spontaneous help.
As much as I appreciated his kind gesture in finding the business lead, I was equally grateful to the opportunity to click an eye-catching quote by Ted Jones in his office. Ted, the owner of Edward Jones, claimed to be the richest man in America.
Though I knew Bill Gates was the richest man in the world around that time, Ted’s claim caught my curiosity so further divulged into what was written and after a closer look, I couldn’t have agreed more.
It was a profound insight that I would always value. Needless to say, we always measure success or wealth only in terms of money or material possessions. It made me think of Gautam Buddha who at the age of 29 years with all the Royal status and earthly possessions chose to give it all up to find the true purpose of life. His insights are still valued 2500 years later when people in modern time have no idea what they are running towards but yet are running sacrificing peace without purpose.
There might be a clash of opinion between the Forbes ranking about the richest people and Ted’s claim; a simple example of Mother Teresa who lived in a minimalistic 8 x 10 ft bedroom in Calcutta and yet had the world respected her as a symbol of compassion. She was surely not the richest woman if we calculate her net worth but she surely would rank in the top 3 of all times for her self worth not for cash flow but for the limitless compassion flow that made millions of lives better.
There are many examples of people who touched other’s lives, lifted countless souls and healed innumerable wounds going beyond their national borders. Needless to say, it is the willingness to serve the world that counts more than the material possessions. At the present time of COVID pandemic, it is even more important how we help others in finding their meaning of life.
Whenever I recall the visit to Hawaii, I think of Ted Jones who lived to impress himself rather than to impress the world. When asked why he was not interested in taking Edward Jones public and becoming a millionaire, his reply was simply profound.
Needless to say, money is an absolute necessity to all but it is always important to remind ourselves that it is not money and status that defines us in the end; humanity is what makes us true humans. After the life-threating wake-up call by COVID, the world will pat the back of the humans who will take up the trips in order to learn, grow and impress inner-self. This in return helps the world to sustain and thrive for all.
