The taboo of financial and professional success
A few years ago, I heard an interview with the successful boxer, Jean Pascal, who had great discomfort mentioning the amount he was receiving for his world championship fight. It was $2 million.
I said to myself: why does he seem ashamed to mention the amount he will receive to fight and retain his title of world boxing CHAMPION?
Then the answer dawned on me: he feared the judgment, the jealousy, the incomprehension of receiving $2 million to get punched. Having to justify that it was the right price for this type of event and recognition of his status as champion. Of all the sacrifices he had made as well as the consequences he will have to live with in the future following his many battles.
Unfortunately, I think the majority of us only see the $2 million and we may be jealous that we don’t get paid that much for our work. It could also be that we don’t understand the challenges of boxing and that our view of it is only about throwing and receiving punches.
The discussion is not about the salary of professional athletes, as we might wonder about the contract that was just handed to Shohei Ohtani (for those who do not know, he is an exceptional baseball player who will receive $700M for 10 years). However, if owners and managers pay such high salaries, it is because it is profitable for them. Let’s close the parenthesis…
Perception of success and promotion at work
If we put it all in a professional context, are we happy to see our colleagues progress? Is it more negative feelings that come out like jealousy and incomprehension? We have all seen shady promotions coming from political games or sometimes because of the last name of the person in question.
Is it that common or do we tend to pay more attention to it?
Are we able to look at the situation objectively even if we wanted the position in question?
Personally, I like to see people progress, grow, receive opportunities and promotions. I still sometimes question the validity of the choice, not out of jealousy, but simply with the information I have about the situation. But, I try to tell myself that there are surely elements that I don’t know about the situation and which justify the choice. This also allows me to believe that good people, in general, receive promotions.
The path to success and life choices
I currently listen to audiobooks while commuting and one of my latest books is Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wow! What a fascinating journey, because he started from nothing in Austria and ultimately became a great success story. When listening to him, what emerges is his clear vision of his objectives and that all his actions are oriented towards achieving them. Anything that does not allow him to move forward is put aside.
Are we capable of having such motivation? Of course yes, but are we choosing this somewhat extreme path according to his own words? No, because we prefer the comfort of routine or everyday life.
Let’s be clear, I’m not judging anyone, because I’m also in this situation. Listening to him, I came to the conclusion that I do not intend to make all these sacrifices and that the success I aspire to is more modest. I aspire, all the same, to always progress towards my goals and push my limits, but not to become Mr. Universe 😊.
The problem is that we envy the outcome (money, fame, power), but don’t know the journey. When we know about everything that was done to get to the finish line, we come to the conclusion that we probably would not have had the same tenacity and will to succeed.
Sure, comparing yourself to Arnold is a bit extreme, but there are examples all around us.
Recognize the value of support
Closer to me, in my entrepreneurial circle, I recently spoke with someone who came from a wealthy background: both parents are medical doctor and have paid for his first car and given him the 20% down payment for his first house. He denigrated himself, in his career, by diminishing the importance of what he had accomplished, because he had help from his parents. Was this financial security beneficial for him and reduced his stress level? Of course yes, but did his parents build his business for him? No.
Is his success less important because of this? No.
I had help from my parents for my university studies which allowed me not to work during my semesters. I placed RESPs for my two boys to help them with their future studies. Does this decrease academic or professional success?
There are several examples of people who come from wealthy backgrounds or who received money from their parents to help them in early adulthood and who lost it all or who have no concept of budgeting or asset management. There are several princesses and princes who believe that everything is their due and who behave execrably.
We all have a starting hand in life and some of us start with pocket aces (best starting hand in Texas Hold’em) and others with 7-2 offsuits (worst starting hand in Texas Hold’em). Head to head, the worst hand still has an 18% chance of winning.
It’s what we do with our starting hand that will determine how far we go in the tournament of life . Little wink to poker players (like me)
The real questions:
Are the only successes worth mentioning those where the person in question, like Arnold, started from scratch?
Is our relationship with success cultural and still influenced by our Quebec vision of being born for bits and scraps?
Is it we ourselves who are uncomfortable with our own success?
Carl-Michael Tessier
Coach in high-performance team development and tailor-made support
PS: A good book on the subject of success is: The 60 Laws of Success in Times of Crisis by Jeffrey Fox.
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