All that Glitters is Not Gold

Why Buying An Olympic Gold Medal on eBay For $19,000 Won’t Help You Achieve Your Dreams in 2014!

For $18,995 and one click it could be yours on ebay—that is, if your dream is to have an Olympic gold medal in swimming. Whether or not the dream does anything for you after you click the BUY IT NOW button—well, that’s an entirely different matter.

Some dreams can be purchased with dollars. Others can only be earned after years of training and gallons of sweat. Just ask Michael Phelps, the all-time record holder for Olympic gold medals. Winning 18 total, he understands these precious medals don’t come without intense dedication and commitment.

Compare a deserved one—obtained by strict athletic training — to securing one through an ebay auction. When you obtain an Olympic gold medal with mere money, don’t expect your life to change much.

We see this similar phenomenon with lottery winners. Rather than thanking “Skill” and “Talent,” winners can only thank “Luck” and “Chance” instead. This is why lottery winners often act like losers. Headlines swirl all over the Internet with such stories:

How One Lottery Winner Blew Through $10 Million in Less Than 10 Years
Why Winning Powerball Won’t Make You Happy
70 percent of Americans who experience a sudden windfall will lose that money within a few years.

WHY THE LOTTERY WON’T HELP YOU MUCH

One of mentors John Maxwell says, “When you add value to yourself, you make you make yourself more valuable.”

I love that quote because it reveals the faulty logic of placing your hope in external factors to improve your situation. Maxwell knows that the only way you can improve your circumstances is to improve yourself.

Gold medals won’t help and neither will the winning lottery.

The purpose of your dream is not in achieving the dream itself, but rather becoming the person worthy of your dream.

Here’s what I know. Money doesn’t reward you or even ruin you. Instead, it simply reveals you. Interestingly, the majority of lottery winners experience personal and professional tragedy shortly after they achieve their “dream.” The late personal growth guru Jim Rohn explains why:

“Pity the man who inherits a million dollars and who isn’t a millionaire. Here’s what would be pitiful: If your income grew and you didn’t.”

Inheriting a windfall of money might seem appealing, but unless you grow into the person worthy of that money, your shortcomings will only be magnified with more money.

Rohn often distinguished between the person who earned a million dollars and the person who inherited a million dollars. Obviously, the person who legitimately earned the money has major advantages.

“After you become a millionaire, you can give all of your money away because what’s important is not the million dollars; what’s important is the person you have become in the process of becoming a millionaire.”

Don’t misunderstand me.

I have a big dream for 2014. Ironically though, my goal isn’t to simply achieve my dream. Instead, my goal is to become the person worthy of my dream.

And that’s something they don’t sell on ebay.

What’s one thing you’ll do in 2014 to become the type of person worthy of your dream?

 About the Author

Kary Oberbrunner left his day job to pursue his dream job—Igniting Souls.

Through his writing, speaking, and coaching, he helps individuals and organizations clarify who they are, why they are here, and where they should invest their time and energy.

The author of several books, Kary also serves as a founding partner on the John Maxwell Team.

Contact Kary at:  http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/karyoberbrunner/