How Not To Succeed

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Last weekend I enjoyed a 12 mile hike through mountain trails with a good friend. The day was gorgeous, the scenery beautiful and the conversation stimulating. After our hike my friend told me an amazing story about the unlikely tragedy surrounding his company’s buy-out for more than $100 million dollars.

What’s amazing is how a successful buy-out could be a tragedy. After all, it is every entrepreneurs dream, and these four leaders who drove this company from feeble beginnings into a $100 million dollar pay-day should have enjoyed every minute of it. It sounds like a classic rags-to-riches story – the American dream come true – except there are some important details you are missing…

For example, the company founder worked non-stop, ridiculous hours and wore himself into the ground ignoring multiple health warnings. He ended up with a massive stroke at age 50 killing off a major portion of his brain and functionality. He now has difficulty walking no less enjoying the fruits of his success.

The CFO died within a year of selling the company (also at a a prematurely early age). The other main executive ended up in divorce with multiple health problems. Only my friend managed to maintain his health, marriage and sanity through the process of building the business. These men worked excruciatingly long hours under deep stress and paid the ultimate price.

The moral of the story is that is no way to succeed. It may be a cliche, but when you have your health you have everything. Living life in balance while pursuing financial gain is an essential part of the formula for true success. The founder of the company received $80 million, but I doubt anyone reading this post would swap their health for that money if it meant also having a stroke and becoming partially brain-dead.

The bottom line is don’t make the same mistake and sacrifice your health for success. Don’t miss your kids growing up or ignore your spouse. And don’t stop living at least one important dream every year. Money isn’t worth it. John Lennon wisely pointed out that “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. ” You can’t come back to the stuff that truly matters “someday” because someday you will run out of “somedays”.

Success is much more than money. Freedom is more than financial. You must pursue financial success with balance or risk everything you worked for in the process. Those men became financially rich… but they lost everything.

That is no way to succeed.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below…