Wisdom from Oprah

I was reading an article about a Harvard case study that involved Oprah. You know I am really an MBA student when I am reading about Harvard case studies during my summer! haha
The article talked about the process of creating the case and how after years of working with the Harpo group (found out that Harpo is Oprah backwards haha) Oprah actually came in to speak to the Harvard MBA class.
It was an interesting article, but what really struck me were some of her comments about our desires for money and how this desire can only drive a person for so long:

"If you only desire to make money, you can do that. Obviously, everybody in here is going to make money. Everybody in here is going to have a level of financial success that most people in the world will not know. But what I will tell you—and I know this for sure too—that the money only lasts for a while in terms of making you feel great about yourself. In the beginning, the money is to get nice things. And once you've gotten those nice things, I think some of the most unhappy people I know are the people who've acquired all the things and now they feel like, 'What else is there?' What else is there? What else is there? And that feeling of 'what else is there' is the calling—is the calling trying to say to you [that] there is more than this. There is more than this."

I find so much truth in this statement! I find that so many people are driven by the desire for more money and more things. This is especially true with business people. I found it very interesting a year ago at orientation for the MBA program, we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class, and many students said that they were planning to major in Finance because they wanted to make lots of money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but this will never satisfy a person. More things will never satisfy. We can always desire to make more money, or to have a bigger house, or a better car. It never ends, there is always more to own or possess. There is always a desire for more.

What else is there? What is your calling?

Oprah went on to say:
"There is the voice that everybody hears that is your parents' voice, your professor's [voice], it's the world's voice saying to you, "you should do this, you should be this, you ought to, you got to." And then there is the still small voice—for some people it's not so small—inside of every human being that calls you to something that is greater than yourself."

What are you called to do? How can you make an impact on this world that goes beyond making more money and owning a bigger house? What impact can you make that can be left behind? When we die we can't bring our money with us, we can't bring our car, we can't bring our house or our boat. In reality, very few of us will even be remembered 4 generations from now! Can you even name your great, great grandparents, let alone know if they had lots of money or a nice house? I think I know one of my great grandparents names! We can accumulate money for future generations, but that legacy will only last so long, whereas the legacy of time, relationship, and faith can be passed on for generations. People are not remembered for the stuff they accumulated or how much money they made, but for the impact they had on this earth, and the people in it, positive or negative.

I do not know what Oprah believes as far as faith, religion, or the after life, but there is a lot of truth in what she shared with the Harvard MBA class. We can't take our possessions with us when we die, but we can make an impact while on earth. Making a difference while on earth is much more valuable and satisfying than continuing to reach for more finances and possessions that never fully satisfy.

I believe that Christ died for my sins and is preparing a place for me in heaven, I have put my faith in Him and this should and has changed my desires and goals while on earth. Money is a necessity in life, but money is not what drives me. Accumulating possessions and money is only temporary, I want to have an impact for eternity. It is much more valuable to spend hours having an impact on people through friendships and serving than spending more time in the office to bring home money and possessions that will rust and fade.

Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

I encourage you to think about these questions:

What else is there? What do you desire? What really satisfies?

What are you called to? How can you make a real impact on this world, now and after you die? How can your hours be best spent? Eating supper with your family or friends, or more hours alone in the office?