Objectivism - A Solid Foundation for Success
“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” Ayn Rand, Appendix to Atlas Shrugged Many people still ask the question, “why are we here?" We are all here sharing this time and place too… We each must find our own answer. In Ayn’s quote she gives us three constants which serve as a solid foundation from which to explore:
- We are heroic beings
- Our own happiness is our moral purpose in life
- Productive achievement is our noblest activity
Since I can’t tell you what your answer is I’ll tell you mine. In order for me to be heroic I feel I must be bettering society – it makes me happy – by being successful I complete the circle. I leave it to the law of reciprocity to drive my economic engine. My Dad always told me to do what I love and the money will come, so far it’s worked. Jim Collins who wrote a book called “From Good to Great” has another version of the three circles which he calls the “Hedgehog Concept” which I have found exceptional useful in my personal and work life. I believe Jim has designed a universal formula for success [and happiness].
The similarities between Jim and Ayn’s three constants can only been seen when we realize they drive us to the same place "centeredness" – this is key! Where are you going? “To be in hell is to drift; to be in heaven is to steer.” George Bernard Shaw. I believe you can get anywhere in life if you know where you want to go. It wasn’t too long ago that someone wanted to go to the moon and get there they did. Before that someone wanted to simple fly.
TAKE ACTION AND IMPLEMENT
Where do you want to go? What things do you need to get there? Your destination doesn’t have to be a place, it can be a lifestyle, or even a state of being. Once you have the answer break the journey up into small manageable steps. [Bon-voyage!]
