Some mornings I glance at all the headlines in the business sections of the newspapers, and my head drops in dismay. You know how much I love and respect business, how I deem it a powerful engine, perhaps the most powerful in this world. I’m dismayed though, by the number of stories I read or hear about with no concept of “enough.”
It just seems to be all about “more.” It may be about more money, more luxury, more houses, more sex, more power, more celebrity – just more of everything. And I wonder if these people in the headlines or even people on the street have knowledge of the peace and happiness that comes with the sense of “enough.”
Some recent news stories describe insider trading. There are investigations going on and those who are named “involved” may very well be innocent of any wrongdoing. What piques my interest though is why would they want more? And why would they risk losing a lot – if not everything – in acquiring more money when they already have more than most of us can imagine?
There are always stories about business moguls who seem to have insatiable appetites for more and different sexual experiences, the risk be damned. How many times do we read of people in the top tier of huge business organizations who are paid vast amounts of money, yet turn away when questioned about raising pay for their thousands of employees on minimum wage? Wouldn’t they sleep better at night knowing that everyone within the organization is at least making enough to avoid depending on public assistance?
Wouldn’t that be a gift to all of us?
Then there are all the people, in your life and mine, who are on a nearly constant quest for more – and supposedly better – technology. I am aware of obsolescence, and that sometimes our personal and business lives can be remarkably streamlined by conversion to an upgraded system, or new phones, or automobiles with the latest gadgets. I’ve also known of individuals and organizations who invested all kinds of time, energy and funds into new technology to find it did not pay off. As for my wonderful little phone, until it crumples up and dies, it is quite enough for me.
I could talk about security while on this topic. Job security? That went out a long time ago.
Even identity is not secure, no matter how far we go to supposedly protect it. How many cameras, alarms and guards provide you with enough security to keep your building safe at three in the morning? What is enough? It seems there are no secrets now, so how far do we go in the mission to protect whatever secrets we think we have tucked away? How many walls can we build to keep our organizations – or our children – safe?
I meandered into this “more or enough” thinking quite a few years ago – about restaurants, of all things. I really love great restaurants, whether they offer fine dining or wonderful fare atop a rustic picnic table. For quite a while this became all about more. Friends were always bringing me news of restaurants they found. They might be located right in my village or on some remote island. My reaction was “Oh, I’ll have to try that one!” It seemed never ending. Then one day I was blessed with the realization that the restaurants I already knew were – guess what – good enough.
In Milwaukee, Grenadiers was open then, and part of my realization. Hey, this is good enough, isn’t it? Now I still take pleasure in a new dining discovery, but the fever around it is gone. If I never venture outside of my favorites around the world – it will be fine.
You may want to muse on those concepts yourself. I’m all for growth in business and personal life. I’ll probably always want more learning, more good books and more time with my loved ones. Still, there are many areas where I am content with enough, and for that I’m very grateful.
Or hopefully, grateful enough.
Jo Gorissen is a certified transition coach and a former Milwaukee area resident. Her website is www.coachingconbrio.com and she can be reached at (414) 305-3459.
