HeartSmart®

Greed 

Recently, there  been comments about people in the financial sector as being greedy and that they are evil.

These people are not evil. They are a product of a society that worships success and the wealth that is it’s measure.

In this capitalist society success is equated to happiness. Success is used by advertising companies to sell and promote their products. People are constantly bombarded with pictures of people standing in front of expensive cars, homes and leisure activities with smiles since childhood. Parents encourage and pressure their children to be successful. Society has been brain washed to think that once success and the wealth has been achieved then one will be happy.

Unfortunately, in most cases once the success goals have been achieved,  people are not finding the happiness they are so driven to have. They then search and are driven to find the happiness that society promises by accumulating more success and wealth.

They are driven to the point of becoming addicted. As in all addictions, the goal of getting that fix is the only focus. Nothing else matters.

Of course we will call these people evil, because  we are angry because we may have lost what we have worked so hard to achieve, wealth!

So, the question arises, what is the solution. Well, the solution is being forced upon us. We have to re­-evaluate our goals and values and what we have become.  

Instead of worshipping or admiring success and wealth, we can begin to worship such things, as friends, relationships, happiness, peace of mind,  self development, family, love, kindness, compassion,  caring, giving etc. This is exactly what is happening. 
 

This is the goal of the HeartSmart program to help people re-evaluate and grow

“You’re a coach”. This is what my wife replies when I make a mistake in my relationship with family or friends or to anyone.

Being a coach does not mean that I am perfect and that I do not make any mistakes. Actually, the process of becoming a coach has helped me to accept my imperfection as a human being and in so doing becoming perfect. So you see, in accepting ones imperfection one becomes a perfection human being.

So, in the process of becoming HeartSmart, I have let go of trying to be perfect. I still make mistakes but a lot less of them. When I do make a mistake I can recognize it and admit to it and make amends  if need be.

In my coaching what I offer people is my personal experience, knowledge and hopefully wisdom.  I have made mistakes and have learned from them. This is what I offer my clients. I do not offer them a perfect coach. Nor do I ask my clients to be perfect. Hopefully I will help people to learn how to recover from and learn  from their mistakes and accept their own imperfection,  

The other day a colleague was asking my advice how they should help a company. They had been hired to help the employees to perform better via a workshop. This reminded me of a parent who brings their child in for coaching because of his or her behaviour. So we coaches are being hired to be the surrogate managers and parents.

Actually, the managers/leaders are the ones who should have the coaching as should the parents.  

My colleague replied, yes sure blame the parents. Well, yes. It is time for managers of businesses and families to take responsibility for their employees and children. The response is, that they are by providing financially for them. But this not what children and adults need. They need leadership and leadership is about learning to lead, teach, motivate, love, care for etc.

Of course there are some problems that are not a result of bad management or parenting but in most cases it is.