Apart from the goals you have – the things you desire to achieve – what else guides you in life? Do you have any guiding principles at all?

Let me try and flesh this out for you. You want to be rich but in the process of trying to be rich what are your principles? Do you want to be rich at all costs? Would you cheat? Would you steal? Would you lie? Or do you have principles that lead you away from those things?

Many people that I have had conversations with on these matters usually give no clear-cut answers. They respond by telling me it all depends on what I mean by cheating, or stealing or lying.

For example they might say something like, “If I put that I have five years experience in a certain field and I only have three that is not lying, I am only stretching the truth a little. Furthermore it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

They might even go further and rationalize that everyone does it so it is alright; it is part of the process to get ahead.                                                                                        

What would be your response to such arguments? Do you ever shade the truth a little in order to get by, get ahead or not get in trouble? At what point do you stop if you do?

I asked a group of young men if they would lie to their spouse. Of the roughly 24 in the group, 22 told me it is mandatory that you lie sometimes if you want to maintain peace in the house. A few others said they would lie in order to pull off a surprise for their wives.                                                 

My point in all of this is to let you know that achieving success in the sense of becoming rich, acquiring things, gaining status and position in life by whatever means necessary can leave you a poor person indeed. You can achieve these things and not be much of a person at all.

People climb to the top and sometimes fall to the bottom because they lack any guiding principles of a moral nature or they refuse to be influenced by those they have been taught. The Enron scandal where so many people suffered because of a few people’s dishonesty is a clear example.

But dishonesty and stealing and cheating hurt people on a smaller level every day.                                         

I have found a general statement that my grandmother and a lot of the older generation use as one of their guiding principles to be very helpful. It says, “It is not what you acquire in life that determines how successful you are, it is what you become as a person.”

What you have and the person you are might not bear any resemblance. On the road to wealth, fame, power and riches some people have become corrupt, arrogant, unfeeling, selfish, superficial and a lot more. In keeping with this thought here is something else to keep in mind. It is not what you get in life that determines real success, but what you give; not how rich you have made yourself but how rich you have made the lives of others.  

That’s why this past Monday we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. He enriched the lives of millions of people.

When you have real moral and spiritual principles that guide you, you may not climb as high as some people do, but you will be a lot happier and more satisfied with yourself than people who may be perched above you on the success ladder that this world has established.                         

The Rev. Valentine Williams is the Pastor of Transforming Life Center Church in Pineville, a motivational speaker, seminar/workshop leader, personal development coach, adjunct instructor and the author of Youth Empowered to Succeed. He is also the president of Williams Speaking and Training Services, a people development organization that conducts professional and personal development training and staff development workshops. For questions, comments or speaking engagements contact him at valmyval@yahoo.com.

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

• Santee Cooper announces 2012 refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper announces organizational changes in operation and finance departments
• Santee Cooper employees pitch in on Day of Caring
• Aerial herbicide treatment on lakes under way
• Santee Cooper Board Authorizes Rate Study
• Santee Cooper announces refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper, Florida Municipal Power Agency enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units
• Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units 2 and 3