I used to be enamored with Machiavelli and his belief that 'The Ends
Justify the Means'. It had been a force in my life and the reason and
justification for many of my actions. Worse than that, I used to question
others who did not believe in the same way. I wondered 'if this is what you
want' then why do you care how it is achieved.
Being Machiavellian has its benefits in getting a lot of things done, faster
and more efficiently, but has the draw back of eating away at your
conscience and sometimes a trail of destruction.
The more I pushed to get my goals accomplished, the more my conscience
started eating at me. Over the last three or four years, when I became a
Christian, I started changing my focus from the goal to a larger picture of
the journey to the goal as well as achieving the goal itself.
Where before I felt accomplishment with achieving goal after goal, I felt
little to nothing except a growing guilt in the ways I did things. Now,
please don't get me wrong, I was not breaking the law; rather I filtered
out the consideration of others and just got the job done, kind of like
straight-line thinking (get from A to B, there is nothing in between that
matters). That is, I tended to upset a lot of people.
Now, while taking the full picture into view, I find that I enjoy the
journey toward the goal as much as if not more than the goal itself. How I
do things, then does matter. If the journey is not worth it, then the goal
should not be either.
The ends then only justify the means if the means take into account doing
what is right and fair and honest.
My productivity has actually improved with this new approach and my personal
satisfaction has as well. I am taking more time and consideration in my
efforts, but I spend far less time dealing with my conscience and I have
many less people who get upset with what I do and how I do it.
So, I say to Machiavelli, thanks, but no thanks.
I'd rather savor and enjoy the journey, knowing that it will make achieving
my goals that more rewarding and enjoyable!
Enjoy!
Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
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