Choosing Wealth

“You have to decide whether you want to pursue power or money.”
- J.K. Morrison

Choosing Wealth

When I had completed the requirements of my graduate degree I had the opportunity to have an exit interview with the chairman of my committee, J.K. Morrison. It was a chance for us to sit in an informal setting to talk about the work we had done together. This was a momentous occasion for me since Dr. Morrison was a Fulbright Scholar and I had tremendous respect for him.

He had required me to work beyond what I thought myself capable of. He had taught me the value of hard work and had shown me the importance of perseverance. During our first year together he called me into his office and said, “Up to now you have relied upon your talent. That’s not going to be enough anymore. I’m going to make sure you’re stretched to your limit. You’re going to have to work hard now.”

Little did I know then what was in store for me. The class work was difficult and demanding, but the work to complete my thesis was overwhelming! There were many times I wanted to quit, but something kept me working. Once, during a family dinner, my wife’s aunt asked me how long my thesis was and I replied, “Five years!”

Dr. Morrison said, “I don’t know when I knew you’d finish, but I knew you would. Out of the thirty-two graduate students whose committee I’ve chaired you’re one of three that finished their thesis.”

Believe me, I wish I had known that before I asked him to be the chair of my committee! And, it was only when I turned my thesis in to the Thesis Editing Office that I truly understood what my work meant.

I asked the person who logged my submission in how long it would take for them to review my thesis for approval. She looked at my paper work and said, “You wrote under the direction of Dr. Morrison?”

“Yes,” said I.

She then pulled out her stamp. She then stamped the form and said, “We don’t need to do a review, you’re done!”

It was then that I knew that I had completed something of quality and worth. It wasn’t even the document that mattered. It isn’t the document that matters now, these many years later. It is the experience that has mattered to me the whole time.

What Dr. Morrison had done was give me an invaluable experience to help me with the rest of my life! He taught me a great deal. But, perhaps the most important lesson he taught me took place in that last interview.

At the end of the interview he said, “Now you have a decision to make. You have to decide whether you want to pursue power or money. But whatever you choose I want you to keep one thing in mind. I have a friend who is the former CEO of a Fortune 500 company. We met for dinner one night to go through some details related to a project I had just completed for him. At the end of the dinner he asked me to come to his home and spend the rest of the evening with him. I told him I had other obligations. He then asked me to do him a personal favor and come.”

“When we got to his palatial home it was empty!” It wasn’t empty of material things. It was empty of family!” Dr. Morrison went on to explain to me that in this man’s efforts to obtain “everything the world had to offer” he had lost what was most valuable; his family.”

I have never forgotten that poignant talk with my mentor and teacher in a small room at the University of Utah. I have never forgotten that last and most valuable lesson he taught me.
Now I have children of my own to whom I’ve tried to teach this lesson. So far, they keep coming back home so I guess I’ve succeed to a point. The coming generation will truly tell the tale.
So, now you know that I was given a choice to make in that last interview and you’re most likely asking yourself, “I wonder what choice he made.”

Well, I made a very conscious choice to pursue wealth. Ah, those of you that know me quite well may say, his wealth isn’t too impressive yet! And, if you were to look at my balance sheet you’d have to conclude that I’m not anywhere near to the list of the wealthiest people in the world. But, I made my choice and I am wealthy indeed!

When I go home at night after a long day of toil, I go home to a house full of people and animals that love me! So, I truly did learn a great deal from Dr. Morrison. I learned that if person has persistence and works hard at building and maintaining relationships they will live a life full of the greatest kind of wealth.

There’s plenty of this kind of wealth to go around! I consider you as a part of my wealth too. Let’s keep building relationships that will give love and fulfillment to everyone we have the chance to offer it to!