Another Problem With Being a Narcissist

I happened to bump into an old acquaintance of mine the other day whom I hadn’t seen in years. What I remembered about him was that he was one of the most narcissistic people I’ve ever known. And, true to his old self, he immediately began talking about money.

At one point in our conversation, I said to him (though I don’t recall the exact context) that money is not the endgame, but merely a means to an end. To which he snapped, “People may like to believe that bull___t, but the truth is that money isthe endgame.

A minute or so after his heart-warming comment, I happened to mention the efficacy of having a wide range of interests over and above those things that have a direct impact on your financial success. He responded that my And, of course, who or what is God?

Likewise, if your mind mirrors the world, it becomes, in a sense, as great as the world. Just having a better understanding of our little planet would be a pretty good start on learning something about life.

The significance of all this in our day-to-day lives is that having wide-ranging interests is good for both the mind and the soul. That’s because, as with perspective, having interests aside and apart from our chosen professions helps us to relax our minds and dissipate anxiety over trivial matters and irrational fears.

And while I have no data to prove it, my instinct tells me that having a wide array of subsidiary interests is probably a lot healthier for the body as well. You might want to test this theory by making a conscious effort to explore new channels and see if it leads to a more relaxed mind and a heightened state of awareness.

One thing that’s for certain is that our schools focus far too much on the acquisition of specific skills and far too little on expansion of the mind, the heart, and the soul.

Reprinted with permission from RobertRinger.com.