Leadership Principle #21: Happiness is wisely enjoying life right now, not securing a financial future you may never see. For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors with under the sun? Ec 2:22

On an icy morning in January, a young driver lost control and careened toward me. After the echoes of crashing metal and glass subsided, the airbag dust hung like fog.

The girl in the other car threw open her door and stumbled onto the pavement. I learned later she had fractured her spine. She turned hysterical when the emergency crews arrived. We rode to the hospital together, both collared and strapped to boards.

Bouncing around in the ambulance, I marveled at how life had just changed. One moment I was heading toward a breakfast meeting and contemplating the days task list. A blink later, I sat stunned in a crumpled car.

There was a man who worked at a bank for 25 years. He built a great reputation, worked hard and received many awards. When he retired, life was good. After his death, his wife gathered all his awards and shiny memorabilia into a box. She took them to a jeweler, had them melted down, and made a ring for herself!

Why do we work so hard, if it doesnt really matter in the end? King Solomon asked the same question. With no wars to occupy him, Solomon spent his time studying philosophy and testing whether worldly pleasures could truly satisfy the deepest cravings of life.

He concluded that when he was gone, none of his riches would matter. He would just pass it on to the next generation, and new kingdoms would rise and fall. Here are a few more of Solomons conclusions found in the book of Ecclesiastes:

1. Mans envy causes him to overwork. I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a mans jealousy of his friend. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind (Ec 4:4).

2. Wealth has a personality. Solomon said money never sleeps because its so full of self-concern, and never stops worrying about where it will be spent or how it might be lost.

3. Enjoying our work is part of a right attitude toward life. Here is what I have seen to be good: it is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun. A couple verses later, Solomon describes the man who enjoys his labor: [He] does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

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Fight the futility of personal financial success