If you’re a committed reader of this newsletter, then you probably know what I know: that money doesn’t lead to happiness, that status is a game that leads to a trap, and that what matters is living a life of love, and gratitude, and peace.

You are blessed to have money, fame, status, but you’re sufficient if you don’t.

Yet we still need you not to ignore success – not to ignore wealth or power or influence or fame. Not for yourself. Not because you need it. Not because it matters. But because of what you can do with it, for the world, and for others.
There are too many people who think power is about bending others, who think money is about oppressing others, who think fame is about being better than others.

There are too many leaders, too many influencers, too many role models who believe empathy is a waste of time, love is a luxury, and compassion a pipe dream. And they are making the world a miserable place to be in.

In a world where too many people listen to others just because they are wealthy or famous, we need you there too, to show them that wealth can be a force for good, that image can be a pointer to wholeness, and that we don’t need to be mean to acquire influence.
We need you to help the world be a better place, for more people.

So take your craft seriously. Wield your skill powerfully. Deepen your capacity and your competence, do the work and undergo the process. Don’t despise the material and the tangible. We need you to achieve your fullest human potential.

Not for yourself, because you are already whole as you are. But for all of us.

Chude Jideonwo

Chude Jideonwo is host of the TV and radio network #WithChude, which is creating safe spaces for conversations about mental, emotional and spiritual health across Africa. He is also co-founder of human flourishing company, Joy, Inc.