Don't Push Too Many Trolleys

9Be Ambitious, Not Greedy

It's all too easy to get greedy in life… greedy with money, food, possessions, power… even people. But there is no point in being greedy. Money can't buy you immortality, and you can't take it with you. I, like most people, felt really shocked when Steve Jobs died. All that power, all that money, and yet he still died so young; he was only in his 50s. But you could tell that money never motivated him.

I think it's very interesting that people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have pledged to give the majority of their money to charity rather than allow their children to inherit “too much” of it.

However, there is a distinct difference between being greedy and being ambitious. When you are greedy, you are constantly looking at ways to acquire stuff (possessions, money, power, people…); you don't care what or who is in your way, you will ruthlessly sacrifice their well-being to get what you want. Greed focuses on consuming. Whereas, when you are ambitious, you are focused on growth; you are concerned with building on what you have in order to enhance your life, the lives of those around you and even the world at large.

My mum was a great influence on me. One of her mottos in life was “keep it simple”, and I've tried to follow that, ensuring that I don't indulge too much in unnecessary luxuries. I've treated myself along the way, and I've made sure my family members are comfortable, but I believe I have never been frivolous with money.

I believe it's ...