During early gold rushes, prospectors often were excited thinking they had “hit the jackpot” with veins of gold only to learn later that they had found pyrite, a brassy mineral otherwise known as fool’s gold.  Instead of being rich with a gold mine, they are fooled by the fake gold they had found.  The appearance was convincing, but the material was inauthentic.

Individuals today are also finding “fool’s gold” and, after the initial excitement and enthusiasm, discover that its real value is low or non-existent.  What is today’s “fool’s gold?”  Here are a few examples:

1. Seeking a title versus skills, influence, and job satisfaction – the luster of a new title will soon fade, but the other, more valuable items will last your entire career
2. Following a person instead of values – people may come and go, but our commitment to a set of values defines our character
3. Believing that form is more important than content – sure, some are overly impressed with form, but the content of your contributions should define your real value to the company
4. Serving yourself instead of the team – you might enhance your personal benefits by choosing yourself over team, but, in the end, when the team wins, we all win
5. Focusing on short-term gain instead of long-term value – we often seek that which brings immediate satisfaction rather than the greater value that comes through patience and diligence
6. Spin versus truth – most individuals value honesty and truth over spin designed to deflect questions and concern

How about you?  Are you a prospector searching for the world’s largest vein of fool’s gold?  Or, are you seeking true gold – that which has infinitely more value than its fake cousin?  Hopefully, most or all of us seek the true thing.  Please don’t be fooled – don’t settle for anything less than the best!

Have an awesome day!  Remember, any day could be your very best yet!  And, who knows, someone might even say to you, “It sure was a good day, wasn’t it?”