Too Little, Too Much

By Mike Monahan, CEO and executive director of Life Success Seminars Inc.

I grew up in a house where there wasn't enough. I was told that others had "more than enough," which was the polite way of saying they had "too much."

I assumed that life wasn't equal. Either you had too little or too much.

I lived most of my life in the "too little" house. Raising five children as a frequently unemployed construction worker meant we had many lean times. Now that the kids are grown up, I sometimes feel like I have too much.

I never heard about "win/win" until I went to Life Success's Basic seminar in 1987. Intellectually, I get the concept. But I sometimes find win/win challenging on an emotional level. I think I know how to treat others fairly, but I struggle with being OK with my own success.

John Denver said it best: "Who's to say you have to lose for someone else to win?"