A million milestones

I once read that in order to consider one's life a success, one has to accomplish 3 things:
write a book; plant a tree; and, raise a child.
I think the writer's meaning is that a successful life is composed of things that live beyond us and add to the betterment of the world we live in.

As a younger man, I came up with my own milestones to define success. And being Ibo, naturally, each of them is defined by money! In fact, they are all defined by a single amount of money - one million! And here is what I consider the definition of a successful life. I shall consider my life successful when I have done all of these things at its right time -

1. The day I earn 1 million Naira from all the works of my hands;
2. The day I earn 1 million Naira from a single work of my hands;
3. Giving out a total amount of 1 million Naira over the course of my life;
4. Giving out 1 million Naira to a single cause;
5. Earning $1million from all the works of my hands;
6. Earning $1million from a single work of my hands;
7. Giving out $1million over the course of my life;
8. Giving out $1million to a single cause from which I can get neither direct nor indirect benefits.

I have long stopped believing in unmeasurables when it comes to improving this society that we live in. And there is something magical about six zeros behind an integer that equates to achievement in my mind.

A parable:
A rich man had made a huge fortune in a foreign country. He received numerous awards and prizes for the fame of his work. And, he returned to his own country for a short visit. In the course of his visit, he had the opportunity to give a speech to a semi-literate crowd in his old village. On the podium, he said, 'I am so glad to have come so far and for having received so many accolades. I received the Nobel prize and the millions of dollars for my lifelong research.'

For effect, he picked up a little boy from the crowd. He asked the little boy, 'would you like to win the Nobel prize someday'? The little boy shook his head. The rich man - taken aback - said, 'well, what would you like to do then'? Disarmingly, the young man said, 'I would like to give someone millions of dollars for their lifelong work'.

I took the moral of that story...whatever it was.

Have you had a wonderful week?