In the previous blog, “Four Human Assets“, this model was introduced. In this blog, four lives demonstrating the importance of balancing the ‘4Human-Assets’.

Four Assets – Four Tragedies

Four vignettes of individuals who lacked one or more of the Assets. From the outside, they were regarded as successful but the lack of balance created its own tragedy.

• Steve Jobs: My Kingdom for a Pancreas. One of the world’s wealthiest men, Steve Jobs had it all. Unimaginable wealth, a stable marriage, children, and a network that included some of the brightest minds on the planet. What Jobs lacked was his health, dying at age 56 from cancer [1].
• Nikola Tesla: Brilliance Does Not Lead to Success. Perhaps one of the most brilliant men of the 20th Century, Tesla’s inventions laid the foundation for the electronic convenience we enjoyed today. This brilliance was offset by poor decision making that resulted in him dying broke and mentally ill in a hotel room. A genius wasted for the want of a bit of Personal common sense [2].
• Hetty Green: Possibly the World’s Greatest Miser. When she died at age 81 in 1916, she was worth an estimated $100 to $200 million, or about $2-5 billion today. She accumulated this wealth through wise investments and by being a miser. She was so cheap, when her son suffered an injury to his leg it had to be amputated. Not because of a lack of medical science but because Hetty took too long looking for a free clinic [3]. Her nickname describes her demeanor, she was “the Witch of Wall Street”.
• Howard Hughes: Dashing Pilot Becomes Recluse. Born rich, Hughes created more wealth by being a highly successful business entrepreneur. He was also handsome and enjoyed life to fullest as an aviation pioneer. Mental illness and chronic pain led to him living a as a recluse for the last ten years of his life. When he died, he weighed 90lbs despite being 6′ 4″ tall [4].

A Balanced Life is a Happy Life

As the four vignettes demonstrate – having money, or friends, or ‘stuff’, or mad-skills will not make you happy. Having them the proportion likely will.

Notes and References

1. Wikipedia, Steve Jobs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs.
2. Wikipedia, Nikola Tesla: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla.
3. “Edward Howland Robinson Green.” In Wikipedia, December 11, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Howland_Robinson_Green&oldid=993543458.
4. Wikipedia, Howard Hughes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes.