PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE ME – FROM BILLIONAIRE TO BROKE!

He was once worth $7.5B and $0.0 in 2016. No, he did not live a frivolous life. He is 84 years and the decision he took 32 years ago has made him the mentor of Bill Gate, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg and many more billionaires in the world.

He said, “I had one idea that never changed in my mind—that you should use your wealth to help people. I try to live a normal life, the way I grew up.” He gave all his wealth to charity because he lived his words; “I set out to work hard, not to get rich.” Yes riches came as a byproduct of his hard work yet it did not change his lifestyle or attitude. Is your education, fame, wealth, or the little support you’re giving to society breeding negative specie in you?

He shunned public attention despite the fact that he was a huge generous giver. However, others did a fraction and granted media interviews for the whole world to know. He does not own a car; rides in public transport. Through his foundation, he has donated about $6.2 billion into education, science, health care, aging and civil rights in the United States, Australia, Vietnam, Bermuda, South Africa and Ireland.

Chuck Feeney is his name. Probably this is not the name you have heard doing great things yet he has given more to countries such as Ireland; his ancestral home than any man ever has done. Yet, he still carries his own newspaper and has the year 2020 set to shut down his foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropist, down as he expects to have redistributed all the wealth he made from hawking cognac, perfume and cigarettes in his empire of duty-free shops to support society.

Few living people have given away more and no one at his wealth level have ever given their fortune away so completely during their lifetime. While the world’s business titans are obsessed with piling up as many riches as possible, Chuck is working double time to die broke.

Many people have leveraged society to create value for themselves yet they shun supporting the same society that helped them and turn attention on themselves as the best ever. Remember, your real value is determined after you are no more. In his book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins through research seems to suggest that leaders who do not build people capable of leading better than them often collapse what they built.

Whiles others use their wealth to bully people, Chuck serve others with his wealth. What he does is to give huge sums of money to big problems such as bringing peace to Northern Ireland, modernizing Vietnam’s health care system and seeding $350 million to turn New York’s long-neglected Roosevelt Island into a technology hub.

He’s not waiting to grant gifts after he’s gone or to set up a legacy fund that annually tosses pennies at a $10 problem. He hunts for causes where he can have dramatic impact and goes all-in. No wonder Bill Gates had this to say about him “Chuck Feeney is a remarkable role model and the ultimate example of giving while living.”

Chuck says “I concluded that if you hung on to a piece of the action for yourself you’d always be worrying about that piece”. I am guided to let others have a feel of what I have for the best reap in life is when what we do makes people happy.

Thank you Chuck Feeney, you are a Great model to me and I believe to most well-meaning individuals.