What do you do after you have achieved success? | Dr. Abraham George

This powerful episode challenges a core question:
What do you do after you achieve success?

Dr. Abraham George’s life answers it.

From surviving a near-fatal dynamite explosion as a young Indian Army officer to building wealth in global finance, he made a promise, to dedicate his life to serving others. And he kept it. 

Instead of pursuing more wealth, he chose purpose.

Key Takeaways

1. Success Without Service Is Incomplete
Dr. George reminds us: wealth and achievement come with responsibility. The real question isn’t “What’s next for me?”, it’s “What can I give?”

2. Purpose Is Found in Serving Others
After decades in finance, he walked away and built a life focused on lifting the poorest of the poor, proving that fulfillment comes from contribution, not accumulation.

3. Education Breaks the Cycle of Poverty
Through his school, children from extreme poverty receive full support from age 4 through college, transforming entire family legacies in one generation.

4. Compassion Isn’t a Feeling, It’s Action
Empathy alone isn’t enough.

• If you don’t act, nothing changes.
• “Compassion in action” is where impact, and meaning, live.

5. The 50/50 Life Philosophy
Spend part of your life building success…
Then spend the rest giving it away in ways that matter.

6. You Don’t Have to Be Wealthy to Make a Difference
Start small.
Books. Time. Support.
If the will is there—there is always a way.

Bottom Line

• Greed asks: How can I get more?
• Purpose asks: How can I give more?

Dr. George’s message is clear:

If more people acted, even in small ways, half the world’s suffering could disappear. 

Contact / Learn More

• Book: Mountains to Cross: Finding Life’s Purpose in Service 
• Search: “Abraham George Mountains to Cross” to find his work, story, and initiatives 

Final Thought

You don’t need a calling.
You already have one.

Do something. Start somewhere. Take action.

#BounceBackPodcast #Leadership #PurposeDriven #ServantLeadership #GiveBack #Impact #Resilience #SuccessMindset #Philanthropy #Resiliance #MakeADifference

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever felt stuck in pain, loss, or failure? Wondering how to rise when life knocks you down again, then Bounce Back is for you. So gather your resilience, hold tight to hope, and get ready to reimagine what's possible in your life. So here's your host, Frank Sakari.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Welcome to Bounce Back in Business Center Life. Now, folks, we know this. There is no easy path. And there's no such thing as an overnight success. There isn't. The path to accomplishing life's purpose is paved with many, many challenges, and many of us who meet and overcome those challenges, sometimes they acquire generational wealth. What do we do now? In the Bible, Luke 12, 48 says, to whom much is given, much will be required. However, in our world today, accumulating more wealth and more power is on the right. Who has found life's purpose in service to others? He's the author of the best-selling books, Mountains Across, Finding Life's Purpose in Service. Let's meet him. Dr. George, welcome to bounce back in business in life.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Thank you. Thank you, Frank. I'm very happy to be on this podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Well, we're excited to have you. I've read your story, I've read your book. And one of the things that caught my attention when you were 18 years old, you were an Indian army officer and you nearly died in a dynamite accident. What happened?

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Well, I was set up to the Himalayas, uh, some 14,000 feet above sea level, minus degree temperatures and shortage of oxygen and all that problems. We were on the border with China. China had invaded India just a couple of years before that, so India was very uh scared that they might do it again. And my job as an artillery officer was to dig bunkers with my soldiers and place guns, uh, medium guns, quite heavy guns. And I was involved in blasting the rocks. Uh of the blast that we are moving the Himalayas. Uh but anyway, we ran short of uh fuse wires, and I took over the job of blasting from the soldiers. And I became a little careless after a couple of days of doing the same thing, and I didn't notice that the short fuse wire I was using had orderly already lighted. You know, you had to match, use a torch type of thing to light it. And last second I noticed it, I turned around and jumped, but it was just a little too late. I was blown up, uh sort of badly wounded, taken to hospital, I recovered. And that was on the 11th month of my tenure there. Uh so I was there for quite a while, and I had an opportunity to um think about my own life. I used to climb for nearby hills and sit on top and look at the clouds passing by below me, you know, at that altitude, the clouds are below you. And think about the purpose of my existence. Am I going to be engaged in uh killing other people? Well, you know, somebody has to defend a country, I agree, but it wasn't my calling. And uh I decided that at some point in my life, especially after making some money, I will devote my life to serving uh people who don't have the means to uh live a decent life.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

That's a great point because after your recovery, as you just mentioned, you achieved tremendous financial success in global finance, right? Correct. You could live the rest of your life in luxury. Yet you wrote excuses and explanations for inactions do not suffice. What did you do? What does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Well, if I may just trace a little back after I was injured and uh I was trying to get out of the army, I got out of the army uh after two years and came to the United States, the land of promise. And I knew I had to get degrees, I had to study, and I did a couple of masters and a doctoral degree from NYU, uh, worked for a bank, JP Morgan, and then started my own company. But all along, uh the promise I made to myself in the MLS, that is, to serve people, uh, was the back of my mind. And I was uh thinking of ways how I should do it. And I used to talk to my professors, the dean, all of them, and get ideas uh as to how uh I can do something that is uh impactful. And I at that time, don't forget, it was like uh 40, 35, 40 years ago, uh, India was extremely poor, famine was rampant, and so is social discrimination of people who are classified as uh the lowest caste. I was aware of all those uh situations and I uh I was very appalled by all that, uh, having been in America and seeing how people are treated, you know, I was determined to do something about it. And my conclusion in talking to my professors is that uh the way to get there is through education. Uh because uh distributing uh food and all that will disappear next morning, you're hungry again, but nobody can take the take your education away from you. And the second conclusion, of course, is that you've got to start very early. You can't start, you know, much later. Uh, I was doing it, uh taking children at the age of four to the school I started. I came back after 25 years in America, and now I shuttle between America and India. I found my purpose in life in serving the poorest of the poor. And I wanted to be very practical about it. And that was I take children at the age of four to my school. They live with me throughout the year, except for the two months vacation. Uh, I do everything for them free of charge. In the initial 15 years, I did it with my own money because I had made some money in my business until I lost money during the 2008 recession, and then we decided to seek donations. And it has been successful because by then I had done quite a lot of work, and people could people could see that I was honest, I was doing my work, and people came forward. And so I didn't have the starting problem. Starting problem was solved by my own wealth. So finding my purpose in helping the poorest of the poor became my passion, and I can tell you that I was probably one of the happiest people on this planet today.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

That's outstanding. I hope I pronounced this right. Tell us how Shante Bevan. Shanti Bhavan, Shandibhavan, not close. How is this breaking the cycle of poverty? What are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Right. There are many things I do uh in addition to the school that I just mentioned, Shanti Bhavan. Uh the idea you have to wait a little while before the each kid uh breaks the cycle of poverty. They have been poor for centuries, uh, for almost a couple of thousand years, their families uh very deprived. So you have to wait until they finish uh 14 years of school, uh, then you have to wait another four years of college, and then they land the job, and then they get great jobs, and uh they are able to take care of their families. So they are breaking the cycle of poverty permanently in one generation. One generation, you don't have to wait any longer for their own uh parents, their own family, their siblings, educate their own siblings, and then they start extending that help to others because they would be making a good amount of money. If I may, we have some 18 or 20 kids received admission over the last five years in Ivy League and first-year colleges in America.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

18 to 20. Stamford, Princeton, MIT, you name it, they're there. And they didn't get there by being poor. They had to compete with the other kids around the world, and their scores are like 95% uh in SAT, you know, and their high school. So they got on merit, and that is very, very uh rewarding, you know. So obviously, we are doing a good job, otherwise, we can't do this, and I'm so proud of the kids because they have a hunger for turning their families' fortunes to how they can get out of poverty.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

That's pretty amazing because I've interviewed uh Dr. Jasmine Escalera and she talks about when you comp as an immigrant, you're taught survival. The key is to survive. Not to survive and you may be the elected one to be able to go to college, and then all the levels and burdens and everything is put on you, right? So now you have to unlearn a lifetime of culture and a lifetime of survival skills in order to thrive. How do you address that in your school? Or do you right?

SPEAKER_02 10:19

You're very correct in saying that the the will to live, like Albert Schweitzer says, you know, the desire to live. And when you are very, very poor, you think of uh the next meal and things like that. You don't think about going to an Ivy League house, something like that. Somebody else has to motivate them, and that's why they are with me 24 hours a day. And we talk to them and make them understand. I had a I was a part of a show, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Clarkson show. I was on it, and I was telling uh one of my kids was with me, uh, and she was talking about how terrible her life was in the early years before four years of age. Nothing to eat, and a father wanted to throw her into the garbage bin because she was a girl. All these kinds of things. She survived and came to our school, and she is finishing her PhD in clinical psychology today in New York. So imagine where she came from and where she is. So survival might be their goal if there is no one to tell them that you are good, just as good as anyone else. What you lack is opportunity. And I'm here to give you that opportunity. I am here to support you, I'm I'm here to guide you, and I'll be with you. And when you do that, they develop the ambition, and that's some magic. And when you are with them for 18 years, and you keep telling them that and make them feel confident, and then they get into these kinds of colleges that I've talked about, and they are absolutely confident kids. So survival turns into one of wanting to help others, their families first, and then the world around them.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Well, that's outstanding. You write in your book compassion and action. Can you expand on that? What is compassion and action?

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Right. You know, I feel that. I believe that in everyone there is some goodness. Okay. I mean, even some of the cruelest people, there may be moments of goodness. And they feel sympathy towards someone when they see some suffering. I believe that's the case. Maybe I'm wrong. That sympathy uh turns into empathy for many people. And they that is they they feel what they have the other person is feeling, okay. Then the next degree, the hierarchy is compassion. You want to do something, you were part of it. All that is fine. They're good feelings, and but it hasn't done anything for the other guy. It's all about you. Until you act on it. So I say you you've got to progress all along there, but when you get to compassion, then think about how you're going to act on it. That's why I call compassion and action. If you don't have that desire to act on it, you small way in the beginning, maybe bigger way, I said your fortunes change, then you haven't done anything. Maybe it makes you feel good. I'm a nice guy, I'm feeling bad for the other guy, but it hasn't done anything for the other person.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

It doesn't help. I think I read in your book, and maybe paraphrasing here, you said, uh, when you stop asking, what's in it for me, and you start asking, what more can I give? Then you've turned the corner. Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 13:53

That's correct. That's right. Uh, you have to uh one has to think, well, beyond oneself. What is it for me uh will not work in this uh business. I call it business, okay. You have to think about what is the best thing you can do for the one who is suffering. Obviously, you don't want to waste money, you don't want to throw money around. So you have to think about the best way to serve. Uh, once you start thinking about solutions, and some of the solutions are not monetary, some of them are your caring that you show towards the other person. And the beauty of your caring is seen in their eyes. And that's what I've learned in these 30 years I've been with the poor people. I'm as I said, I'm in a remote village all around me, are poor people. We have changed their lives a lot, and the villages are far better today. You have to want to give. And you don't have to give more than what you can, but give what you can, and you'll find joy in giving, and you'll receive the happiness, can visibly see that happiness in the other person.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Absolutely. Dr. George, is this what you described 50-50 life? Is that what you mean? Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Yes. I was thinking uh when I was fairly young, you started my job. When do I get out of my business? And I said to myself, well, let me first make money. And then I came to the conclusion I have to divide my life into two halves. And the first half I will work very hard and make as much money as possible, and the other half I'll figure out how to serve the poor. Now, 50-50 doesn't mean that I have 50 first 50 years in the next 50, God knows how long you're going to live. So I wanted to get out. I thought I'd live 80, so I wanted to get out at 40, but it didn't happen. I lingered on. But then I went cold turkey. I just got out. I sold everything I got, everything. And package and came alone. My wife was left back in New Jersey, and I visit her every year for two months. The rest of 10 months, she's alone. And it went on for 25 years. And now she's with me. But that is what we had to do. She had a job, she was supporting the family, and I was alone here in the midst of all the people. Of course, there are a lot of staff here now, in addition to the children. But my 50-50 plan, if I learn more, uh, I might be 50-50.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

You might have done it.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

That's amazing. You mentioned the importance of clarity for people who have achieved success. For clarity in their mind. And they're thinking, what do you tell them if they approach you and they say, Dr. George, you inspire me? What can I do? What do you tell them?

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Three or four people have talked to me, those who work in Wall Street, hedge funds, they've made a ton of money, and they are afraid to get involved. They're willing to write a small check here and there, but they are unwilling to get involved. They don't know how to do this. And my answer to them is uh you don't have to do it yourself. You are afraid. You financially help find someone who is honest, someone who's doing a good job. Let him be your pageant. This is for those who have made money, uh quite a bit of money I'm talking about. And then go and visit the project and inspire others, and your presence will make a big difference. And then you might want to stay for a while and enjoy your time with them. So build that up, and you'll find great satisfaction in using part of your money. I'm not saying spend it all. Maybe I made a mistake, but others, I'm not advising that they need to do what I do. And so that is for those who have made money, and they're not going to get poor by spending, say, 10% of their hundred million dollars, you know. They've still got 90 million left. And those who are billionaires, uh, forget about them. I mean, they have tons of money, right? But I would argue that even those who are starting their career, um, just for a few hundred dollars, you can do a number of things, buy books for children, buy bed linen, you know, a number of things uh for the kids who need that in a school like ours. And uh when they make a little more money, they can sponsor a child from the age of four, cover the expenses for that one child, and then make it five children after a while. So you can progress as time passes. You don't have to do what I did. Mine was a case where I just waited too many years to make good money and then uh go back and spend it on the project.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Yes, there's always something. If the will is there, there is a way. Right. You don't have to do it exactly. Exactly. I love that. I'm gonna forget her first name, but Jeff Basil's ex-wife has given a postal billion dollars to the HBCU. But what really blew me away is she goes and visits she went to North Carolina Central University in Europe and the side of school like crazy. They just, oh my god, she's here, thank you so much. And as I listened to her speak, she was saying, I get more appreciation, I feel better about me listening to them and seeing their excitement, right? Right, right. She said, I have more money than I could possibly spend in 10 lifetimes.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

But then going. Because I've I run into people, Dr. George, who have money and they and they they do donate, but they never show up, so they don't know where you've done. And I think that's a big mistake.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Yeah, yeah. No doubt about it. You know, you're not going to take all that money to your grave. And uh the idea of leaving uh hundreds of millions of dollars for your children, that's also a pretty absurd. You know, your children should do on their own and help them with good education and could start, you know, to start a business and maybe leave a few million dollars for them. That's all fine, but uh leaving billions of dollars for your children and all that. I don't know where all these ideas came about, but in any case, you know, she may be one of those people who wakes up every morning knowing that she has done something good, she's not a bad person, I'm a good person, trying my best. That's a good feeling. No, I wake up, I got uh so much money in the bank, but how can I make some more? You know, that's a different, you know, your purpose in life is to make more money. That's different, you know.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Exactly, exactly. And I think one of the things I'm uh stressing and trying to push for this podcast is look, we we've got to get out of this cycle of greed. And more freedom is more for me and more for me, and accumulate more for me, right, right. Right. Now you can make zillions of dollars. Don't take from others.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Right. You began the program by quoting from the Bible, and I am also born into a Christian family, okay? Uh an Orthodox Christian family. And you know, Jesus talks about caring for the poor, the feeding the poor, uh, caring for the sick. That is essentially Jesus' message to the people. And we are Christians, those who are Christians, and other religions too. Uh, I don't care which religion, every religion talks about the same thing, helping other people who are suffering. There is no excuse. There is no excuse for not doing your part, and you're waiting for some calling God's message to. You then you're not gonna get one, you know.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Exactly, because it's there. It's already been said. You know, now it's time for action. Somebody said to me, Dr. George, it said the universe is constantly God, the universe, spirit, whatever you believe, is constantly sending you signs.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

And more times than not you ignore them until you get hit in the face with a two by four, and something radical changed. Something radical changed. Now you have to change.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

So you go into panic mode where if you would listen for the signs and take these small steps as you're describing, there's a progression that will occur. Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Exactly, exactly. See, I can wake up tomorrow and find that I have some serious terminal illness. Everything I did or any amount of money I made makes no sense after that, right? So people have to realize that uh they are here in some sense by the grace of God. And God's message to everyone, regardless of what your religion is, is to help those who are suffering. There is no excuse. There's no excuse for not doing that. And it's how you want to do, yeah, you can figure that out. Maybe you can talk to people like me who can guide you, having done this. But not to do, I think indifference is just as bad as not acting.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Exactly, exactly. It's uh take a step, do something. So, what last words? I think you just said that, but what last words do you want to leave with the world here today?

SPEAKER_02 23:35

My last word is uh you'll find joy and satisfaction and purpose if you would reach out to people who are suffering. And half the world is suffering, and if the other half would do a little bit, we don't need to have this much poverty or suffering. So, my last word is figure out, figure out a way you can reach uh those who need your help, and you'll find joy. That compassion in action is what makes a difference.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

I love that. So, Dr. George, how can people find you? How can they reach you?

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Okay. Um, now that I've published a book, Mountains to Cross, uh, you can Google on Abraham George Mountains to Cross. You'll hit many sites. And uh my book explains my life story from the very beginning, how I you know did all these things and what motivated me and so on. And it also gives a guide to embarking on a project like this and surviving on a project like this, and uh the joy that I have got. So uh the way to find is the best way I can think of is giving some websites and so on. There are websites, so many websites. The best is Abraham George, everybody can remember, Mountains to Cross, and you'll find me.

SPEAKER_01 25:05

Mountains to Cross. It's wonderful. Ladies and gentlemen, get this book. It's worth it's worth it. It believe me. So we're just about out of time, Dr. Dr. George. I want to thank you again for reminding us that some of the most consequential stories unfold from far from the spotlight. There's not a big spotlight on you, and that urges us to participate in helping others simply because it's the right thing to do.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

And I think that's that's the right thing to do. Absolutely. You hit the nail. You know, I often tell my children who are with me, I said, you don't have to learn any philosophy, nothing. Whenever you're confronted with a difficult issue, ask one simple question to yourself what is the right thing to do? What you just said, and you know the answer.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Exactly. That's true. I love it. Well, let me leave you all with this. None of us are in this alone. And the secret to walking in water is to know where the rocks are. And today, Dr. George showed us where many of those rocks are. And together in this podcast, we're gonna find more of those rocks and we're gonna bounce back better than ever. Share this message with a friend. Please subscribe. Dr. George, again, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

Thank you, Frank. Thank you. Um, I really enjoyed talking to you and the opportunity I have in communicating with your listeners. Uh, I'm immensely grateful. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

We have to do it again.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Okay. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

So that's it for today's episode of Bounce Back. Head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show. One lucky listener every single week who posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will win a chance the grand prize drawing to win a ten thousand dollar private VIP day with Frank himself. Be sure to head on over to bouncebackpodcast.com and pick up a free copy of Frank's gift. And join us on the next episode.