To “Read the Bottom Line” means the final result, the salient or central point which comes from the profit and loss of accounting; the last line of a financial statement used for showing net profit or loss. It has come to mean the most important part of something or the thing to be considered. To read the bottom line directs one to focus on what needs to be prioritized or the final outcome of whatever situation is at hand.
It is said that if the only the bottom line is considered, it results in one dimensional thinking which is like wearing blinders once used on horses to prevented seeing sideways. Businesses intent only on their bottom line can blur ethics. Individuals intent on only seeing the bottom line will exclude the nurturing relationships that mean living in balance. As the meme reads, “No one on their deathbed wishes they had spent more time at the office.”
We admire successful people while we despise the ne’er-do-well. It is extremely difficult to not leave a wake of despair on either path. While getting and spending, the danger is neglecting the inner circle. While spending and getting, it results in neglect in other ways. When the bottom line is read of each of our lives, will we be remembered as having been decent, honest, and kind? That takes both intentional thought and action.