What is wealth? To most people, it is material goods and lots of money. To others, it is deep and meaningful relationships and experiences.
To me, it is really time. Time for me. Time for my own reflections and choices in life. Time to do meaningful contributions and time for meaningful relationships and experiences.
I recently came across this Scott Galloway clip about wealth, how to get it, how to keep it, and how to grow it. As he says it, the trick is not so much in “making the money” but it is in “keeping the money”.
As he shares his life story and many of the mistakes that he has made, he also shares why his dad making $50k a year from his pension is so wealthy, and his investment bankers friends making millions and living lavish lifestyles are so poor.
My interpretation of this wisdom, can be simply summarized in a few of my favorite quotes:
- The Master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone. The ordinary man is always doing things, yet many more are left to be done.
- Less is More.
- Chi va piano, va sano, va lontano.
- I can think. I can wait. I can fast.
So many people in this world are running on a hamster wheel, or other paths, so fast, with so much pride, greed & impatience, that it is kind of sad to see them not savor time or the relationships around them.
Reminds me of two recent conversations I was having with friends. Each of them called various people poor. One of those people was doing their life’s work. So in my book that is not being poor as long as one is in control of their time and making conscious choices about how to balance their time while doing their life’s work.
The other called the people of a third world country poor in making a point that life is not fair. Having grown up in a country that was not quite third world yet still significantly less wealthy than most western countries, I question that statement.
I wonder if those cultures that value relationships, traditions, time with family, and community more than westerners do, are really any poorer for it…
Kerim Baran 