What it Means to be Rich

Last week, we featured a piece by Morgan Housel on a perspective of wealth. Almost as a follow up, this week Ben Carlson put out a beautiful short piece on similar lines. He narrates an incident where an old lady called him a rich man as she passed by him on a family bike ride with his kids. Many of us miss out on precious moments in our lives as we frantically pursue wealth creation. Ben shares his perspective on “What it means to be rich”:
“There are many ways to be rich beyond the amount of money you have in your investment portfolio or checking account.
Plenty of people have a lot of money in the bank but terrible personal lives.
Having millions of dollars wouldn’t come close to providing the same feeling I got this past week watching my 7-year old scale a rock wall like a champ or confidently walk up to do a high ropes course with zero signs of trepidation or fear.
Huge gains in the stock market can’t possibly match watching my little guy ride his bike for the first time this summer.
No amount of money can melt my heart the way my youngest daughter does when she says something sweet to me out of the blue.
Being a parent is not always easy. At times there is chaos, yelling, screaming, crying, fighting, pouting and puking.
But there’s also laughing. Lots of laughing. And smiling. And joy. For me, having kids is like setting a constant memory factory in motion.
Obviously, there are other ways to be rich that extend beyond family.
Some people find fulfillment in their work or other meaningful relationships or hobbies or nature or travel or something else entirely.
And don’t get me wrong — money still matters. It may not make you happier but it sure can make your life more comfortable and convenient.
But money itself isn’t all that fulfilling. A truly rich life goes beyond money.”