Have you ever met someone who is wealthy, yet they don’t seem satisfied? Even as they acquire more things, they just don’t seem happy.
We often get caught up in the race of wanting more. It’s like the quote from the book Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk – “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”
First, we just want a job. Then, we want a promotion. Then, that doesn’t seem enough either. It feels like no matter how much we get, we end up wanting more. This is known as hedonic adaptation. This is the theory that says people return to their baseline level of happiness, regardless of what happens to them. What that means is that if you become the world’s richest person tomorrow, after the novelty wears off, you’ll eventually return to the same level of happiness that you are at right now – be it overfilled with joy and gratitude or misery.
On the other hand, we see people who can barely afford to eat three meals a day seem to be happier than the extremely rich. Why? Because they enjoy to the fullest whatever little they have.
You see, true wealth isn’t about how much you have. It’s about how much you can enjoy what you do have.
Rich Doesn’t Only Mean Money
Being rich doesn’t only mean you have a lot of money. You can be rich in knowledge, relationships, love, experiences, joy, or wisdom. So, when you are rich in just money, but lack passion, fun, or any other dimensions that make life truly rich, then you aren’t rich. You just have a lot of money.
You might have a big house and a fancy car. You can have millions of dollars in the bank. However, if you have no passion, no source of joy, or nobody to enjoy your money with, your life will feel empty.
What’s the point of piles of money if you can’t enjoy it? How can you truly be rich? Whether you have money or not, you can be rich. And here is how.
Be Present
You need to be present to enjoy what you have. Stop and pay attention to whatever you have. We are so often caught up in all the thoughts that are running through our minds, the worries of yesterday and the anxieties of tomorrow, that we forget to appreciate the present moment. Make it a habit to slow down and count your blessings, so that you can truly enjoy everything you have.
Stop Comparing
You can’t appreciate what you have when you constantly compare yourself to other people. When you scroll on social media and compare your car to someone’s fancier car, your Friday night to someone’s weekend vacation, and your cute but messy kitchen to someone else’s marble-floored glamorous kitchen, it can feel like you have nothing good. But that’s not true. You can enjoy everything you have as much, or even more, than what they can. The cost or fanciness of something isn’t what makes you happy; it’s how much you can enjoy it. So, ditch the comparison, and enjoy what you do have.
Prioritize
Identify what makes you happiest in your life, including both material items and intangible things. For example, maybe you don’t care for cars, but you love collecting first edition old books. When you know this, you can spend more of your money on what brings you joy. Additionally, you might realize you love spending time with your family, even more than traveling. So, you can spend your time (and money) on creating beautiful experiences with your family, rather than booking luxurious vacations. By prioritizing what brings you joy, it’s a lot easier to be intentional about spending on the things that bring you happiness.
Remember, being rich isn’t about how much money you have. It is about how you choose to live your life, how grateful you are, and how intentional you are with what you spend your time, money, and energy on. To be rich, enjoy what you have, both the material and the immaterial. Whether it is a luxurious car or just a beautiful sunset, enjoy each to the fullest, because that is what truly makes for a beautiful, rich life.
