“True wealth is not of the pocket, but of the heart and of the mind.” — Kevin Gates
We all want to be wealthy. That’s the dream of every Filipino. We study well, find a good job and work hard in order to have the resources or assets that will contribute to our financial stability and security. Believing that once we have accumulated these richness and resources, we will be assured of a happy and quality life. But how come there’s a lot of rich and moneyed people who still feel empty, trapped and sad with the kind of life they have? Why is it that despite all these resources, they still cannot consider themselves wealthy? What does it truly mean to be wealthy?
While financial literatures define wealth as assets (savings, investments, properties) minus liabilities (mortgages, loans and debts), the real meaning of wealth goes beyond the money you have accumulated but includes the freedom of time, good health, and deep personal connections. As we go through life, we develop a different appreciation of what true wealth in life is all about. While money is an important component of it, being wealthy is having the freedom, peace of mind, and ability to live life the way you want it.
There are different dimensions to a holistic wealth.
Financial Wealth – This pertains to our savings, assets, investments, income streams,
properties and ownerships that give financial security and remove money-based stress. Money or not having enough of it, is the number one concern of most Filipinos. We need money to survive and cope up with the rising cost of living, inflation, limited job opportunities and inadequate government support that many Filipinos face nowadays. Unfortunately, more and more Filipinos find themselves financially challenged to even fund their most basic needs. No wonder, this is the only wealth most of us measure… the only one most of us chase.
Health Wealth – Remember the saying, health is wealth? Possessing the physical strength, energy, vitality, mobility and well-being required to do our day-to-day activities is a blessing that we should be grateful for. All the other kinds of wealth is built and spent through our body. You may have all the money in the world but without good health, your richness may mean nothing. You need physical health to travel, pursue your hobbies, or promote your advocacy. In the face of serious illness, your millions have no power to heal. Neglecting our health is compromising our ability to make and use the other forms of wealth.
Time Wealth – A rich man who has no free time to spend cannot really be considered wealthy. Being true wealthy is having control over your daily schedules, unhurried mornings, weekends with the family and the freedom to spend your time as you choose. You can take your vacations when you want to and your business/job will still function. You can choose which invites to accept and say no to and make yourself unreachable when you want to. Time is our most precious treasure because it is limited. We can produce more material wealth, but we cannot produce more time. Our time is the best gift we can give to our loved ones.
Social Wealth – Building and maintaining a strong, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and your community is an important form of wealth. Ask any rich man what they think they should have done more, if given another chance, almost always the reply is to spend more time with family and loved ones. How they wish they have stronger marriage and more meaningful relationship with their spouses; how they wish they have done present parenting and created more beautiful memories with their children; how they wish they have formed deeper and long-lasting friendships. At the end of the day, people will remember us not for our money but for how we connected and impacted them.
Inner Wealth: Having peace of mind, clear conscience, positive mindset, and personal wisdom define what we call the inner wealth. A person may have all the money and material things that money can buy, but if he can’t sleep soundly at night, or can’t trust people or move freely because of guilt or fear, then he can be as poor as the homeless man on the street. Mostly, rich people, who amassed their richness from dishonest and corrupt ways, have no real inner wealth. They may appear complete but deep inside they feel empty and hollow.
Perhaps, when we were younger, we considered financial wealth as the only wealth that we should be aspiring for. We worked hard, gave up a lot, and spent most of our time chasing our financial goals. But as we grow older (and wiser), we realize that there’s more to life than building financial wealth. That no matter how challenging it may be, we have to give equal importance and focus to our health, time, social and inner wealth. Only then, we can truly say that we are wealthy.
