We tend to view wealth in terms of how much money someone has. Lots of money equals wealthy. Very little money equals poor. These definitions only work if we just view wealth in terms of money and physical assets. I would suggest that “wealth” covers far more than just money. In fact, as we get older, some of the other measures of wealth become more important than money. Think for a few minutes on the various measurements of wealth –
MONEY
Of course, having enough money is important and it certainly beats not having enough. It gives us security and the options to do a lot of the things we want to do. If you’re over fifty, you would be wise to seek some advice from a financial planner as to how to best prepare yourself for life after full time work. If you are going to be living on just the pension, or continuously worrying about a shortage of money, it takes a lot of the fun out of life. However it might help to view money as a means to an end or as the fuel for the journey of life.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Our relationships with our family and close friends are a very important part of our lives. We need their love and support. We need to be able to return that love. Life’s experiences are best shared with them. Without these loving relationships to give our lives colour and meaning, even the richest people aren’t truly “wealthy”.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
We’ve all heard the saying “I’d give a fortune for a healthy body”. Without our health and a positive mental outlook, we can’t take advantage of all the opportunities that life offers. Millionaires can’t holiday in exotic or expensive destinations if their bodies can’t handle the rigors of travel. Our health is in many ways more valuable than money and we would be wise, especially as we get older, to take good care of ourselves. There’s not much value of living to a ripe old age if we can’t enjoy these extra years. You know that there’s tons of information available about healthy lifestyles. Reading about it is a start, but you have to actually DO it!
HAPPINESS
What most people seek in life is to be happy and to avoid pain. Happiness is definitely a measure of wealth. You only have to spend some time with a person who is consistently happy to realise that. If we are not happy within ourselves, the things that money can buy will only make us happy for a relatively short time before we need another dose of “retail therapy”. We are responsible for finding our own happiness. We can’t depend on others to make us happy. Fortunately there are a number of strategies we can employ that will assist us to be happier people. Our book, “The rest of your Life” gives you a number of these strategies, which are easy to implement.