Acquiring True Wealth

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.
-Henry David Thoreau

In the past a benefit of wealthy individuals was the ability to have a diverse exposure to the world. That included traveling, languages, areas of study, public speaking, etc. Many lawyers for example had little professional training in law and instead relied on the apprenticeship of others. This idea of self made genius is lost on our generation; though it is present. In On Becoming A Leader, Warren Bennis mentions one of the key traits of good leaders is that they have an interesting life. Their broad knowledge base allows them to relate to others as well as teaches them life lessons they keep with them forever.

We live in a world now where knowledge, travel, and interesting activities are all more available than ever before, and we haven’t taken the opportunity to fully embrace what lays before us. What if you continued to watch tv for 30 years? Imagine where you would be. What if instead you learned Spanish, to play the piano, and traveled half the world? How would you be different then?

Doing the bare minimum leads to a boring life. As Lincoln said, “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.” Make it count. Do something for the first time it will change you as a person. Acquire nuggets of knowledge that make you fascinating and reveal your true potential. You have one life to live and you’re worth it.

The time we live in now is fascinating and more open and available than ever before. Don’t waste it. You are your most precious investment. Invest wisely.