1. Freedom and Fulfillment,
Throughout history people have understood that freedom is the embodiment of life. Freedom is so important that people have fought wars and died for it. In modern Western societies, most people have freedom of speech; freedom to vote; freedom of religion, etc. One of the most important freedoms that continues to elude the masses is financial freedom. When you have financial freedom you can enjoy all the time you need to spend with family and friends. Time is arguably your most valuable asset. Once time is gone you can never replenish it. Time is a priceless resource. The masses who have jobs only get to spend limited time with the people they love. When you are toiling at a job you sometimes have to miss the kid’s soccer game, school recital, Birthday party or your best friend’s barbeque. Those are special moments that you can never get back. Having wealth allows you to pay someone to do your household work so you have time to play golf, tennis, go fishing, cycling, etc. I would rather pay someone to paint my deck so I can spend Saturday at the ball game with friends or family.
The average American employee only has 2 or 3 weeks of vacation per year. This is not a balanced lifestyle. One of the most depressing feelings in the world is going back to work after a two-week vacation. A person waits 6 months to a year for a retreat, which takes at least 5 days to get adjusted to his or her new environment. By the second week when you are finally in the groove and enjoying yourself, it’s time to go back. When you are wealthy you have the time and resources to spend the whole winter on a tropical island if you please. One cannot really explore, absorb, and become totally refreshed with a measly two-week vacation. Maybe you want to take a trip around the world for a whole year.
Wealth gives you the freedom to work when you want to, not because you have to. The rich have the option to pick an occupation or business that they enjoy. People who work out of the pure need for money are usually working a job they hate. This is modern day slavery with invisible chains. These transparent chains are debt, hyper consumerism, fear, conformity, lack of creativity and absence of fortitude . The definition of a slave is a person who is property of another and is forced to obey. Employees are forced to take orders whether they like them or not. Gallup Polls show approximately 90% of employees worldwide are disconnected with their jobs. Millions of people are forced to work jobs they hate and associate with people they dislike for 35+ years. If you can not walk away from your job tomorrow then you are in bondage. The good news is that you can make a change. You can be free forever if you decide to get rich. This is a decision that the masses never make. You don’t need to be wealthy to walk away but it certainly makes it easier. You are not meant to be an average conformist. You are a unique limitless individual intended for greatness.
The only way you can find freedom and joy is if your livelihood is based on your passion. Doing work that you love gives you validation and contentment. A long day’s work is only fulfilling when you have done something you enjoyed. When you make your own rules and set your own hours, you will be significantly happier than 90% of the world. Every day feels like a vacation when you have the freedom to do what you want.
2. Experience the Finer Things in Life
Having abundance is not about being materialistic and hoarding a lot of useless consumer goods. I do not advocate hyper consumerism. Owning too many things is actually the opposite of good living and will weigh you down. I do advocate having the best quality of the few things that you really need and use. If you need a car, you can have the car of your dreams so that taking a drive is exciting and comfortable. Having your dream car will motivate you to get out the house more often to explore, meet new people and have memorable experiences. When you need professional services you can hire the best Lawyer, Doctor, Dentist or Accountant in town. If you currently have children, you can afford to raise them in the most prestigious community. A child’s environment will deeply impact his or her future. You want your kid’s neighborhood friends to come from high income families who have big expectations in life. This is positive peer pressure. If a teenager has a social circle of peers who are going to Ivy League colleges or creating tech companies out of their garages, it will only enhance his or her goals and expectations out of life.
You want the best quality even when it comes to something as simple as clothing. It actually saves you money in the long run, because you will not have to replace items as fast. All of the high quality footwear I’ve purchased have lasted me over 10 years. When I chose the low-priced brand of shoes they would fall apart within a year or two. I have had the same experience with T-shirts or and other types of apparel.
Wealth will give you the means to show your family the world. World travel will enhance you and your family culturally and intellectually. Children who have seen the world grow up to be more well-rounded adults. There is also a big difference between sleeping in a four star hotel and sleeping in a two star hotel. You will rest a lot better which makes traveling more comfortable and enjoyable.
I fly every two or three months, therefore I have tried out many types of travel gear. The cheaper baggage would begin to fail after two or three trips. I finally decided to pay extra for the higher quality brands and still have not had a problem after four years and over twenty trips. Speaking of travel, there is a huge difference in the comfort level and experience when flying first class vs. flying economy class. If you are super rich you can afford to fly private. When you fly private you have a regal experience that eliminates long lines at security checkpoints, lost luggage from airlines, being held captive to airline schedules and rushing to the airport. Everything is on your terms. You get exactly what you pay for in life. Life is just a little more sweet and comfortable when you can afford the best. If other people can live the high life, so can you. You just have to decide how significant it is to you. You have to seriously want it, put in the work, persevere, have consistency and patience.
3. Philanthropy
Whether you are rich or poor, it is your duty to help out your fellow man. When you spread goodwill, it comes back to you like a boomerang. Wealthy people understand this universal law. They are a very charitable group. Being wealthy will magnify the impact you can have on the world. Many years ago I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to help construct homes for needy families. Volunteering physical labor to help build one house for one family is ok, but having wealth would have allowed me to build apartment buildings that could house several hundred families.
If you only have time to donate to your favorite cause, then your effectiveness will be limited. There is only so much time you can donate, but wealth is infinite. If you want to save the trees, the best thing to do is to be wealthy enough to buy acres of forestry and protect it. If your cause is that everyone should have access to good health care or education, then get rich enough to build a hospital or school. If you want to eliminate poverty, then having wealth would allow you open a bank and give loans to people to start small businesses. To battle world hunger and feed 5000 people like Jesus, you are going to need money. Having an abundance of money is the most powerful way to further your favorite cause. Gone are the days of marching and protesting for change.
First, you create wealth, then you have the power, and then you can make a substantial difference.
4. Self-Improvement
Anybody who has become a Multimillionaire or Billionaire had to personally develop into a better person. Becoming rich doesn’t happen overnight or achieved through luck. A Study by Fidelity Investments found that 86% of millionaires are self-made and were not born rich. They had to learn certain skills and develop personality traits that are conducive to wealth building. The great thing is that the wisdom and characteristics you need to become wealthy will stay with you forever. Nobody can steal your knowledge and wisdom. Material wealth is just a reflection of who you are on the inside. Most wealthy people are generous because they know they have the knowledge and business savvy to create more money. A farmer who is an expert at growing apples on his 100 acre apple orchard will not be selfish about giving away a few barrels of apples to the less fortunate. As you build the wealth, you will gain the characteristics of discipline, creativity, self-reliance, determination, patience and confidence to name a few. These are characteristics that will help you in every aspect of life. One of the most important characteristics gained is confidence. Being wealthy gives you an unshakeable coolness. You know that the world is your oyster. You will be proud of what you accomplished and what it took to become wealthy. Not much will be able to bother you because you are the self-assured boss of your own life. Nobody will own you. The majority of problems in life can be solved with money and you will have plenty of it.
Obviously you will learn how to manage money better. The reason the rich get richer is because they learned the process of attracting, saving, and growing money. This is why 80 percent of professional athletes and lottery winners lose their fortune. They don’t develop any financial skills through the process of slow wealth building. They are presented with a lump sum of cash and have no idea how to handle it. They still have the middle class or poverty state of mind. Eventually the money will disappear and reflect who they really are on the inside. Having millions instantly thrust upon a person is a huge responsibility that most are not ready for. It would be like instantly promoting a stock boy in Walmart to CEO. The corporation would eventually fall apart with him steering the ship. He does not have the experience or knowledge to handle the huge responsibility of a Fortune 500 CEO. However, a stock boy could eventually become a successful CEO of Walmart if he slowly moves up through different levels of management and gain expertise in the retail industry. This is why getting rich slowly should be embraced. Embrace the developmental process of building wealth and you will continue to grow it forever.
5. Health
This is the most important benefit of being wealthy. We only get one body and not much else really matters if you are not healthy to enjoy this beautiful planet that we live on. Affluent people have easy access to the healthiest organic food available. They don’t have to fret over the extra price of fresh fruits and vegetables that are free of harmful pesticides. When I’m driving and see a Whole Foods grocery, I instantly know I am in an affluent community. The Whole Foods grocery chain is building stores in high income areas because they know prosperous people will spare no expense in buying the most nutritious food for their health.
Low income neighborhoods are called food deserts. They are typically void of any markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. All you will see is unhealthy heart clogging fast food restaurants and Liquor stores on every corner. This is heartbreaking to say the least. Even more upsetting is that many people grow accustomed to this poisonous environment and actually enjoy the unhealthy eating options. Most would not consume a raw vegetable or a piece of fruit if you paid them to eat it. Low income American communities have a disproportionately higher rate of obesity than higher income neighborhoods. The higher obesity rate translates to more diabetes and heart disease in lower income communities. This is not how anyone should live and you definitely do not want to get accustomed to this environment. This does not have to be your reality. Healthy eating and living is your choice, but the choice is a lot easier when you have the financial resources.
Now take a look at health care, being wealthy definitely gives you an advantage. You will go to the hospitals with the best customer service and receive consultation from the most knowledgeable and experienced Doctors. I have seen the night and day difference of customer service and cleanliness of hospitals between where the poor live and where the affluent live. In a poor hospital it is not uncommon to see a person arrive at the emergency room with life threatening chest pains (a symptom of an actual or impending heart attack) and be asked to fill out insurance paperwork before a doctor has examined the patient. A hospital in an affluent community will immediately treat the person with chest pains and worry about the insurance details later. Hospitals like to make the wealthiest patients feel cozy by giving them private rooms that rival 5 star hotel suites. Many of the super-rich have a network of private doctors who are available 24 hours for house calls. The rich are not forced to depend on the limited coverage that insurance companies, employers, or governments dictates.
Wealthy people also have less stress because they don’t have to work for anybody or do anything unless they enjoy it. If they choose to work a job, it is only because they may have a passion for that industry or occupation. They can quit anytime the company goes in a direction they don’t approve. The majority of people incur stress from the workplace. Stress can take a toll on your health and make you age faster. When you look at any American President you can see how job related stress causes early graying of their hair during the first 4 years. Medical studies show that approximately 70% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, skin outbreaks, asthma, depression, and anxiety.
Affluent people also have more leisure time to hit the gym, do yoga, and educate themselves about nutrition. People in wealthy communities are always active and can be seen jogging, biking, dog walking, gardening, playing tennis, etc. This healthy environment will rub off on your life in a beneficial way. Human beings usually mimic what they see in their immediate surroundings. If the majority of your neighbors are getting in shape and eating nutritious food, then you will subconsciously be motivated to do the same. Get rich and live the wealthy way! Your life may very well depend on it.