What about a big house with live-in help to answer your every need and desire? While most people consider the volume of material goods to be a measure of success, I contend that only those who have peace and happiness in every area of life are the only ones that are truly wealthy.
To be truly rich, you need to experience harmonic wealthy. For example, Howard Hughes is probably the most famous example of a monetarily rich man who was also one of the poorest people on the planet. Think about it. What good did his money do for him? Yes, he could buy nice things and people to help take care of them, but he was basically a hermit, a prisoner of his own world. No, he cannot be considered truly wealthy, because so many elements of his life were void of happiness.
Likewise, you can have all the money and power in the world, but you cannot really appreciate your blessings if you are sick all of the time. Many wealthy people have had all the best health care that money can buy and still suffered immensely on a daily basis.
What about being spiritually poor? You can have a lot of possessions and appear to have the perfect life to outsiders, but are you truly rich if you have a hollow void at the very core of your soul? To be honest, no one can have harmonic wealth, if he/she feels as if something important is still missing.
In addition to spiritual loneliness, a lot of people with money are socially lonely. When you have a lot of cash in the bank, how do you know when acquaintances like you because of you effervescent personality? What if individuals are simply hoping to be a recipient of generosity? Trust must be a big issue with the wealthy, or why would so many well to do couples have to sign prenuptial agreements?
On the other hand, have you ever met a family, barely having two coins to rub together, yet they seem to have the perfect life? Life is full of friends and family, good health is in abundance, spirituality is an integral part of who they are, and they really have a want for nothing. Who is truly wealthy?
If you want to become truly wealthy, do not put all your energy into making big bucks. Consider all the other aspects of your life. Concentrate on enriching every element of your life. Then, you can say you have discovered the true meaning of harmonic wealth.
If you have a million dollars, will you be satisfied? What about 10 million? Is true wealth a numbers game or do other factors enter into the equation?
Ebenizer Scrooge of Dicken's The Christmas Carol was very wealthy for his time, but before meeting the three ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, he lived a miserable life, too cheap to even heat his own apartment.
Meanwhile his clerk, with his many children, was portrayed as happy and loving - a great father.
Of course this is fiction, but is there any truth to the story?
Many people will work incessantly trying to accumulate more and more wealth, but a trite joke is that their last words are never: ?I wished I spent more time at work.?
For some people the only answer to the question; ?What is true wealth?", is money pure and simple - the more money the better.
Others would be content to say that true wealth is having the peace of mind of being free of debt.
Another will say he is truly wealthy if he can lead the lifestyle he chooses regardless of cost.
Others might say true wealth is being healthy and surrounded by loving family and caring friends.
There are probably as many answers to this question as they are people to answer it.
You could live in a big house on the hill, have two Mercedes in the garage and a million in the bank and not enjoy life as much as the guy who works in the gas station and lives in a two room furnished apartment.
True wealth is what one perceives it to be. And if it were not so, we wouldn't have policemen, firemen and soldiers who risk their lives protecting us rather than trying to work on Wall Street, making big bucks.
We wouldn't have doctors who travel to third world countries, just to try to make some difference, rather than to stay at home with a thriving practice and a comfortable life.
We wouldn't have all the volunteers this country has, who are ready and willing to help the sick, infirm or destitute ? or who suddenly turn up at disaster scenes willing to do anything to help.
This country wouldn't have the millions of people who donate billions of dollars annually to the charities of their choice.
So even thought we concentrate on financial matters, it's good to step back and realize there is more to true wealth than money.
I believe that having enough wealth to live a comfortable life makes lots of other things possible.
I also believe that being in debt is merely transferring your wealth to your creditors. While it may make them, or their shareholders rich, it really contributes little to your true wealth.
So my answer will be adopted from Mr. Spock's famous Vulcan greeting: ?Live Debt Free and Prosper.?
Both Paul Sutherland & Chris Cooper are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Paul Sutherland has sinced written about articles on various topics from Customer Service, self improvement and motivation and Food and Drink. Paul Sutherland is an Accelerated Business Growth Coach. His company - Daniel Thomas International is also heavily involved in personal development and growth. Now a website. Paul Sutherland's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Chris Cooper has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bad Credit Loans, Finances and Web Development. Chris Cooper, a retired attorney, and his wife Aileen, who has an MBA in Finance, provide personal financial planning advice at Credit Yourself