A question that can be easily answered or reflected upon
It is yet another sunny, summer day in 2017 and I am in my second round of my short statements on how I, Christian H. Rother, a simple guy from Germany, reflect on the past, the present and the future.
So, what makes us rich?
The easy answer for a gentleman like me could be … a lot of money, fancy clothes and amazing cars. But certainly it is the biggest mistake to focus on purely monetary and material things.
The biggest status symbol of all Germans still remains the car. Wow! So now that you drive the big Mercedes Benz and have paid a fortune for it, you can tick off the task „become rich“ on your bucket list?
Well, with this little statement, today I would like to focus on the actual purpose of money and what it has got us all into.
Have you ever thought about the pepper you put on your meal? The peppercorn you grind and the pepper that tastes so delicious….? Well, in the Middle Ages, pepper was the equivalent to money. Imagine going to your bank today, withdrawing 500€ from your account and grinding it over your dinner. Yummy!
Have I said enough…or should I explain my point in other words?
So, money is nothing more than a means to exchange goods. Tomorrow we could literally decorate our walls with it, as Fiat money leaves space for Bitcoins and the like.
In my humble opinion, we should free ourselves from the race we chase for money. I can tell you this is a race we are doomed to lose. It will never be enough. And while we are greedy for it, we harm all good around us.
What are the alternative things that make us feel rich?
Certainly all of us should think about time. I am still quite rich, as I am only in my early thirties. Hopefully there is plenty of time ahead. You never know. So, CARPE DIEM!
Another aspect is the level of contribution. The more you are able to give, the richer you become. Giving is not to translate directly into monetary terms, giving is our individual ability to give by being creative. So your creativity makes you rich as well.
Finally, rich is the humble person, who has learned to reflect upholding a positive perspective.
In essence:
Chasing after money really is not a good solution to become rich. Rich is the person who clearly knows what makes him or her happy and gets a lot of that. Money most often turns out to be the least easy way to become happy.
To emphasise this, check out what Chip Conley has to say….