04/12/13: "Wealth!"

Wealth by definition is: the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions (Wikipedia). So are you wealthy? Is being wealthy having the abundance of material possessions? Is being wealthy having luxurious cars, enormous houses and Rolex watches? By definition, I guess that could be correct, but I guess the correct question to ask yourself is do you feel wealthy? Are you HAPPY with your “wealth?”

In my now 32 years of life I have encountered various scenarios, mixed emotions and valuable lessons. One thing that I can always remember though was my father telling me that money doesn’t make you happy – and I have always been happy. So then, what is correct? Perhaps we need the definition of happiness or perhaps even better the secret to be happily wealthy…does it exist?

Happiness, as also defined by Wikipedia, is a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Key word: Positive! In recent years, I’ve had the good fortune to attend several seminars and workshops but one person in particular has made an impact in my way of thinking – thinking POSITIVE – thank you Ernesto Benavides (www.ernestobenavides.com). I believe that thinking positive is the KEY starting point to achieving happiness and as a result PERSONAL wealth. Yes, I purposely wrote personal in caps since wealth can be defined as an “abundance of valuable resources.” To me, this valuable resource is – happiness!

So now that we begin to analyze everything by definition and begin to look for the root causes of each of the different states of being, we can begin to see and layout a path to achieve the goal or answer to our original question. Are you following me? Did I leave you behind somewhere? Let’s recap:

Wealth can be seen, by definition, as the abundance of a valuable resource OR material possession. Key word is “OR.” Which is important to you – the abundance of a valuable resource or the material possessions. In my particular case, the valuable resource that I consider to be wealthy is “HAPPINESS!” Furthermore to achieve happiness I must always be in a POSITIVE state of mind since happiness is defined as being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions…YES it all does make sense! If I am positive, I will be happy and see all happiness life has to offer me. If I am happy then I have achieved my personal wealth since I have an abundance of happiness in my life!

So now ask yourself these questions: (1) Are you wealthy? (2)What is your idea of wealth and why?

Quote to live by:
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”
- Aristotle