It’s NEVER Too Late
A few readers have recently accused me of being fatalistic in my two recent posts about rich vs. wealthy. The first post is HERE, and the second post is HERE. In short, I made the argument that there's a massive difference between being wealthy (all about money) and being rich (nothing about money). I followed it up by saying it's possible to have both, but the irony is the journey to both requires us to pursue rich (meaning), not wealthy (money). Meaning over money, if you will. When we pour our blood, sweat, tears, and passions into something, there's a strong likelihood we'll have some form of financial success.
Here's what one reader said about my two posts: "I feel like you're telling people that once they pick a road, they are screwed. That's it. That's your fate."
First, I totally understand how someone could read into my words and think that. I'm always grateful for the back-and-forth with readers; that's what gives this daily blog a soul!
Here's where I land on this topic. Not only do I disagree with the notion that once you pick a path, you're screwed, but I would double (er, triple!) down on the idea that it's NEVER too late to choose rich. It's NEVER too late to opt into meaning. It's NEVER too late to aggressively pursue work that matters.
I regularly tell 40-somethings that today is a great day to change their lives and take drastically different paths. Sure, they might have been chasing money, stuff, and status for two decades now, but they still have so much time left. It's NEVER too late.
I regularly receive messages from blog readers and podcast listeners who say something along the lines of (paraphrased), "I used to pursue money, but now I pursue meaning." Here's one thing all of these messages had in common. Almost every single person who switched their priority from being wealthy to being rich said they are so glad they did. Nobody ever says they regret pursuing the meaning and wish they would go back to pursuing money. Interesting!
In summary, after my unexpected three-part series, here's where I land on the topic:
Being rich ALWAYS surpasses being wealthy.
You can have both, but the path to both requires the pursuit of meaning.
It's NEVER too late to change your mind and take a different path.
Regardless of whether you're 17 or 87, you still have time. Make that precious time count!
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