Yes, You Can Have Both, But….
One of my friends was livid at yesterday's post. In it, I discussed the difference between being wealthy and being rich. Being wealthy has everything to do with money, and being rich has nothing to do with money. I concluded the piece with this: "I'll die on the hill a million times that rich far exceeds wealthy every day of the week."
My friend, a very wealthy man, told me that my perspective on this topic is "small-minded" and "narrow." In his words, "Why choose one when you can have both?"
He's absolutely right......in the most wrong of ways. By his own admission, based on my definition of rich, he's poor. But now that he has wealth, he's going to find richness. However, in his mind, wealth is the key to subsequently finding richness. He couldn't be further from the truth. I'll save the gut-wrenching stories and gory details for confidentiality's sake, but he'll be the first to admit that his life lacks joy, meaning, and purpose. There's a lot of brokenness and pain caused by his steady pursuit of wealth.
His original point is right, though. You can be both wealthy and rich. It's not one or the other. However, there's an irony here. The only way to get both (in most cases) is to simply pursue richness. His own testimony is the cautionary tale of what happens when we try to pursue wealth. We just might find it, but it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Plus, the journey to get there often involves actions, decisions, and behaviors that sabotage our ability to have a rich life.
On the flip side, the pursuit of a rich life becomes more about the journey than the destination. It involves actions, decisions, and behaviors that lead to more meaning, purpose, and impact. Here's the irony. When we aggressively live with meaning, money often follows. That's not some prosperity gospel-type stuff, but rather a reality: when we pour our blood, sweat, tears, and passions into something that matters deeply to us, it's hard not to find some level of success. The journey toward meaning often intersects with excellence and impact, which translates into some form of compensation.
I'm not suggesting we have to choose between meaning and money......but I am 100% suggesting we ought to violently pursue meaning. Then, we let the chips fall how they may.
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