What is “ Personal Wealth ?”
(a personal story)

What does “ Personal Wealth ” mean to you? The answer is different depending on whom you ask.

Ask someone just out of college - young and full of ambition – for his definition. He may say something like, “I want to be a millionaire by the time I’m thirty-five.”

Ask the same question of someone who’s down and out, who can’t make ends meet, maybe someone who has lost everything. They may say personal wealth means, “Never having to worry about money again.”

Then ask someone who’s older and more mature, someone who has gone through the trials and tribulations for a definition of personal wealth. Ask someone who has experienced life’s joys as well as life’s tragedies. Ask someone who has experienced the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Ask someone who has witnessed horrors as well as heroes.

I knew a man who was considered “wealthy” by everyone who knew him. To protect the privacy of his family, I will refer to him simply as “Bob.” I’ve had the distinct honor of having Bob as my friend. He was a man among men and everyone who knew him would agree.

Bob was wealthy in the traditional sense of the word. He worked long and hard building a business and he was reaping the benefits. Still in his 40’s, he had his whole life in front of him.

He had a wife who adored him as much as he adored her. His children were “good kids.” They were in their 20’s and unlike many kids their age, still looked up to dad and loved to “hang out” with him.

Bob had friends everywhere he went. Friends, family, employees, and business associates were willing to do almost anything he asked. That’s how much he was liked and admired. His word was his bond and I never heard an unkind word about him.

I remember a conversation with him. I don’t remember what we were discussing or what brought him to say this. But he admitted to me, “I’m a very lucky man. I’ve got a wonderful family, close friends and the time to enjoy them. What more could I ask for?”

I admit I had to agree with him, right up to the moment he suffered a massive stroke and collapsed on his kitchen floor. Bob was taken from us much too soon. He still had decades ahead of him.

At a typical funeral, you may find fifty people coming to pay their respects. If you’re a celebrity, then maybe a hundred.

When Bob was laid to rest, there were literally hundreds of people who came to pay their respects! There were waves of mourners. Seeing crowds packed into the funeral home and lined up around the block was an emotional site in and of itself.

I ask you: Was Bob wealthy due to his monetary holdings? Or was Bob wealthy because of the life he lived?

Most people (including himself) considered Bob one of the wealthiest men around. He was wealthy because he had family, close friends and even acquaintances that would do anything for him. He enjoyed the people around him and they enjoyed being with him too.

So ask someone who’s been through it all. They will likely tell you that Personal Wealth is not just about the money. Personal Wealth is just as much about having those things that money can not buy. It’s about the quality of your relationships. It’s about family and friends who can count on you as much as you can count on them. It’s about loving and being loved.

Personal Wealth is about having the wealth of family, friends and experiences that fulfill you, that make you happy, and that make life worth living.

In your quest for financial wealth, do not neglect the relationships you have and the life you live. Without them, you’ll never have a Million Dollar Marriage, or a Million Dollar Life.

Return to Creating Wealth from Personal Wealth.

Go to Home Page from Personal Wealth.