You don’t have to have money to feel wealthy.
That might sound odd, or even counterintuitive, but it’s true.
I know because I’ve worked with plenty of millionaires and multimillionaires, and I’m pretty sure even one billionaire. Yet many of these very rich people had very common problems.
Here are seven surprising things I learnt from my wealthy clients about the true value of having lots of money:
You can have millions and still feel like a slave. A slave to a business, a lifestyle or a life you don’t love.
And you can feel wealthy simply by waking up each day and being your own boss—choosing what you do with your precious life…every…single…day.
It can help you eat organic food every day, work out at a world-class gym and employ the best health advisers and personal trainers in the world—but it can’t do the work of living a healthy lifestyle. Money can't buy you the wisdom to realise that, along with the foods you eat, how you prepare them, and your exercise program, your every thought and word is shaping your health too.
Some will live—and die—never learning that.
And it doesn’t matter whether you work out in an exclusive health club or walk the stairs during your break in an office high-rise. The real wealth is in caring for your body.
It can buy beautiful gifts, romantic holidays and an impressive home. It can attract plenty of people into your life too.
But it cannot make you feel deeply known, accepted or loved.
That kind of wealth is created through openness, presence, affection and the courage to let another person truly see you. And that kind of love means learning to love yourself first—warts, ugly toenails, shadow personality traits and all.
You can build an empire, reach every financial goal and still wake up wondering, What is all this for?
Money can give you countless ways to spend your life, but it cannot decide what makes your life worth living.
Meaning comes from knowing who you are, what you value and what you feel called to contribute. Meaning comes from serving others, in a way that doesn't create resentment for you, and in a way that actually brings you real joy.
Money can buy status, influence and access. It can make people listen to you, agree with you and laugh at your jokes.
But it cannot buy genuine appreciation, self-respect or the respect of people who know who you truly are.
Real authority comes from your character—from living with integrity, keeping your word and treating people well, regardless of what they can do for you…or what they can’t and never will.
You can have millions in the bank and still fear losing everything.
In fact, having more can sometimes create even more to protect, manage and worry about. You’ve heard that saying about what you own ends up owning you, right. Like the boat you have to have regularly cleaned, gathering mooring fees rail, hail or shine.
Inner security is the feeling that you can trust yourself, meet life as it comes and create new opportunities wherever you are.
Money can support that feeling, but the deepest security must be created within you.
Money can buy you more control over your calendar, but it cannot return the years you spent too busy to enjoy your life.
It cannot recreate missed moments with your children, restore neglected relationships or give you back the days you postponed happiness until you reached your next goal.
Your time is precious right now—whether you have millions in the bank or just enough to make it through the week.
And maybe the greatest lesson of all is this:
Money can support every one of these forms of wealth yes, but understanding, appreciating and, ultimately, valuing something much more than zeros in a bank gives life all its meaning.
And feeling rich is available to everyone. Sometimes all it takes is asking yourself what you are grateful for, more often.
You can feel wealthy through your freedom, health, love, purpose, self-respect, inner security and time.
And the more consciously you recognise and speak about these riches, the wealthier your life begins to feel.
So, if you'd like to feel more of those truly wealthy feelings it is as easy as changing the way you think and speak about what wealth truly is. The easiest way I've found to make those changes is by listening to a binaural affirmation meditation, and the one I created especially for this purpose is Your Word is Wealth...available in the 7-day program here: https://grant-empowerment.com/your-word-is-wealth-7-day-program/
And if you already have lots of money but are lacking in health, love or a sense of true meaning in your life…let’s talk.
I've helped many people just like you: you have plenty of money but still feel like there is room for more love in your life, and maybe more meaning too. Book a private session with me here: https://grant-empowerment.com/private-coaching/
Maybe you can sense it is time for you to feel truly, finally, deeply rich—in every meaning of the word.
Ben Grant Mitchell
Author of Your Word Is Law
Founder, Grant Empowerment
Creator of the Leadership Language Audit™, P.A.T.H. Coaching™ and B.A.M. Coaching™