At 17 every single person chases 2 things, money and certificates (which btw, we assume will help us make more money). I know there will a good few who would want to add career to that list, if you are one, stop and think for a minute. Did you ever sit down and think about "What am I good at? What am I passionate about? Where do I see myself in 10 years?" If you answered those questions and sought a career based on those answers, then you are a gifted person. Yes go ahead and add career to that list, for everyone else, like me, career is encompassed in the first target, Money.
So the Million Dollar Question is how much Money is enough? When do we consider ourselves to be rich? Can you certify a person to be rich? Is there a milestone for a person to reach so that he/she can call himself/herself rich? So why talk suddenly about money? Its not that I had struck the lottery, I was sent to a Financial Planning course last week and in my 2 days there they put me through every emotion possible....pain, anger, sorry, fear, failure and finally supreme! (They had a small game and I retired with a 14000$ paycheck, 10 properties and 1.8Million in cash)
Coming back to the main topic? How much is enough. I think it depends on what every person wants in life. Why? Because just the day after the course, I was explaining to my colleagues that after sitting through my financial analysis, it was determined that I needed 2.3 Million to retire. My friend asked me the question, why? I told him the same answer, the financial planners told me, "To maintain my lifestyle". And I think therein lies the answer to the big question. Rich is just an adjective we used to describe people based on our own needs, wishes and dreams. If he/she has more that what we think we need, we classify the person rich.
If you have 10$, if you want to dine at the Four Seasons, you don’t even have enough for a single meal, if you want to have dinner at Mac's then you will have a spare dollar or two, if you want to buy veggies and cook, the same 10$ can be enough for a few days. So it’s not the 10$ that matters but what you want to do with it that determines whether you have enough or not. Few years ago, a person wanted to build a small temple for his god at my native place. The land required belonged to a person who is an odd job laborer. He only gets paid when he works and he only works when he is called up to work. Meaning he has no idea where or when he is going to get his next pay. Yet when asked, he insisted on giving his land for free! How many of us educated, monthly paid people put in his shoes make the same decision. We probably think it was a foolish decision only the uneducated can make! The person did compensate the laborer for his loss but again that’s secondary.
So Money is just the tool that can help to get what we want, let’s treat it with the respect it deserves but let’s not chase it so blindly that we lose sight of the very purpose of why we are chasing it. Let’s not fear it but be cautious of its power to engulf us and manipulate us. I made 1.8M while playing the game but the game did not factor personal health, at 55 even if I really had that much money, it’s no use to me if I were to be counting my days. So let’s take stock of our needs, our current situation at regular intervals and enjoy life with what we have - whenever we can ;)
So the Million Dollar Question is how much Money is enough? When do we consider ourselves to be rich? Can you certify a person to be rich? Is there a milestone for a person to reach so that he/she can call himself/herself rich? So why talk suddenly about money? Its not that I had struck the lottery, I was sent to a Financial Planning course last week and in my 2 days there they put me through every emotion possible....pain, anger, sorry, fear, failure and finally supreme! (They had a small game and I retired with a 14000$ paycheck, 10 properties and 1.8Million in cash)
Coming back to the main topic? How much is enough. I think it depends on what every person wants in life. Why? Because just the day after the course, I was explaining to my colleagues that after sitting through my financial analysis, it was determined that I needed 2.3 Million to retire. My friend asked me the question, why? I told him the same answer, the financial planners told me, "To maintain my lifestyle". And I think therein lies the answer to the big question. Rich is just an adjective we used to describe people based on our own needs, wishes and dreams. If he/she has more that what we think we need, we classify the person rich.
If you have 10$, if you want to dine at the Four Seasons, you don’t even have enough for a single meal, if you want to have dinner at Mac's then you will have a spare dollar or two, if you want to buy veggies and cook, the same 10$ can be enough for a few days. So it’s not the 10$ that matters but what you want to do with it that determines whether you have enough or not. Few years ago, a person wanted to build a small temple for his god at my native place. The land required belonged to a person who is an odd job laborer. He only gets paid when he works and he only works when he is called up to work. Meaning he has no idea where or when he is going to get his next pay. Yet when asked, he insisted on giving his land for free! How many of us educated, monthly paid people put in his shoes make the same decision. We probably think it was a foolish decision only the uneducated can make! The person did compensate the laborer for his loss but again that’s secondary.
So Money is just the tool that can help to get what we want, let’s treat it with the respect it deserves but let’s not chase it so blindly that we lose sight of the very purpose of why we are chasing it. Let’s not fear it but be cautious of its power to engulf us and manipulate us. I made 1.8M while playing the game but the game did not factor personal health, at 55 even if I really had that much money, it’s no use to me if I were to be counting my days. So let’s take stock of our needs, our current situation at regular intervals and enjoy life with what we have - whenever we can ;)
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