Wealth

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

-Epictetus

Epictetus’s reminder that true wealth is not the materialism we see on social media, in the movies, or are naturally inclined to chase. This is why I spend less time writing about the money component of the all-important alignment of spirit, mind, body, and money—wealth is actually found in the spirit, mind, and body.

Not only will the alignment of your spirit, mind, and body help guide you to your authentic life, which makes aligning and allocating your financial resources more clear, but having a strong spiritual connection, control over your mind, and a healthy body equate to wealth, in my book.

Much of today’s unhappiness, depression, and anxiety stems from seeking approval and acceptance from others—it’s a lack of alignment of the spirit, mind, and body. We hear a lot about the wealth gap, which is very real but refers to the financial kind of wealth, but there is another wealth gap we face today, and it comes from people attributing success, happiness, and social acceptance to material possessions.

The financial wealth gap is a much harder problem to solve, but I do think it is a problem that can be solved—the first step in solving it would be solving the second wealth gap we face and reminding our Selves of Epictetus words can serve as the foundation.

True wealth is found in love, gratitude, health, the people we surround our Selves with, experiences, and recognizing the abundance in our lives.

There are a lot of unhappy, financially wealthy people with a lot of great possessions, and there are a lot of happy, fulfilled, loving people who don’t have great financial wealth or a lot of possessions. 

If you can detach your Self from material possessions as the definition of wealth and success, you will see a significant shift in your happiness, outlook on life, and the direction of your Pursuit.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC