How Rich Are You, Really?
Let’s get honest for a second.
You’ve ticked boxes, hit milestones, collected stories and maybe even a few pairs of “successful adult shoes.”
You’ve built the life that younger you used to daydream about.
And yet… some days you still catch yourself thinking,
“Shouldn’t this feel better?”
You sit in the home you worked for, surrounded by things you once prayed for and there it is, that tiny ache in your chest.
You’re grateful, but you’re also exhausted. You have so much, but you rarely have the time or space to feel it.
Sound familiar?
The Paradox of Having “Everything”
It’s a strange truth: you can accumulate abundance and still feel a little… empty.
Maybe you have the job, the house, the savings and the holidays, but somehow joy still feels like a guest that pops in unannounced and leaves too soon.
You might look around at your life and think, “Wow, I’m lucky.”
And you are.
But maybe, deep down, you’re wondering why being “successful” sometimes feels like carrying a very expensive bag filled with invisible bricks.
What Science Actually Says ... Because It’s Not Just You
According to Harvard’s 80-year Grant Study, the single biggest predictor of happiness and long-term fulfillment wasn’t money, fame or achievement, it was warm relationships.
Connection, not accumulation, keeps us well.
Another Harvard Business School study found that people felt happier when they spent money on others rather than themselves. Generosity, it turns out, brings a deeper kind of wealth, one that deposits directly into the soul.
And psychology calls it the “hedonic treadmill.”
The more we achieve, the more we expect, meaning the joy from new success fades faster each time.
We adapt. We normalize. We start chasing the next thing, mistaking motion for meaning.
“There are two pillars of happiness revealed by the Harvard study… One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”
— Dr. Robert Waldinger, Harvard psychiatrist and director of the Grant Study
A Bit of Truth
You know that moment when you finally get the thing, the car, the promotion, the new phone and then three weeks later you’re Googling “Why am I still not satisfied?”
Yep. That’s the human condition.
We chase more because it feels easier than sitting with enough.
But here’s the punchline: sometimes “enough” is exactly what abundance looks like, we just don’t recognize it because it’s not loud, sparkly or on sale.
Redefining “Rich”
What if richness isn’t just about what’s in your account, but what’s in your alignment?
It’s not the things you have, it’s how present you are with them.
Rich is:
- The morning coffee you actually taste.
- The deep breath you don’t rush through.
- The laugh that starts in your belly and ends in your soul.
Real wealth isn’t excess, it’s the luxury of freedom and time.
The ability to choose how you spend your hours, who you spend them with and what version of yourself shows up when you do.
That’s the kind of richness that no "pay rise" can replicate.
When your nervous system feels safe, your energy feels clear and your time feels like yours, that’s wealth.
🌱 Your Rich Life Audit
If you want to know how rich your life really is, try this quick audit.
Ask yourself:
“If everything in my life stayed exactly as it is for the next year… would I feel fulfilled or frustrated?”
Then pause.
Don’t overthink it.
Just notice what happens in your body before your brain jumps in with logic.
Do your shoulders relax? Or does your chest tighten?
That reaction is your inner compass, your true balance sheet.
Now, rate yourself (1 – 10) on these four pillars:
- Peace: How calm do I feel most days?
- Purpose: How connected do I feel to what I do?
- People: How nourished do I feel by my relationships?
- Play: How often do I genuinely enjoy the moment?
Anything below a 7? That’s your next investment opportunity.
(Not in crypto, in calm. 😉)
Final Thought
You can build the empire, fill the home, achieve the dream and still feel poor in presence.
Or you can realign your definition of wealth and realize you’ve been rich all along.
Because a rich life isn’t something you earn, it’s something you embody.
It’s what happens when peace becomes your profit, time becomes your treasure, and joy becomes your daily currency.
So, my friend, how rich are you, really?
