Many of us today are caught up in old ways of thinking about what it means to be wealthy and prosperous. It wasn’t that long ago that many were spending like there was no tomorrow on things that their incomes couldn’t support. The lure of easy credit and easy access to home equity lines made them think they were rich when in reality they were only setting themselves up for a huge fall. Spending way beyond one’s means and chasing only material dreams have come back to haunt many and they are now paying the price. And those that were responsible are unfortunately paying the price as well. We’re paying because it’s all connected and when one starts to fall it creates a domino effect and others begin to fall as well. Oh well, “C’est La Vie” huh?
We’ve all seen our monetary wealth go down several notches, retirement plans have been postponed, and who among us doesn’t know somebody who has lost their job? I come across many people every day who are frightened and confused about the state of our economy and are afraid of what the future holds. The times we live in are indeed uncertain and we are definitely going through a huge realignment in our present economy and in our standards of living. Even though we are amidst severe economic changes that many of us have never witnessed before, we Americans still live in a land of plenty and have so much to be thankful for. I do not mean to make light of our present situation, because we are definitely all in for some huge changes, but change is definitely needed and in the long run will serve us all much better. Many of the ways that people were living were unsustainable and much of the so-called wealth hasn’t even existed at all. Some of those in banking, government, and Wall Street led us to believe that debt was wealth and that being in constant debt and living above your means was an acceptable way of living. But unless you are a direct recipient of the TARP funds, the party is coming to an end. And for those individuals running those “too big to fail institutions, it will probably catch up with them as well, because karma eventually does settle up with those out of integrity.
Even though our monetary wealth has gone down, has our real wealth gone down? I would argue no. Our real wealth is in our relationships and the memories we create. Wealth is breaking bread with those we love. Wealth is enjoying the great outdoors. Wealth is spending time doing things you enjoy. Defining wealth to only mean money and what it can buy limits our ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Event though it often seems like money would solve all problems, it really would not, for money cannot make us fulfilled. That’s something that only we can do for ourselves!
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Genuine Wealth
May 21st, 2009 . Posted in CommentaryNo Comments »Many of us today are caught up in old ways of thinking about what it means to be wealthy and prosperous. It wasn’t that long ago that many were spending like there was no tomorrow on things that their incomes couldn’t support. The lure of easy credit and easy access to home equity lines made them think they were rich when in reality they were only setting themselves up for a huge fall. Spending way beyond one’s means and chasing only material dreams have come back to haunt many and they are now paying the price. And those that were responsible are unfortunately paying the price as well. We’re paying because it’s all connected and when one starts to fall it creates a domino effect and others begin to fall as well. Oh well, “C’est La Vie” huh?
We’ve all seen our monetary wealth go down several notches, retirement plans have been postponed, and who among us doesn’t know somebody who has lost their job? I come across many people every day who are frightened and confused about the state of our economy and are afraid of what the future holds. The times we live in are indeed uncertain and we are definitely going through a huge realignment in our present economy and in our standards of living. Even though we are amidst severe economic changes that many of us have never witnessed before, we Americans still live in a land of plenty and have so much to be thankful for. I do not mean to make light of our present situation, because we are definitely all in for some huge changes, but change is definitely needed and in the long run will serve us all much better. Many of the ways that people were living were unsustainable and much of the so-called wealth hasn’t even existed at all. Some of those in banking, government, and Wall Street led us to believe that debt was wealth and that being in constant debt and living above your means was an acceptable way of living. But unless you are a direct recipient of the TARP funds, the party is coming to an end. And for those individuals running those “too big to fail institutions, it will probably catch up with them as well, because karma eventually does settle up with those out of integrity.
Even though our monetary wealth has gone down, has our real wealth gone down? I would argue no. Our real wealth is in our relationships and the memories we create. Wealth is breaking bread with those we love. Wealth is enjoying the great outdoors. Wealth is spending time doing things you enjoy. Defining wealth to only mean money and what it can buy limits our ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Event though it often seems like money would solve all problems, it really would not, for money cannot make us fulfilled. That’s something that only we can do for ourselves!