I turn 35 in a few days. It is a confusing age. Something within you tells you that you have grown up. Still there is that another something within you that doesn’t want you to give up so soon —on your ‘single, flirty’ ways about life. As I look back at the last decade, I find a lot of satisfaction. God has kept me special and especially lucky. Could create whatever a guy seeks in his early life. Here are 10 reasons why I do not want to be rich; my take on money and happiness in life.
Last few weeks, I have very carefully remained busy planning my next 5 years. I could very cunningly plan my career, vacation, fun, family, health, spirituality goals but I just got stuck at one point- ‘Finance Goals’. Boss!! Last few days have been a big tear across my mind as I think about ‘How much RICH should I be after 5 / 10 or more years’? What is a good measure of ‘wealth creation’? I spent a lot of time in the last month looking at people who are elder & more experienced to me. As I tried to inner view them; a lot of answers emerged. I could conclude a couple of things:-
a) I have a plan. If I work very hard from now on — I can make a very big mark on the world and that should simultaneously create a lot of money.
b) However, if I work less hard and use the saved energy for something else, then that something else can also get created well.
I took a decision finally. Thought to SHARE with you through a blog post.
Why I do not want to work very hard to become filthily RICH?
1) State of Perpetual Anxiety
Guru Nanak Dev ji said it so right when he said — ‘Bade Bade jo disay log, unko vyapey chinta rog’. (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) (Those who are rich they are always in tension to lose it)’. I found that most of people who are older than I am are living in a state of perpetual anxiety. A chronic anxiety fatigue is enveloping them and it just doesn’t leave them. Rather it becomes stronger and firmer with every passing year.
The reason I found for this was: – ‘Majority of the issues in the lives my elders & contemporaries are either because of ‘wealth creation worries’ or out of ‘worries about increasing that wealth which already got created’. A vast majority was also precipitating complexities in their lives because of their ‘Image issues’ to the external world. They just look so desperate to sound ‘Cool’ / ‘progressing’ / in ‘power’. Security of ‘money flows’ have almost bought them out. Majority junta is just deceiving their hearts while they live their lives like a ‘Hollow Man’. Oops! I find it nauseating. I find it too normal and just not distinguishable. Hopeless Deal! I do not want to be rich if it takes away majorly from my peace and makes me an anxiety patient.
2) Killer Savings
It takes a lot of effort and energy to save money. Trust me — ‘Money SAVE kartey kartey band baj jaata hai’. Even politicians these days work very hard to save money as corruption has become very interestingly difficult to do. My point is: – ‘What is the point of creating ‘more material properties’ when one is already not likely to CONSUME the ones / savor the ones which he already owns / has’.
I will want to cherish slowly ‘what I already have’ than trying to spend my vital energy into creating something which I might not end up using also. Why do something; which is not required? The heavy duty energy that you intend to put in to create that extra money could be used to ‘stay fit’, ‘stay young’ and more importantly ‘stay Dil Se’. There are a lot of things that money just cannot buy — trust me!
A famous shayar once said-
‘Kitni jyaada mushkil se tu kamata hai daulat ae insaan ..
Thodi si mehnat kar, Khuda jannat bech raha hai’ …
(Read: How to get Rich by Becoming Money Wise)
3) The Endless Highway
As I see a lot of people who are richer than I am; one thought that comes to my mind is- ‘There is no limit. There are so many of them’. When I take my car on a highway and speed it up to overtake 4 cars; suddenly I find that there are 5 more ahead of me. So! This race shall never end. You achieve great wealth and suddenly your reference points will suddenly change. So, if you are on the highway race of richness — you are just ONE of the cars which is always worrying about overtaking, speeds, power etc. Even if you win this rat race; you shall still be a rat only.
I want to just romance life inside my car while keeping on moving ahead at a speed which is apt for my dreams. That’s why I do not want to be rich, very rich. The music of the CD playing inside the car usually gets missed upon because people are too much suffering from ‘thought attacks’ while driving. After 10, 20 & 30 years- I will prefer ‘loving listening to my favorite Kishore Kumar, U2 & Eagles’ with a free mind than complicating it.
6 Facts That you will Need to Face if you Want to Become Rich
4) Power Plus
Spiderman — my childhood role model said it right- ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. May be the reason- why majority of our politicians and corporate honchos become more hungry, ruthless and wanton when money associates with them. I do not want to be filthily rich because I am scared of my ‘head going wrong’ when that happens.
Rajat Gupta (Ex Mckinsey & Co.) fell a victim to THAT extra avarice which he just did not require. He, I am sure had more than enough in his life to have a fairy tale ending. But power corrupts. If he was doing all that for his kids then I guess he was myopic. I respect what my dad left for me; but I do not go jumping about it. Also it would not have mattered to me; had my Dad left 10-20% less.
5) Inverse Proportions
I must have money that should keep care of my desires which are heart centric and not greed centric. E.g. visiting 10 exotic locations abroad is a part of my next 5 year Goals. Doing this shall give me a great feeling. The problem comes when I try to squeeze in another goal (in the same 5 years) like creating 3 properties along — one flat, one land piece and another commercial space in some metro of India. I will take loans, manipulate funds, work an extra hard, kill myself, murder my personal life with family & even molest those 10 exotic vacations (because I will be too worried about my finances on those vacations).
Just a few years back I used to wonder- ‘Do people who live in big kothis / bungalows in the posh localities of cities remain really v happy?’ A lot of them became my friends recently while I addressed them as a Motivational Speaker and I got my answers. Their issues are funnier, strange & more complex than finding sense in Ekta Kapoor serials. ONLY they know this. I am sorry to write but I found a big majority of them to be: – ‘Item Log’ 🙂 . One thing is for sure- the larger the size of ‘Duniyaadaari’ ; the smaller the size of peace.
6) Family Time
While I get too busy becoming filthily rich; I might ignore relationships in my life. My son is 7 already and soon he will be ready to leave home for his life and career. My mom is 61 and needs me. My wife till now has been sheer busy in the maintenance mode of home and relationships. I owe it to them.
What is the point of being on the dining table with family while talking on mobile phone along? What is the point of eating that food; if you do not enjoy it 100%. I see so many people not eating their food; but eating the emotions / thoughts that are happening along. Food is merely a mechanical act to get them energy to create more money. I do not want to be rich if I miss out on the most basic joys of life.
7) LOC
The sensory expenses are usually the expenses that we end up making out of seeing things around e.g. movies, heroes, heroines, neighbor’s daughters, classmates / colleagues who are richer than us etc. Movies are the biggest influencers. We do not realize but we end up becoming ‘what we see on the screens’. We just make such sensory expenses to satisfy our egos.
The speed with which we go about making sensory expenses; our enthusiasm about such items dies at double that speed. I realize that I need to create some kind of ‘wealth philosophy’ about expenditures. Important & urgent things first, then wise things (e.g. investing in health, investing in sharpening my one/ two core skills etc), then saving some part of it (out of the uselessly sensory expenses that I make).
Agree it is your money and you have all the rights to do ‘whatever’ with it ; but then if you squander it carelessly then you just add more pressure onto yourself to create the lost wealth using anxious ways which may damage your peace and 100% life living ways. One must fulfill all his / her desires but somewhere I have begun to believe very strongly that one must draw a line somewhere. A line of satisfaction, a line reaching where one feels good, a line of principles about wealth spending etc.
8 ) Health or Wealth
Over pursuit of money is leading to a multitude of life style diseases e.g. Spondylitis, Back pain, Hypertension, Diabetes and more. You go to any ward in any hospital and every field of medicine’s patient wards will be running full. A reputed cardiologist shared a very staring statistic with me yesterday when he told me that ‘Greater than 50% of the cardiac patients in his hospital are aged less than 40’.
I thank God for keeping me fully fit till now. I do not want that I exert an extra much to create wealth which I only end up wasting in hospitals later. I see life as ‘A judicious decision making of choosing to invest one’s energy at the right places’. I have decided that I WILL NOT expend my energy into anything that creates health disorders for me; even if the process of that wealth creation makes me an extra rich.
9) Feel Good Bank
While saving my energy from the wealth race; I can use the same energy to genuinely help people who need me. That will add to my bank balance in the ‘Feel Good’ Bank & a strong bank balance here can be a good hedging against factors as inflation of karma cost, duniyaadaari etc.
10) Constant Scrutiny
I am scared that I were to become filthily rich – I might have to loose my ‘my kind of humor’. I make fun of people, issues on twitter (akash_vaani). When I become rich and very famous — ‘I will be more constantly under the public eye. Funny people / moral watchdogs and immoral bitches will scrutinize the content I post.
After working very hard & after becoming OK-ily famous in my country — I have realized that ‘Slow is better than Fast’ and ‘Simple is better than Complex’.
After many years; if I remain alive – on a wintery sunday morning I will prefer a head massage, a healthy breakfast, my favorite music, a book to read and loads of excitement about doing everything which will be heart centric. Trust me, something within me tells me that it will be much better than anything else e.g. having a few extra crores in bank. One Life! & I want to love it and live it 100%.
I have a few more confessions to make as a Motivational Speaker. Do read them 🙂
Money is a very useful tool. But that is what it is – a tool. A means. Not the end. Do try to remember that!
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