The Millionaire Gurus Guide to Getting Rich
You’re welcome, I should be charging you for a seminar
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
Epictetus
I’m not telling you to renounce all your possessions, nor is Epictetus. Let’s break this down. What is wealth? That’s a philosophical question I’ll let you ponder for a second. Today, I think at least we can both agree on what wealth brings, stability, and purchase capability.
So what brings more stability?
More money? More liability? More problems? More dependencies?
Less money? Less liability? Less problems? Less dependencies?
What provides greater purchase capability? Well, it’s obviously more money, right? Sure, more money means more possessions, but here’s something you can’t buy: happiness. How do you have a lot of money and have less liability, problems, and dependencies? As Epictetus said, have fewer wants. And if you don’t have a lot of money and have few wants, you have wealth. I doubt you’re convinced, but it’s worth considering two of the world's wealthiest people, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet, both live in moderate-sized homes they purchased for less than $50,000. Most of these pioneers of industry didn’t obtain their levels of success with the motivation to get rich and live in luxury. As explained by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, “Because of dopamine's relation to time, working hard for something for the sake of reward afterward can make the hard work much more challenging, and you’ll be less likely to lean into hard work in the future.” So if you still desire to get rich and famous now, you can at least find proper motivation.