True wealth and what it really means

Wealth, according to the oxford English dictionary is defined as "an abundance of valuable possessions or money; a plentiful supply of a particular desirable thing or well-being". Although these definitions are pretty much all-encompassing, in day-to-day life we often mistake the meaning of wealth to mean being rich. In the 21st century, in particular, this definition could not be further from the truth. During the first decade of the 21st century, more and more people are rejecting the notion of wealth being something you wear on your sleeve, something to flaunt or flash to make friends envious. Wealth, during this decade has taken the form of being able to make choices; having time; having flexibility; getting back to nature; enjoying simple things.



So does true wealth really have anything to do with money any more? In many respects, benefiting from true wealth starts with recognising what’s important. What’s important to others may not be what’s important to you, so it’s a case of identifying what’s important to you. It may be that you’ve recently been made redundant and rediscovering what motivates you and makes you feel like you’re making a positive contribution (to the world or to your family) makes you feel like the most blessed person in the world. Or, it may be that you’ve just had children, so the freedom to spend time with them and not rush out the door to catch the early train to work is what makes you tick. Maybe you’ve suffered an illness, or experienced a life-changing event which has simply made you see things differently. Either way, what makes you feel like the wealthiest person in the world is unique to you.



It may sound a bit happy-hippy, but inner happiness is key to true wealth. Finding something which makes you truly happy to the core is difficult (if not impossible), but true wealth is experiencing inner happiness as much as humanly possible. It may be that you’ve had a difficult time in the workplace, it may be that you’ve reached that glass ceiling that we keep hearing about, but whatever the trigger, inner happiness can often be found by being back in control of your own destiny.



We’ve already touched on the altered perception some people experience after a serious illness, but it could be that straightforward day-in and day-out stress is your cause for seeking a change in your life. We all know the old adage that all the money in the world is worth nothing if you don’t have your health. Your health can be positively (and negatively) affected by many factors in your life. When you come to realise that you might spend up to 75% of your wakened hours in the workplace, it becomes really clear that happiness in your work is of immense importance for your well-being.



Lifestyle is a widely used (and often misused) word in this day and age and can be used to describe anything from your diet to the choices you make when decorating your home. In a work environment, lifestyle is only too often ignored. People with young children require a very different life:work balance to employees who are close to retirement. True wealth is, for many people having the lifestyle you want and the lifestyle you need to allow you to get the most from your time on this earth.



At the end of the day, though, we all know that there’s no getting away from the fact that the bills have to be paid. We can’t all have the luxury of choosing a job to fit our lifestyle, which makes us inwardly and outwardly happy, which fulfils our dreams and motivates us even when we’re down and tired. Or can we?



More and more people are finding financial freedom , prosperity and true wealth in the ways we’ve described by becoming masters (or mistresses) of their own destiny, by giving up the daily 9 to 5. Either as a result of jumping or by being pushed they choose a home based business where they can let their inner light shine through, where they can find true happiness and they can restore their work:life balance. The question is, can you?