EP191 - Wealth is Having Few Wants

WEBVTT 1 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:15.039 Good Day, my friend. Welcome to a moment with modes. Thank you 2 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:20.559 so much for downloading the show. I'm so happy that we get the chance 3 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:26.760 to start this week together. Epic titis is in the House, and epic 4 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:34.799 titis tells US wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few 5 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:42.399 wants. Wealth is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as an abundance of valuable possessions 6 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:49.920 or money. The opening line of the wikipedia article on wealth says wealth is 7 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:57.439 the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a 8 00:00:57.479 --> 00:01:03.439 form that can be used for transactions. Having a Nice Bank account, a 9 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:11.079 Nice House and a nice car, stylish clothes, these are all good things 10 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:17.719 to have, and I wish these things for you, but these things can 11 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:23.879 come at a cost to and wealth does not necessarily equal happy, at least 12 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:32.239 wealth measured in this way, in the way that it's defined by the Oxford 13 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:38.760 Dictionary. Both of these definitions use the word abundance, which means a very 14 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:48.599 large quantity of something, but they also use the word possession, something that 15 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:56.920 we own. And if we measure our wealth by possessions alone, what happens 16 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:01.840 when we no longer have these things. What happens if we lose them or 17 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:10.039 if someone takes them? I think these definitions of wealth are pretty narrow and, 18 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:17.960 like epictetus, I believe wealth is more of a mindset then merely having 19 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:25.199 a good financial asset statement. We live in a society where we're always supposed 20 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:31.280 to want more, more, more, more money, a bigger house, 21 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:38.000 a newer car and new phone, and the problem is that as soon as 22 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:46.719 we acquire that thing that we want, once the buzzwears off, once our 23 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:53.520 neighbor has a newer car, once our brother in law has a bigger house 24 00:02:53.560 --> 00:03:00.520 than ours, we're no longer satisfied and we're no longer happy, because we're 25 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:07.400 measuring our wealth in things, things outside of us. The back end of 26 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:16.360 this quote, having few wants means that we can realize that we don't constantly 27 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:24.439 need things, new things, bigger things, more expensive things to be truly 28 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:30.560 happy. We are made wealthy when we have gratitude for all the good things 29 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:38.120 in our lives that we already have. We are made wealthy by the people 30 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:45.319 that we become in the pursuit of our goals, not in the external things. 31 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.120 When I look at the people in my life. When I look at 32 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:54.240 the love that I have in my life, I'm wealthy beyond my dreams. 33 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.479 Stop and take a look around at all the good things in your life, 34 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:04.080 my bread and I'll bet you'll find you'll discover that you're pretty wealthy. To 35 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:10.120 carpe momentum. I'll talk to you tomorrow.