"Are You Rich?"
I wrote this article looking out the window of the cheap bedroom I’m renting, while thinking about how I planned to dump significant amount of my business’s profits into creating a conference that is free for everyone. It turned into a whopping success in terms of everyone getting great education and having a good time. If you are curious what I am talking about read coverage of the event.
Choosing Against Profit
Even though I know how to profit and am good at business, I chose not to profit from it this time and instead lose money and lots of it. I can honestly say I did this out of pure intentions without expecting anything in return. Already many good things have come of it, but one thing I know after creating the event is that the world needs more good, genuine events. We plan to do more of them.
”So you must be rich..”
In my life, I’ve had offers to do things that would seem to be the better option because it would keep the $ in my bank account. But honestly, I’m not on this earth to make money. I have dumped every dollar out of my bank account in good faith several times because I believe it is the right thing to do. Money isn’t my mission. My bar for success isn’t money so you will see me spend money in ways that go against the rules of capitalism. I am simply trying to understand principles that make up a good person and I am trying to be that. Even if at times I have negative numbers in the bank account I am already rich in many ways.
”Negative $ but Rich? ..huh?”
Even though if you look at my bank account it shows some negative numbers, I believe more than ever I’m already rich. I can make financial decisions and could chose at any moment to not have those negative numbers exist, but what I build in peoples’ hearts and minds is more important than my temporary pain, or profit. The fact that you are even reading this says something. I’m rich in passion to do things I love to do. I fully expect rich people to be jealous of the intangibles I have. A healthy relationship with a woman who loves me very much, a job I feel very strongly about and am good at, and connections that can bring together amazing results beyond if you tried to do the same things with cash. If I can position myself to promote good content, good people, good work, good clients, good projects and good faith that will be a job well done. Not measured by how much $ is in my account because life itself is fragile and temporal to be measured by such things.
”So..are you?”
In terms of actual dollars I am certainly not rich…but in terms of the fact that my mind, skills, knowledge and wisdom are desired by many and at any time I could decide to build something that is very profitable if I feel strongly about it then by that standard I have millions of intangible assets. The team I have working with me is full of valuable skills and is growing into a large network full of amazing people. The skills and the team around me is a bigger bank account than anything I’ve ever possessed in my life. Entrepreneurs I’ve talked to, even well funded ones only can dream of what we are able to create together without needing money from anyone. We have the power and choice to do things that very few can do. We can create profitable relationships or even give away our talents for the greater good if we so desire, what we do is our choice. That, my friends, is being rich with something far more valuable than gold itself.
