10 Life Essentials for Attaining a Truly Wealthy Life A fool underestimates the importance of enough money and a wise person knows the importance of what no amount of money can buy.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
To be a true success you cannot just be rich (money). You must strive for a wealthy life in which you are succeeding in love and relationships, you are physically healthy, mentally strong, emotionally well and resilient, spiritually connected and financially abundant. Money is only one thing. It may bring riches but it doesn't bring wealth. Wealth comes from cultivating the more silent virtues which help you to live a wholehearted and deeply felt life. To be wealthy you have to learn to care about more than just yourself. You must attain what money cannot buy.
1. Manners.
Manners are the nurturing foundation upon which relating with others is structured. Manners and courteous address are not superficial, they are essential to building a solid life and business. The importance of manners is seldom taught, nor is their value explained with any depth to most people. Sadly manners have become an all-important tool which is increasingly missing in today's entrepreneur's repertoire. Entitlement has replaced manners. Without manners, respect and mutuality are not likely to develop.
Related: If You Want That Customer, Mind Your Manners
2. Morals.
Morals guide your interactions with friends and family. They also play large role in directing your businesses and professional behavior. They reflect your spirituality and express the essence of who you are and what you stand for. Morals are what you hope to model for your children, co-workers, partners and superiors. People observe who you are to model and discover their own sense of right and wrong. When you have a strong sense of what you stand for, you are less afraid when facing challenges, allowing you to take more risks.
3. Respect.
Genuine respect is expressed through seeing someone (or yourself), flaws and all, and still feeling appreciation of their/your unique talents, gifts and insights. It is not expecting perfection, nor is it bullying someone or yourself into compliance. When you value yourself and others you silently command respect, not through the overt use of your authority, but simply through your thoughtfulness, intelligence and presence. You don't have to like everything about another person to respect them. True respect allows for and welcomes differences between people. Further, it is important to be aware that it is possible to not care for someone and still treat them with decency.
Related: 11 Ways to Earn Respect at Work
4. Character.
Cultivating good character is the most important process to undergo in your life. The truth of your character is revealed when you are under great pressure and no one is watching. We all regress under stress and can mistakenly decide to act based upon short term gain, or an easy fix to a problem and end up doing the wrong thing. The adage "you are what you do" holds great truth. Failure to consider the long-term consequences of your actions is often disastrous. By studying and focusing on the importance of developing your character, you will be guided by sound principles, moral strength, and the integrity to do the right thing.
5. Common sense.
Common sense is using your wisdom and intuition to develop a deeper understanding of how life works. The development of common sense requires you learn through experience and that you do not delude yourself about the actions which lead to specific consequences. You must have a reasonably good understanding of what the right thing to do is; knowing which choices are responsible and irresponsible. Problems arise when you are on the front lines of a decision and you override your intuition and act on emotion. To attain the wholeness of wealth learn to discipline your more reactive emotions, or all the common sense in the world won't help you.
Related: Are You Living Your Life or Someone Else's?
6. Trust.
Trust is fundamental to life. If you cannot trust in anything, life becomes an intolerable and constant battle against paranoia and impending disaster. You can't have meaningful relationships without trust, let alone relationships that thrive. Intimacy depends requires trust. Further, an organization or any relationship without trust will be consumed with backstabbing, fear and paranoid suspicion. To trust requires a leap of faith. It takes an intentional act of unconditional belief in another person's good sense, ability, honesty and sense of commitment. Without this leap of faith it is impossible to get any productive relationship or partnership started.
7. Patience.
Patience doesn't mean indifference or acquiescence, but power. It's an emotionally freeing discipline of waiting, watching and knowing when to act. Patience is a form of compassion. It connects you to your intuition which helps you get back to center in a world filled with frustration. Practicing patience helps dissipate stress and it gives you a choice in how to respond to disappointments and obstacles. When you stay calm, centered and can refrain from acting impulsively out of fear, doubt or frustration, all areas of your life become more abundant.
8. Class.
Class is the use of restraint and modesty, tempered with hints of elegance and charm. Money does not bring class. In fact, it is often the rich who are lacking this virtue the most. Many of the classiest successes have come from extremely humble backgrounds. When you are living wholeheartedly, class is expressed in how you carry yourself, the way you interact with others and how you present yourself to the rest of the world. Being classy is not about being stuck up. It is about having style and being polite to others and reflecting a genuine interest in them. Class is a demonstration of confidence.
Related: Express Gratitude for Where You Are Right Now, and Say It Out Loud
9. Gratitude.
Exuding the trait of gratitude brings a lot of positive emotions into your life. When you are grateful you are more energetic and helpful. You have deeper hope and a greater capacity for forgiveness and empathy that makes you resilient against depression and resentfulness.
Gratitude connects you to God and your spirit where you experience the deep magic of daily life. When you are grateful you do not feel deprived, rather you have enormous abundance. You are quick to acknowledge the contributions and involvement of others in the attainment of your well-being. You appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Gratitude is something you practice to increase the sense of wealth in your life.
10. Love.
Love is the most crucial ingredient to living a life you love. You have a basic need to love yourself, romantic partners, children, family, animals, career and life in general. Love confirms that you exist and are significant. It is an emotion which gives and receives in tandem. It enlivens all your relationships, passions and motivates you to think of others before yourself with empathy and positive regard. With love you are inspired to help and serve others, which multiplies your feelings of love. It is through the genuine giving of love that love is returned to you exponentially.
Love is the purest form of wealth.
You can turn anything you do into a passion for wealthy living. If you work hard at anything you're good at, and can see how what you do has a positive impact on others and you are clear on the "why's" of what you are doing, then you will achieve personal wealth. Everything you do has the potential to impact others, especially in the "how" of what you do.
Are you kind?
Do you listen?
Do you care?
Do you have the best interest of others held in your heart? If so, then your work and your passion will become indistinguishable, and you will live an enormously wealthier life than those only rich with money.
