How to Live RICH

To most people, living rich is about having ‘unlimited cash’ sitting in a bank account and ‘unlimited want’ for fast cars, designer bags and several other expensive things. However, when it comes to others like me, living rich is having enough cash and less want in any way possible.

Sometimes, I wish I can live the minimalist life—and to be frank, I intend to do so one day. I have a friend who is currently living under the minimalist doctrine with several thousands of pounds sitting in his account, simple because he doesn’t really need to buy any of those things we so much want but do not need. To me, this friend is living rich compared to several people who purchase everything they want and are left with nothing in their banks or even have to make the purchases on credit.

Living rich is not about what you’ve got but rather living in such a way that your needs are accurately met with a lot of surplus cash sitting in your bank for investments or savings.

Let me tell you about the minimalist lifestyle of my friend which has placed him in the ‘living rich’ category—free of financial stress and pressure. He has just 4 jeans, 8 shirts, a laptop, a few under wears, a kindle where he stores his books and a suitcase which is big enough to carry all these things listed. He has almost 55,000 pounds sitting in his bank and has different layers of investments too.

To him, if he needs to wear a suit tomorrow and it is absolutely necessary, he will walk into a shop and buy one. And if he needs a new shoe, he will purchase one too. But he does not need to have more than 4 shoes so the moment he buys a new thing, the old one must go—must sell or be given out to someone who also really needs it.

Anytime I visit my friend, I find his life so beautiful and rich in comfort—with no materialistic pressures hovering over his head. He has a lot of time for himself, for friends, family and to do those things that matter to him. After all, he doesn’t have to work like a donkey just to be able to buy a brand name or something that he doesn’t really need in life.

I also know of several persons who have no time for themselves, for their children and for their own health—all because they have 2 or sometimes even 3 jobs to do, to be able to afford 3 expensive mobile phones, 2 large TV sets in their flats (and they are never home to watch), an expensive car which they only get to drive on Sundays on which they are paying a rocketing insurance, countless shoes and clothes which they can only wear one at a time. To these people, living rich is about killing yourself just to have a tall list of things you do not need but just want—and will continue to want more…

Look around yourself or take time to count the things you have—taking note of those you actually need and those you can do without. Make those you need a must keep and those you don’t really need a must go. You may not be able to live the minimalist lifestyle but the less you are able to live on, the richer your life would be. And by rich, I mean free from the pressures of life with a lot of cash sitting in your account, more than you will ever need.

If you have 1 million pounds sitting in your account and your expenses are 1.2 million, you will not be considered rich, in fact you are broke. However, if you have 5 thousand pounds in your account and your total expenses is just 400 pounds, you are far richer in cash than the one with 1.2 million—and if on top of it all, you are not under the bondage of financial stress or pressure to keep working like a slave, then your life is full of richness.

Learn to live rich without necessarily increasing your working hours, leaving you with no time for yourself and those that matter. Rather, cut down the crap and all those things that do not fall within the category of need and give your life a real boost by having enough time to have the best of experience…