Don’t envy the “rich” because by doing so you are despising your 4 other riches
The current world pushes us consciously or not to associate the idea of happiness with material comfort, financial wealth or even opulence. This is not a revelation. By doing this, we deduce that those who possess the most capital are ultimately the happiest. When one does not enjoy great wealth, one may be inclined to envy or jealously those paragons of happiness. However, by doing so, we are putting the veil on the hidden wealth that we have. Let’s see what these riches are in order to realize that the rich person is not necessarily the person we think.
The time
What is money worth if we have no time for ourselves? Not much, certainly. That’s why time is a commodity that can seem scarce to the richest among us. Life is like that, when you don’t lack money, you usually lack time.
How can you increase the time you have at your disposal?
The answer is not simple and depends primarily on your work and your personal life. That said, if you get into the habit of eliminating or simplifying certain things in your daily life, you will have more time. By asking yourself the question “do I really need to do this or that”, you will potentially reduce the time you spend on certain activities in your daily life. The same goes for your expenses. If you manage to spend less, you will mechanically have to work less, or at least you will need to work less because your needs will have decreased. There are dozens and dozens of time-saving tips, but if I had to pick two, I would say to try to work in an environment where you limit interruptions as much as possible (telephones, solicitations of all kinds, etc.) and to do tasks in blocks instead of spreading yourself too thin and going back and forth between different tasks.
Energy
What is time worth without energy? Imagine that you are going to have two weeks of vacation but that your job has exhausted you so much that you are going to have to spend at least a week recovering from the fatigue accumulated over the last few weeks. This is an example that illustrates the idea that time without energy is not worth much.
Your energy can take many forms. It can be your physical energy, which is your ability to make a physical effort for a given amount of time, or it can be your emotional energy, which is your ability to have compassion for others.
Health
Health is a precious commodity that is often overlooked because we take it for granted. Yet if you are in poor health, none of the riches presented will help you. Health is the treasure of the poor.
How to improve your health capital?
There is a triptych to respect that has a multiplier effect on your health. It is about nutrition, sleep and sport. Eating in a balanced way guarantees you a supply of nutrients for the proper functioning of your body. Getting enough sleep (about 8 hours, but this also depends on the individual) allows your cells to function properly, especially those of your brain. Finally, playing sports maintains your cardiovascular capital.
Peace of mind
Peace of mind means being able to enjoy the present moment without dwelling on the past or being anxious about the future. All the riches of the world have no flavor if you have lost your peace of mind.
How to become more peaceful?
Striving to do good around us helps to strengthen our peace of mind. By acting badly towards others, we create enemies, grow our unconscious guilt and lose peace of mind. Acting with a kind and just mind is a prerequisite for finding inner peace. Wishing good to others sincerely, silently, in the depths of your being is life-saving in this area. If you project hatred around you, it is not surprising that you lose your peace of mind because it is an antagonistic emotion. Try planting seeds of harmony and it is likely that you will reap inner peace. Also, meditation can be a path to peace of mind.
Money
Financial wealth is important to guarantee a minimum of comfort and well-being, but it is not enough to bring us happiness.
If we take the 5 dimensions of wealth, we can easily understand that we are always someone’s poor or someone else’s rich. It is therefore useless to try to compare ourselves because we do not know the details of people’s lives. Very often, what we are shown is only the tip of the iceberg that we want to see. It is futile to try to summarize someone’s life by the image they send to others. That is why, if there is one thing to remember, it is that it is better to concentrate on preserving and developing the various dimensions of our wealth rather than constantly wishing to be someone else and wasting time lamenting our existence.
Note that each of these riches has a collateral multiplier effect. If you are rich in your time, for example, you can more easily increase your energy, improve your health, your peace of mind and make your money grow.
Additional note (for those who are open to spiritual reflection on the idea of comparison) to act more stoically:
If it is difficult for you to accept your situation, try to adopt a belief system that allows you to change things. The paradox is that in order to change things, you must first recognize them as such, so you have to do the work of acceptance. Think of the idea of karma (action in Sanskrit). By being born where you were born, you have only materialized the continuity of past actions. What you are today may only be the result of your previous lives (again, you must accept the idea of reincarnation). By accepting the notion of karma and transmigration of souls, you will be able to place yourself more in a line of continuity and you will stop comparing yourself to others while trying to understand why the world is unfair.
