Do you regret not earning truckloads of money that could buy you the luxury life you’ve always wanted? I’ve seen people become depressed because of their poor finances. Many teenagers miss out early in life just because their parents cannot afford the latest gadgets their rich friends can afford.
However, money is not everything. Money might buy you things that make you feel happy, but happiness from within is what money can’t afford.
I have a lot of friends who have very little money to spare, yet live a rich life. Their lifestyle, their personal satisfaction, and their acceptance of themselves are what makes them seem rich. Non-monetary things can also make you happy – and believe me, they will be your biggest asset in the long run.
Here are a few ways you can live a rich life without lots of money.
1. Learn to accept yourself
It can be hard for you to understand that money should be not a top priority. You can become rich in an instant and then lose it all the next day. You need to replace your personal desires with acceptance and learn to stay happy with what you have right now.
Seek inner peace and learn to control the uncontrollable in life. If you find yourself obsessing over things you want but don’t have, take a paper and write down that it’s okay to not have those things.
2. Become creative
You need to become creative to manage your personal finances and remain happy even if you don’t have much. If you are rich, you buy. If you are not rich, you create. Yes, not having much money can help you be creative.
Learn to find happiness in small things. Draw a picture, take a photo, and invent something that keeps you at peace. Happiness is within you.
3. Stay authentic
You need to stay true to yourself in order to live a rich life. When you find inner peace and do things you love, you are reflecting your inner-self. There is no greater wealth than understanding what you are meant to do in life.
Regardless of your financial situation, try to believe in yourself so that you can stay happy, enjoy the small things in life, and keep yourself motivated.
4. Do what you love
Making tons of money is what most people might call being rich. However, if the person is not happy with their job, he probably considers himself the poorest person on earth.
Floyd Mayweather’s net worth would not have been $700 million today had he not been a boxer. Similarly, Bill Gates would not have been the richest man on earth if there was no Microsoft. People who pursue what they love have always prospered more than people who work out of compulsion. The more you start doing what you love, the more money will continue to flow into your life. Even if it does not, you still get to stay happy as you grow rich within yourself.
5. Stay gentle
Gentleness was considered one of the greatest virtues by a philosopher named Confucius. When you are humble, you develop an ability to sense your environment and work accordingly.
For example, look at people like Buddha and Gandhi and compare how lived their lives. They were gentle, realized the value of their lives, and always stayed strong in their thoughts. Buddha left materialistic prosperity to live the life of monk and find the richness within himself. Gandhi belonged to a poor family, and despite leading one of the largest revolutions in the world, always stayed gentle.
Try to be soft and smile to make others smile. If you succeed in making other people happy, then you are truly rich.
6. Become generous
Giving money is not the only act of kindness. In fact, I would not call it being generous at all. Generosity is what comes from within. When you give someone something from your heart you feel happy, and that feeling is what makes you feel rich. You also need to realize that sharing what you have, without even thinking of what amount you have, is what an act of kindness means.
Also, provide undivided attention to people who need help from you. Nothing is more generous than giving all you have and making others feel good.
7. Build relationships
The real wealth that you build and will be remembered through your relationships. People need to value their relationships more than anything else. Seek to make emotional connections with your family, your friends, your partner, and people that you meet regularly.
“Matters of the heart are important to me. All this materialism and all the money and wealth are things that you don’t take to the grave. One day you have it. The next day you don’t.” — Shari Arison
