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Wealth or "Wellth"

Today I read a newspaper article about the West Virginia man who won a $300 million Powerball jackpot several years ago and the way that event had affected his life. Sadly it was primarily a story of all the ills that had befallen him since then. His wife left him; his own battle with alcohol had taken its toll; he lost a beloved granddaughter to a drug overdose and his daughter was battling cancer. He was quoted as saying, "I would give it all up (the wealth) if it meant I could have my granddaughter back or guarantee that my daughter would beat cancer."

The article gave me pause to reflect on how often in life we pursue wealth at the cost of "wellth", defined as our own health, relationships, well-being and other things we value. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having money. Interestingly, the man in the article was already a multi-millionaire at the time he won the jackpot. What struck me though is that wealth at the cost of "wellth" is a bad exchange.

I hope you're someone who has already learned that lesson. And I hope you didn't have to lose family members, your health or suffer other major losses in the process. But it's always good to take stock and ask yourself if you are in danger of trading your "wellth" for wealth or not living life according to your deeply held values.

Here are some ways to identify if you are truly living a life of abundance and not simply having lots of cash in the bank:

• Do you know your core values? Although I've taken numerous values assessments over the years someone recently shared the simplest way I've heard of to identify those values that mean the most to you. Very simply, complete your responses to this question: What do I stand for in life? Take a few minutes and let that question sink in and see what responses bubble up to the surface.
• Are you living them? If I followed you around for 24 hours what would I see and hear? Would I hear you say "I value my employees" but not observe you demonstrating that in your actions toward them. Values are worthless if they don't inform your day-to-day decisions, actions, behavior and attitudes. It's easy to declare, "I stand for health," and much tougher to get out of bed in the morning and exercise or take other actions that honor that value.
• Do you suffer from the "When-Then" syndrome? "When-Then" is that oft-used preface to those things we say we'll do "someday." Here are some favorites: "When the kids are grown, then I'll go back to school. When I have more time then I'll exercise. When I have more money then I'll save or give some to charity." When-Then is an illusion. Just ask the person who has put off making an important phone call or seeing a doctor until it's too late. Give up playing the when-then game and start living your best life now.
• Who would you be being if you had the million dollars? Notice the question was "who" not "what". The truth is you can start living a principle-centered life right now. Then when the million comes along you'll be better prepared to handle it.

I hope these questions have given you the opportunity to examine how you're living each day. Have you been choosing the pursuit of wealth over the pursuit of "wellth?" It's not too late to change. Identify your values, start building a life that reflects them, give up playing the "when-then" game and be the person you would be if you had all the material wealth you could want. And remember that when you live a life based on your values, your life becomes valuable to you!

Quote of the Week:

"Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live."

~~Margaret Fuller

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