How to Feel Richer Than Any of the Kardashians Combined
This week was a wild ride.
I found out an old coworker of mine passed away from cancer. He was a young father of two little girls and had been battling stage 4 cancer for a few years.
That a neighbor of ours had a stroke on the way to the supermarket.
That my aunt’s husband passed away from a heart attack. He started feeling symptoms at his son’s wedding but didn’t want to disturb the ceremony.
On a lighter note, I also found out that my younger sister, who is graduating from high school with honors soon, received a scholarship to attend my alma mater. I sent her some money with a note attached that read the following:
Congratulations on your BIG achievement. I am SO proud of you and can't wait to see what amazing things you do for the world!! If I could offer one piece of advice it would be this: TRAVEL as often as you can!! - see the world, taste different foods, immerse yourself in other cultures, attempt to talk to locals even when you don't speak the same language, and try to stay in one place for a while if you can (at least a few weeks) so you really feel what it's like to live there. If you follow this advice - your life will always be rich (even if you aren't haha). I love you so very much!!
While I stand behind my message, the truth is, I needed this reminder myself because sometimes I feel like I am behind financially to my childhood friends, many of whom own their own houses and have stable jobs with good pensions. Sometimes I feel like I’m not working hard enough - like I should be doing something more productive with my time than practicing ukulele or playing beach volleyball. Some of my friends are new moms and swear they are in love with their little humans. I believe them, but again, it makes me question my own life choices. Should I start a family and finally put down roots somewhere?
But then I hear devastating news like the first few points I listed in the beginning and I am reminded of the fragility of life. Life is too short to compare yourself to others. Or to try to live a life that makes others proud. Instead, we should all be living life to its fullest in every way possible, in whatever way works for us. For some, that means bringing new humans into the world or devoting your life to a project or passion. For others, like me, that means traveling the world and experiencing the beauty of the world firsthand.
And that’s exactly what I am doing.
Case in point - I am currently clacking away on my laptop in Crete. Every day that we’ve been here, my partner and I have either been working out together on the balcony that overlooks the sea, climbing steep mountains while the rocky earth crunches beneath our boots, eating locally grown vegetables doused in olive oil, or alternating between bathing in the salty sea and warm sun.
Now the time here hasn’t all been dolmades and yogurt. I am apparently allergic to olive trees which happen to be blooming right now - which causes my eyes to itch and nose to consistently feel like a loaded canon. Our Airbnb has had many water-related issues, no hot water sometimes, no water at all at other times, and today, well today, water was shooting out of the wall of the bathroom sink. And yesterday I ate chicken souvlaki that may or may not have been a leather handbag.
But as annoying as these things are at the moment, I wake up every day grateful for the life I’ve created and for the people I’ve helped in the process.
Though I may not be a homeowner or have an impressive retirement plan, I LOVE my life. And that’s what being a CBO is all about - not becoming the next influencer, selling millions of memberships to your coaching program, or getting on the bestseller list. It’s about living your life, your one precious life, to the fullest so that you can inspire others to do the same.
And that, my friend, is the secret to feeling richer than any of the Kardashians combined.