The Quiet Rich

CONTEXT

I love this story about Joseph Heller (author of Catch-22).

He was at a billionaire’s party on Shelter Island in the Hamptons with Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt told Joseph that their billionaire friend (a hedge fund manager) made more in a single day than his book earned in all time.

Joseph responded, “Yes, but I have something he will never have… Enough.”

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So good, right?

Many of us face the hedge funder’s problem in this story: We need more money, more achievements, more followers, more homes before we let ourselves “be happy.” (But we both know where that story ends. Unfulfilled and burnt out.)

3 steps to avoid the “I’ll be happy when…” trap:

THE METHOD

☝️ Step 1. Carve out 30 mins.

Get a pen and paper. (Or open a blank doc on your screen.)

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✌️ Step 2. Define what “enough” looks like.

Most people never sit down and list out their “rich life.” It’s like driving aimlessly instead of putting a destination into Google Maps.

Make a list. Get specific. Here are a few of my “rich life” things:

Slow mornings with nothing on my calendar.
Buying anything at the expensive grocery store without thinking twice.
Having an unlimited budget for books and courses. (Yes, I’m a nerd.)
Paying for my loved ones to join me on 4 big vacations every year (which I easily fund by listing my house).
Buying my mom the house of her dreams. (One day!)

The list has to be specific to you— not what society tells you is cool.

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🤟 Step 3. Don’t move the goal post.

Re-read your list 1x per quarter.

And after your next pay raise? Hold yourself accountable to not adding 10 more things to your “rich life” list.

The trick to happiness isn’t having everything you want. It’s wanting everything you have.

Pay attention to all the good things that happen to you.

An unexpected text from a loved one.
A nice dinner at a place you once couldn’t afford.
The feeling after you signed a new client.

Yes, of course I want you to have big dreams for yourself. But don’t forget to recognize how much of your list that you have right now. (And how badly you wanted those things 10 years ago.)