ROBERT J.R. GRAHAM: The Best Things in Life Are Rarely Things

by: Greg S. Reid

Have you ever noticed this to be true?

The best things in life for me are those things are not things at all. People and experiences make the biggest mark: a wonderful relationship, time with family, or a fantastic vacation that stays in my mind for years.

It seems funny to me that we spend so much time on this planet chasing “things” that we lose focus on what matters most. I mean, what’s the point of having that fantastic new home if you sleep in it all alone? Or drive the nicest of cars but are too ill to take it out for a spin?

Last week I was fortunate enough to meet an incredible guy named David. He’s one of the wealthiest people I’ve ever met, and one of the richest guys I’ve come across.

What’s the difference you ask? Well, I’ve known many wealthy people (the type with all the material resources you could imagine), and then I’ve met truly rich people who have one thing in common: they have balance.

Working Class Hero (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David has all the monetary success you could ever imagine, yet what made him special in my eye is that he wasn’t driven by money; it was more about his relationships. His wife and children mean the most to him inside. He works out every day, watches his diet, and here’s the real kicker, he doesn’t care what other people think of him. Even though he has all the money anyone could want, need, or desire, he drives a modest car and lives in a modest home, for that’s all he says he really needs.

David told me stories of how “keeping up with the Joneses” made him live up to other people’s expectations, and how he now chooses to simply live up to his own expectations instead. What a great thought, huh? It got it got me to

thinking as well, and to ask this question that I share with you now:

How would I live my life differently, if I lived it only for me? I mean, do I have to wait until I’m wealthy before I begin to enjoy the simple pleasures that surround me each day?

Imagine the freedom we’d have, not attempting to impress anyone other than ourselves. Imagine the free time we’d have in our minds, dreaming of what inspires us…rather than wasting time attempting to please everyone else.

I suppose the lesson to be learned here is that this freedom can be ours . . . and already exists before us. We simply need to accept its challenge.

The challenge is this: For one month, make a conscious effort to do what pleases you. Be proud of your success (but don’t brag), wear the clothes that make you comfortable and happy, eliminate the fear to dance, take that risk you’ve been holding back, and whatever you do . . . Keep smilin’

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