What truly makes a life rich? A profound question that needs a little bit of introspection.
An overflowing cupboard? 1000+ likes for your Instagram pics? Buying the latest phone?
But pause for a moment. When you strip away the shiny wrappings, what truly makes your life rich?
Collecting a zillion memories of irreplaceable experiences? Enjoying a night under open sky?
What triggered this thought was when my kid called up from hostel, exasperated. Reason – none of the friends were game for a trekking trip; they don’t mind visiting the place but no treks.
Walking for hours in the mall was ok but a few hours on the mountainside was unacceptable. The focus was on going shopping for new clothes and gear for the photos, not on the experience!
This whole debate between material wealth and experiential wealth was getting tilted in the former’s favour.
Experiences are the gold coins in the treasure chest of life.
Buying new objects gives you a high for a day or so, and then the novelty wears off. You then look at the next item to buy. This is how you end up with more possessions than you want. And that’s how the cycle continues.
But collecting core memories? It’s for a lifetime. Whenever you relive those, it warms you from within, bringing a smile to your face.
That kind of happiness and satisfaction is irreplaceable. It adds more meaning and value to your life.
More importantly, there’s so much to learn from those experiences. It’s a process of personal growth and self-awareness.
Have you ever been on a solo trip? It’s a lesson on building independence, of learning to be on your own.
Volunteer work has taught me about gratitude and privilege. You may whine and crib about not having the latest phone or car, but there are others who are happy with very little.
If you want your child to understand true gratitude, have them volunteer. Can be at the animal shelter or tree planting, or food drives. They’ll learn more in those few hours there than those hundreds of hours of your lectures.
Learning a new skill? Lessons in humility.
There are experiences that become an integral part of you, shaping you to become a better version of yourself.
Do the material possessions help you in this way?
There’s emotional richness to gain from shared experiences.
For us, travelling is what keeps us together. Each trip has its own set of experiences. Some fun, some not so delightful, but still part of the memories.
Camping on the beach under the star-filled sky, road trips, visiting museums, attending concerts, going scuba diving or trekking or even a trip to Disneyland; there are so many trips together and still counting.
Each of these are part of the milestones our kids have inherited. These are what will remain with them all their lives.
After a few years, they won’t remember what gift you got them last year or the year before. But they’ll surely remember whether you were there or not for the cake-cutting.
They’ll remember you dancing with them in the rains.
They’ll remember you helping them build that blanket-tent and sharing an afternoon in there with them.
In the end, will your children remember the price tag or your presence?
Even you’ll remember the experience of moving to a new city, or learning a new language, or visiting a new place.
You’ll remember the taste of that perfect cup of steaming hot tea by the roadside stall during the monsoons. Or watching the sun rise from your window seat in the plane.
We had experienced the cyclone when the kids were really young. Saw our world swirling around us. Wide scale destruction. That experience carved a core memory into each of us, teaching important life lessons.
Lesson #1 – no messing with Mother Nature. If she loses it, no one or nothing can save us.
It also taught us about resilience, teamwork, empathy, confidence and humility as everyone came together to rebuild.
The important wealth you need to focus on is building experiences.
Markets will fluctuate, Trump or no Trump, but they will never devalue your experiences. What you learn will always be yours forever, growing stronger with time.
What experience has left an everlasting impact on you? What did you learn from it? Do share.
Time for a rethink. Choose to collect moments not material stuff.
The heart remembers what the wallet forgets.