Is your life rich?
It can be – even if you aren’t wealthy. Living a rich life is about far more than money.
Discover how to enrich your life without increasing your riches.
What is a Rich Life?
The word “rich” typically implies wealth, but that doesn’t have to mean monetary wealth. It means prosperity in all things, from relationship success to self-esteem, an honorable career, and a happy life.
People confuse “rich” with financial success because money is the primary tool for living a rich life. It’s the means, not the end.
A rich life isn’t about the number in your bank account; it’s what you do. Is your life filled with adventure, joy, love, excitement, improvement, and creation? Do you spend your time engaging with the people, ideas, and things you love?
Then you’re living a rich life, regardless of how much money you have.
Living a Rich Life Without Money
A lot of people conflate money with happiness, and for good reason. In our society, it’s nearly impossible to thrive without money. It’s crucial for the things we need to survive.
However, the adage that money doesn’t buy happiness rings true. You can have millions of dollars and still be miserable, while many enjoy happy lives on frugal budgets.
You don’t need a fortune to live a prosperous life.
How To Live a Rich Life
Living a richer life starts with three basic steps:
- Understanding what a rich life is
- Deciding what it means for you
- Making a plan to achieve it
Discover how to achieve these steps and get on your way to a happier life.
Understand What a Rich Life Is
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The first step is to fully understand what it means. We provided an excellent overview, but if you want to dive deep into the topic, I suggest reading Personal Finance guru Remit Sethi’s best-selling book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich.
Sethi describes his idea of a rich life as enjoying life. He doesn’t tell you to stop buying the things you enjoy to save a buck but helps you prioritize your spending so you can focus on the things that matter to you.
Decide What a Rich Life Means
One of the hardest parts is deciding what it all means to you.
Everyone’s idea of a rich life is different. Some people want to raise a family; others want to travel the world. One person may want to live in a sanctuary with a hundred cats, and another might want to dedicate their life to learning.
Whatever you want – it’s okay. You need to decide what it is.
Make a Plan
Now that you know what you want, you need to make a plan to achieve it.
It’s time to examine your budget and set spending priorities. Cut back on purchases that don’t align with the life you want. Consider what skills you need to get there, and decide how to develop them.
While crafting your plan, you may realize you need an income boost, so you need to pick up a side hustle. You may also need to go back to school or find a mentor at work.
But it might have easier stuff. Maybe you’re spending a lot of free time in front of the television when you could be painting or crafting.
When developing your plan, you must look at all aspects of your life, from your spending to your career to what you do in your free time. Commit to a more intentional life that focuses on what you truly want.
Ideas for Enriching Your Life
You can live a richer life even without overhauling your life plan.
Start here with 12 ways to enrich your life without fattening your wallet.
Meditate
Meditation helps you clear your mind, relax, and de-stress. It has numerous physical and psychological benefits, all of which contribute to a richer life.
Set aside a few minutes each day to practice meditation to improve your overall health and well-being. It doesn’t cost a thing.
Exercise
Exercise improves your life by giving you the energy to do everything you love. It helps you have a longer, healthier life so you have more time for them.
Working out sounds awful in the moment. It’s hard to find the motivation to get up and actually do it. But once you start, you’ll realize it wasn’t as bad as you thought. Start small with a daily walk or ten minutes of stretching—you’ll begin to notice massive impacts on your overall mood!
Create
Creation is vital to a richer life. Write that novel, paint that picture, knit that sweater, and make that video.
One of our greatest features is our imagination. We’re the only species capable of dreaming up new worlds and finding new ways to combine materials. Use that ability to enjoy the vast richness of human experience.
Don’t worry about whether anyone else sees it or if you’re good at it. I’ve written articles I’ve never published, painted horrible pictures nobody wants to see, and crafted jewelry just for the fun of it.
Our obsessive hustle culture pressures us to monetize our creations, but you don’t have to. The act of creation, not selling, is what enriches our lives.
Learn
When I was in high school, I struggled with algebra. I could not figure out how to factor quadratic equations. So, I went to my brother, who is a year older than me, for help because the teacher just wasn’t cutting it, no matter how much I asked.
He showed me a different method called the “H” method. My eyes lit up. I understood! With this new method, I could factor these equations all day long. I used this information to get an A in math class.
Do you have a similar story? Do you remember that feeling of accomplishment that you had in school when it finally clicked, and you understood the material?
That’s the stuff that a rich life is made of, and you can recreate it anytime. Take courses online with Udemy or Coursera. Read a book. Watch “how-to” YouTube videos.
A world of knowledge exists at our fingertips, so go get it.
Experience
Experiences make life meaningful. To live a rich life, you must seize every opportunity to enjoy the breadth of experience life offers.
Go ziplining, visit a theme park, eat at a new restaurant, travel to new places, and make new friends.
Experiencing the world isn’t just about doing things; it’s also about feeling things. Can you experience great joy if you’ve never known sorrow? You must allow yourself to experience the good and bad parts of being human.
Appreciate
Do you already have a rich life?
Take a moment to consider all that you have. Do you have a roof over your head, food to eat, a loving spouse, great friends, or a good job?
Many of us take the things we already have for granted, always looking for something more. If we stopped to appreciate the bounty around us, we’d realize how good we have it.
Savor
Living a rich life is about savoring the moment. Slow down and enjoy the little things life offers. Smell the flowers. Watch a sunset. Feel the sand beneath your toes on the beach.
Simple pleasures surround us each and every day. Stop rushing through them and savor them instead. These thousands of tiny joys will enrich your life if you take the time to appreciate them.
Give
Helping others is an under-utilized ticket to a prosperous life. It positively impacts the world while injecting you with a sense of accomplishment unmatched by other activities.
You don’t need a lot of money to give back. If you have free time, you can volunteer. If you have an abundance of resources, you can donate. One of the wealthiest women in the world, Mackenzie Scott, pledged to donate the majority of her wealth to charity. If she can pledge to donate, so can you.
Giving back doesn’t have to be a big thing. There are numerous small ways you can impact the world around you. Pick up litter you see in the street. Put a worm back into the dirt. Help a friend move. You can take thousands of small actions every day to give back to the world.
Connect
Humans thrive on community. Filling your life with friends and family is the easiest ticket to a lifetime of happiness.
Build authentic connections with the people in your life. Talk with your grandparents, and listen to their stories about their lives. Reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
Your life will be far richer when you cultivate meaningful relationships and build strong bonds with your loved ones.
Self-Care
Living a rich life is hard when you’re constantly stressed and overwhelmed, making self-care essential.
Take time for yourself. Relax in a luxurious bubble bath or indulge in a spa day. Do the things that help you relax and reset.
Feeling refreshed will provide a renewed outlook on life, helping you see all the good you have. It will also give you the energy boost you need to pursue the life of your dreams.
Improve
Stagnation destroys us. To thrive, you must constantly strive for self-improvement.
Make it your goal to be better today than you were yesterday. Be a better listener, a better parent, or a better worker. Every little step you take to improve yourself will make your life better.
Try
Trying is the most important thing you can do to live a rich life. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. You can try to live a rich life by doing all the things we have on this list, but you can also achieve the goal by trying things.
Life is like a Baskin Robbins; there are countless flavors to enjoy. We don’t like all of them, and we have certain favorites, but the variety adds spice.
Try things. Read books in a different genre. See a live band you’ve never heard of. Go to a ballet. Talk to strangers.
Sample foods, arts, stories, towns, activities, hobbies, and adventures. You don’t have to enjoy everything, but you’ll live a rich life discovering it all.
But – Money is Still Important
It’s time to address the massive elephant in the room.
Money is crucial for living a rich life. It costs money to live, and earning the money we need to live takes time away from all the fun things we could do. It’s impossible to thrive when you’re constantly stressed about paying for groceries.
To live a rich life, you need to prioritize financial security. You need enough money to meet your basic needs and pay for a few extras, and you need enough time and energy to pursue the things you love. It all comes down to money.
But you don’t need a lot of money. There are lots of ways to trim your budget, increase your income, and minimize your expenses so that you have what you need to live how you want.
How Much Money Do You Need to Live a Rich Lifestyle?
Of course, the answer is “it depends.”
It’s my favorite answer because it’s impossible to create a magic number that accounts for every person’s perspective.
The amount of money you need depends on your personal definition of a rich life.
Those who wish to grow their own food on a remote farm will need less than those who want to live it up in the city. Neither lifestyle is right or wrong, but they’re different, and they have unique expenses.
You must consider your version of a rich life when determining how much money you will need.
A Rich Life is Within Reach
No matter your desired lifestyle, a rich life is within reach. Explore what it means to you, and make your plan to achieve it.
A better life awaits.
Learning to enjoy the non material things in life can be easier if you learn to think of the opportunity cost of your spending. Think of that $2k TV not just as a $2k cost, but as $100k out of your accounts at retirement age. Thinking this way can help you adjust to a lower cost lifestyle.
https://www.dollartrak.com/what-is-opportunity-cost/