What if I told you being truly wealthy has nothing to do with your finances — would you believe me? According to Dictionary.com, the definition of wealth is a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, or other riches. The second definition is an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount. Look a little further and you’ll find that wealth, according to Merriam-Webster, is also described as having an abundance of something.
So, what does wealth mean to you?
Of course, what you perceive as being wealthy may be different from the guy sitting next to you. Just take a quick glance at social media or modern-day television — they have many people believing true wealth comes in the form of a Kardashian or other reality television personalities.
Please don’t be fooled.
If we focus on abundance versus finances, we’d discover that any of us could have wealth with a little attitude adjustment and a clear plan of what makes us truly happy. This is why I want to share with you an awesome read, The Wealth Cure by Hill Harper.
What You’ll Learn From The Wealth Cure
For those of you who don’t know this handsome young man, he has starred in several movies; however, I became most acquainted (infatuated) with him during his run on CSI: NY. Harper is what many of us would consider wealthy — of course, in a monetary sense — but I believe his wealth extends far beyond the commas in his bank account.
In this novel, Harper talks to his readers about how a cancer prognosis led to his realization that he needed a wealth cure. He reevaluated everything he considered important in his life. He questions his true wealth and decided to travel cross-country via train to see a friend. During this trip, he reflects on everything he thinks truly makes an individual wealthy and comes up with a simple process to help others do the same.
In The Wealth Cure, the main premises are: 1) anyone can be truly wealthy despite their finances and 2) to achieve wealth we must focus on our fundamental values. By focusing on these values, we are able to determine whether they have a positive or negative impact on our money and make any adjustments we deem necessary.
One thing I appreciate most about his work is that it essentially makes you think along these terms — if something were to happen to you, what would be at the top of your priority list? Would it be money? For Harper, this wasn’t the case at all. Once he faced the possibility of having cancer, his monetary wealth was not a concern. His main concern was his health, peace of mind, and those he loved. After realizing this, he came up with something he coined as the wealth cure.
What is the wealth cure?
To help us understand what a wealth cure is, Harper gives a formula:
Money + Wellness = Wealth
You can’t achieve wealth without wellness. Money is considered a component of wealth, not an indicator of it. Chasing the dollar bill isn’t going to make you happy if you haven’t figured out that money is simply a tool for our use, not the ultimate goal in life.
To figure out the wellness aspect, you need to take a close look at the things that make you happiest. These are called your wealth factors. Harper explains how these aren’t materialistic things, but things that provide us with a sense of well-being. To give an example — date nights or volunteer work could be considered wealth factors.
Here’s a list of my top five wealth factors:
- A weekend away with my husband every other month.
- A Saturday to myself every month.
- More money to donate.
- Student loan debt freedom.
- A published novel.
Coming up with a list of wealth factors is extremely easy and helped me re-focus on a few of my upcoming goals for the year. It doesn’t surprise me how money isn’t even on my list. Being free from debt certainly made the list, but a larger bank account is not an aspiration of mine.
If you decide to determine your own wealth factors, make sure it’s free from any outside influences. This is a list where you get to forget about what makes everyone else happy and free yourself from judgment. Also, don’t judge yourself on your factors either — we’re human and we all want what we want. If it makes you happy (and is legal) put it on the list.
Was The Wealth Cure Worth It?
I would certainly say this book was worth the read. Harper touches on finances in The Wealth Cure, but it’s not in the usual fashion one would expect from a personal finance book. Harper focuses on values and how they affect our money. The book is full of little nuggets of wisdom that enlighten the mind and renews your perspective. One of my favorite quotes from Harper is, “you can’t be free if the cost of being you is too high.”
Why Should You Read The Wealth Cure
This book is perfect for folks (like me) who like to be all philosophical and -ish. You know, understanding things on a deeper level and all. When I talk and think about money, it’s not always in a sense that I’m obsessed with it, it’s just that I acknowledge how money is energy. I want to understand more than just the dollars and cents. I want to understand the psychological impacts as well.
If you’re at a point in your life where you feel like money is the cure for everything, this book is written with you in mind. It’s not written to condemn or judge — it’s written to encourage each of us to re-evaluate what is most important to us and use these values to guide our approach to money.
Check out this video of Hill Harper if you have a few minutes. Hope it urges you to do a little deeper digging into discovering your own wealth cure.