The Ultimate Secret to Wealth
It’s simple. No college student really gives a crap about the topic of wealth.
Why is that Alvin?
Hey guys, I’m Alvin and welcome to my blog!
I’m a 20 year old visionary genius. I’m just here to entertain you about the Ultimate Secret to Wealth. But I must admit, I’m so poor that ducks throw bread at me. So what right do I have to make this article?
Before I continue to answer anything, let me warn you:
I base almost all of my content off of the most influential book called ‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ by MJ DeMarco.
And with that in mind, I present ‘The Ultimate Secret to Wealth’ with unadulterated boldness. This blog is written as an uncivil narrative and while it will seem arrogant, you have to find your own truth. Fortunately for me, what you think about the secret to wealth doesn’t change my reality; it only changes yours.
First things first, I want you to think about the words that make up wealth.
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Worldly possessions.
Expensive cars.
Abundant cash.
Lavish lifestyle.
Thick watches.
Huge houses.
Why do you think wealth means those cliché words, reader? You just grew up thinking that way because of society? Well duh, of course you did, because in society’s perspective, it’s true! However, let me give you some advice by Mark Twain, “if you ever find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Think about wealth again. Now mentally check yes or no if you agree with any of these quotes.
Yes ☐ No☐ – The love of money is the root of all evil. 1 Tim 6:10
Yes ☐ No☐ – I got a problem with spending before I get it… We all self-conscious, I’m just the first to admit it. Kanye West
Yes ☐ No☐ – Money doesn’t make you better than everyone else. Unknown
Yes ☐ No☐ – It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. Gandhi
Yes ☐ No☐ – Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end. Bob Marley
Yes ☐ No☐ – Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy marshmallows, so it’s basically the same thing. Some idiot
Thinking of other phrases?
STOP!
Stop right now.
Forget what you “know” about wealth real quick.
…
Now let me give you a more concise meaning of true wealth.
True wealth is made up of three fundamental F’s:
- Family (relationships)
- Fitness (health)
- Freedom (choice)
So let’s jump straight to it.
The first F is every relationship you have, whether it be with your neighbor, God, or your community. For now, I’ll focus on family. There’s a saying that goes “family isn’t always blood”. And for this reason, the people who are family are the people who share the love in your life for every moment together. Don Corleone puts it like this, “Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.”
The perfect example of a friendship I have is with my cousin, Peter Marpaung. In October 2012, Peter introduced me to the world of iOS app development. The amount of effort he sacrificed to innovate his apps and build his business has proved to me that he’s an awesome role model for me. His app, MineSwing, just motivates the heck out of me because if he can create something fun like that, I can create one 10 times better!
Back to the point, make your ‘family’ circle small by finding out who you are yourself. Think of it like this: you are the average of five of your closest friends. What kind of person will you become when five of your closest buddies are all loose-chicks or pot heads? How about five addicted League of Legend players? Five anime lovers? Five straight-A students? Or how about five visionary geniuses?! I’ll leave you with this:
“Become wise by walking with the wise.” – Proverbs 13:20
But even so, you still have a family bond with your weirdest buddies. You still love your siblings more than Jaime Lannister loves his. Just understand, you can’t be rich when the family part of your true wealth withers.
Secondly, fitness. How crazy would it be to gain the whole world, but lose your life? Dumb, right? And since the condition of wellness plays an obvious role in the definition of true wealth, I’ll make this section interesting.
Here’s an example:
You’re an otolaryngologists at a poor hospital somewhere in southern California. You’re on your lunch break, and the Indomie you got from my house is prepared with some canned fish. As you’re eating, you feel a sharp paper cut inside the back of your mouth. An abnormal sized fish bone has sliced the blood vessels around your trachea and has completely plugged your air pathway!
Suddenly, you’re desperately gasping for air and bleeding like crazy. Your life fades away in slow agony as you glance at the light at the end of the tunnel. You don’t care about the girl(s) you met at Andrews University or the time you’ve wasted studying to be a freakin otolaryngologist! The one and only thing you care about, is your life.
Ask any terminally ill person what they value. Money? No. You see, true wealth is about mental and physical health.
The third and final F is the freedom of choice. The freedom to live whenever, wherever, and however you want. True wealth ≠ money. True, but on the other hand, money is one of the key components of freedom. MJ Demarco’s ‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ explains more in detail and also guides you through the mental processes you need, in order to approach all the types of freedom.
True wealth is about the freedom to escape the slavery that your job has on your life. Freedom of not being shackled by student loans and not worrying about what food you’re going to eat at home. But most importantly, freedom from doing the things you sincerely hate!
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau
So the broke college students who have the need to party all the time, let me ask you:
What exactly are you celebrating? Freedom? Even you poor college students party like its your birthday. What gives you the right to party when your parents are slaving their freedom away for you? Instead, have diligence in school and in the education outside of school and learn to free your family from their financial prison.
It’s simple. No college student really gives a crap about the topic of wealth.
Why is that Alvin?
Because that topic doesn’t make you happy. It’s so far from your reach, you effortlessly forget about it. However, when you do worry about it, a ripple effect slips out with a silent but deadly grip.
It goes something like this:
“Hmm, is this major gonna make me money? Ah dang it, I don’t even wanna worry about it. Imma just go back to my miserable life and binge-play League of Legends, binge-watch Friends on Netflix again, and then browse 100 categories on Pornhub. When it’s time for exams, I’ll just cheat or procrastinate somehow. Rinse and repeat. In a couple years, I’ll soon realize that I need to get my lazy [expletive] up and do something!”
College students don’t care about the topic of wealth because their definition of wealth is twisted.
And if you still think about wealth like the way you’ve been taught all your life, you can’t say I didn’t try to convince you that you’re wrong.
In conclusion, I’ll let an extremely wealthy Instagrammer (@thefailur) end it this way:
“Money doesn’t make you better than everyone else.”
.
Sorry, but you’re wrong. It absolutely makes us better.
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Why? That answer is multi faceted. It isn’t about the wealth per se, it’s about the person you have to become, to be “rich”. It’s about an insane work ethic few people could understand. It’s about saying yes to terrifying opportunities. It’s about making the most out of your life. It’s finding your true calling and chasing your dreams. It’s the pain and suffering, the lost friendships, the 100 hour weeks, and not giving excuses.
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So yes, wealth makes a person different. The journey does at least.
Extraordinary Minds 