"Wealth"

I have one life—one real shot at things—and I’d like to make it count.

Even though I’m motivated by many things, there’s one motivation that stands out above the rest…one that’s particularly meaningful. 

Are you ready?  Well, here it is…

—Increasing and Enjoying My Own Personal Wealth—

“Increasing your wealth?!!  Dave, dude…could you be any shallower?”  Umm...yeah, I think I could.

When I talk about “wealth,” I’m not talking about money or status.  (There is, by the way, nothing wrong with those things so long as they don’t own you.  Hey, man, if you’ve got two million in the bank—cool.  You can’t live on that, but it’s not a bad place to start, you know?)  What I am talking about, though, are those things in life that make me feel wealthy of soul.  Full.  Not full as in I just ate three cheeseburgers, but full as in full of life...full of God...full of vibrant, life-giving energy.  Full to the point of sadness, even.  In many ways, life is sorrow.  Not the sorrow of being mistreated, nor of feeling sorry for myself, nor of feeling deprived.  It is, rather, the sadness that is the natural result of fullness...a shedding of tears kind of fullness.  The fullness that comes from being touched by life—those tender and personal experiences that reach the me that resides deep within me.  Fullness comes from a direct experience of life and the True and Ultimate Source of that life.

Such fullness allows me to open myself up to others and to be known by them (and, it would seem, to then experience even greater fullness as a result).  And, is that not what we all really want?  To be known and loved?  To have those we love and that love us get it about who it is that we are and what it is that we're about?  To me, THAT is an essential ingredient of fullness.

The quality of my life has everything to do with the people in it.  I draw tremendous strength and energy from my family, from my friends, and, especially, from the One Who created me.  My greatest memories are wrapped up completely in my experiences with them.  And I treasure those memories.  They are among the many anchors that tether me to who I am as a person, today.

My wealth also comes from my hobbies and interests.  I love to laugh and to find the comical in whatever I can.  Scott Peck once wrote (and I paraphrase), “Life is difficult (That alone is a profound statement.) and is, it would seem, comprised endlessly of a series of challenges that must be overcome.”  In my life, having deep interests, a sense of humor, and the ability to play at life are, I believe, some of what gives me the inspiration, flexibility, and stick-to-it-tiveness I need to plod through the difficulties I face on a daily basis.  They give me the confidence to explore “the new” and to work toward mastering “the old.”

There are some in life—the Gandhis, the Martin Luther Kings, the Anne Franks, the Mother Teresas, the Billy Grahams—who will affect the world on an epic scale.  Did you know that in Gandhi’s life, he liberated over 300 million people?  I may never be such a person.  But…through my fullness—my genuineness, my compassion, my service, and my laughter—I may befriend or even inspire such a one.  And, through that, play a small role in, possibly, liberating millions.  Now how cool would that be?

Be full, my friends...

Peace,

Bling

Note:  I am very grateful for the writings of M. Scott Peck and Chogyam Trungpa that have, through the years, so powerfully influenced my thinking along these lines.