For Richer…
Rich people, and not just financially, look for problems to solve. The more challenging and broad-reaching, the more interesting, more engaging, and more potentially profitable the endeavor, and the greater the chance of making a real and lasting difference.
They welcome conflict, to discern and discover what the real issues are, the root causes, to educate themselves about possible solutions, to invest in skill sets and the knowledge that will be demanded of them — or they’ll seek out experts, professionals, or those who are already successful in the arena they’re delving into. They know they must leverage their efforts and time, and make it a point to surround themselves with smart, trained, experienced, warrior people who don’t balk at hard work, who are already busy, and who can teach them something.
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Rich people are lifelong learners. They get all sorts of mud and shit and sticks and stones thrown at them from all directions, even (and especially) from their families, yet they get up, dust themselves off, and keep going. They develop strong boundaries, and protect their space, within and without.
They know that time is the resource they cannot afford to waste, because they can never earn enough money to buy more. They know their health — be it psychological, physical, emotional, or spiritual — is essential to maintain, for they’d regret falling ill, or even dying before they’re able to achieve their various aims, goals, and missions in this short life. They know they’ll never get it all done, but they will do their best, improve upon their best, to build momentum, to reach their potential, to push their edges and limits, and to leave a legacy that may carry on beyond their time here.
“The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.”
―
For Poorer…
Poor people, and not just financially, do whatever they can to avoid problems, to simplify and minimize their lives, to avoid conflict, and to control as much as they can of every situation, relationship, eventuality, and outcome.
They are afraid of losing what little they have, so they manipulate, coerce, beg, borrow, and steal even (and especially) from their families (which includes found families). They are perpetual victims, of life, of circumstance, of politics, of The Man, of conspiracies.
“My mother always says people should be able to take care of themselves, even if they’re rich and important.”
They need to know where money is coming from, and track every penny, because there’s almost never enough. If they come into some cash, they spend it without discipline, design, or purpose, because “…life isn’t all about money, you know? You have to live!” There is much that they deserve, and are entitled to.
They believe they can’t afford to pay anyone, and that they can’t ask for help unless they can pay for it, so they try to do everything themselves. They’ll learn many skills, discover hidden talents, and find occasional joy in their pursuits, but the heaviness, loneliness, and constant struggle to get by will always slow them down, hold them back, contract and constrict their mind, body, and spirit, and keep them on the brink of despair and depression, always and ever lacking a good rest at night.
They will protest, rise up, gather in crowds of dissenters, or with the self-anointed socially just, and parrot the truth — which, according to them, is the real truth, and that if only people would listen, if politicians and bankers actually cared, that maybe the world would be more livable, and peaceful… and that there’d be more free money for everyone.
“Being wealthy isn’t just a question of having lots of money. It’s a question of what we want. Wealth isn’t an absolute, it’s relative to desire.”
―
All scarcity and lack is a lie. Rich people know this, while poor people wear it like a badge of honor.
We choose our perspectives with which we color, code, program, and perceive the world.
Life is short, so you’d better be right, whatever you decide is true, and whatever you choose to do.
Solvitur ambulando