What does it take to become rich?
If you type that question into your search bar, you’ll get thousands of responses, most of which involve money — and the time it takes to acquire large amounts of it.
Here’s what I found at the top of my search:
How much money does it take to be rich
How much money do you need to be ‘rich’
What does it take to become rich
Learn how to become rich
How to become rich in 10 easy ways
How to get rich from absolutely nothing
What does it take to become rich at 26
How to become rich
15 best jobs to get rich in 2022
What does it take to become a rich entrepreneur
Earning (or gaining wealth) is what most people think when they hear the word rich. And according to my search, most people seem to view richness as being free from the need to earn money or having excess resources available to you. Unfortunately, it took multiple pages of my web search to find a topic that didn’t involve money!
However, what if that’s not all there is to living a “rich” life?
What if being rich involved a life of beauty, opportunity, or peace? Or maybe it is feeling needed or the ability to serve and provide for others.
Regardless of what your definition of being “rich” is, there is one key to true riches (*And hint — once you discover it, you’re already rich!*).
That key is to gratefully receive all that you already have.
Take a moment to consider the words of theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Do you believe that? Let's test the truth of Bonhoeffer's statement by considering the following...
Consider the people who have helped you get to where you’re at. Think of the parents, friends, mentors, supervisors, or coaches who believed in you and allowed you opportunities.
Consider the vast number of resources given to you throughout your life. Think of the time, dollars, advice, kind words, ideas, and dreams others gave you that sustained you and nurtured your potential.
Consider your very life. You have breath in your lungs that wasn’t promised to you — and no amount of riches can help you buy more or keep it forever. Yet, you are blessed with time on this earth — time and opportunity to make a difference — and make this world a better place.
All of these things are blessings you hold. And as you stop to realize them, it’s easy to see how rich you truly are.
Gratitude for all you have is a richness that money can’t buy.
In this season of gratitude, I hope you can stop, take a moment, and consider how rich you are. And once you realize it, as an act of thanksgiving, express those feelings of gratitude to someone who has helped to supply your “riches” through their confident belief, encouragement, and blessing of your life.
By doing this, each of us can become richer — while making those around us richer as well.
