Candidate,
Today, I want you to think about what "Rich Life" means to you. Don't just think about the dollar amount. I want you to really take some time to think about this. Take out a piece of paper and write down your answers.
Imagine an ordinary week in your dream life:
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What time do you wake up? How do you wake up? Is there an alarm clock or not?
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OK, reach over and you grab your phone — what kind of phone do you have?
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You get up. Maybe you make yourself some kind of coffee. What kind of coffee? Maybe some tea? Where did it come from?
Remember, this is your dream life. Maybe instead of an alarm clock in your apartment, you have a wakeup call in a five-star hotel in Paris. Instead of making coffee, the coffee is delivered to you. Dream BIG.
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Where's your apartment? Or is it a house? What floor do you live on? What does your house look like?
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What do you do for work? Where is that workplace? At work, what's your experience? What's your office look like, if you have an office? If you're outside, what are you doing? Who are you interacting with?
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OK, what are you doing after work now? What does it look like?
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You're planning your next vacation now. Where are you going? What type of vacation? What are you going to do differently?
As you go through this exercise, get creative. There are so many different kinds of a Rich Life — you don't have to go with what's expected of you.
For example, my wife and I love design and fashion. So when we went to Italy on our honeymoon, we visited the headquarters of one of our favorite brands, Cucinelli, and took a behind-the-scenes tour.
That's something that we are passionate about. Maybe you're passionate about something else.
Like my student Shawn, whose Rich Life is getting to eat all three meals together with his family and spending the summers with them in Colorado:
Since I work from my home office and my kids are still at home most days, we all get to eat three meals together. Every summer we rent a house in the Colorado mountains and go spend a month out there, visiting family, going camping, hiking, etc. And perhaps my favorite is that, because I own the company and we are 100% bootstrapped and profitable, we get to work on whatever projects we want. Having this complete creative freedom to build products we love for our own customers is so much fun.
–Shawn Blanc, The Sweet Setup
Or maybe your Rich Life is getting to watch your favorite band front and center, like my student Miguel:
I got to see a show in Munich for one of my favorite rock bands, the Electric Light Orchestra—with a VIP pass, to boot! I had been a fan since the 80s and I'd never seen them live before. I thought I would never be able to attend a concert (since they stopped touring for more than 30 years!). So when I finally got the chance, I thought, "What the heck? That's what money is for!"
I went with my wife and paid for the trip from Spain to Munich. We also stayed in a suite in a stylish, modern hotel. Oktoberfest was also around that time, so we got to enjoy the famous beer festival. The trip cost a lot, but we enjoyed every second of it. In fact, while at the concert and standing a few rows from the band (row 10 in the center), it was in that moment that I realized how lucky I was.
–Miguel Ángel López Trujillo
So, what does "Rich Life" mean to you?
Keep your Rich Life answers to the exercise above near your desk. Any time you get stuck, read them over again and remember where you're heading.
