Leader's Compass 22 - Get Rich Quick! 9 Ways To Increase Your Wealth Almost Immediately

What does it mean to be rich? I've met a lot of financially wealthy people in my life. I'm fortunate that my positions in life have afforded me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Here is one thing I've observed though, being rich, being wealthy has less to do with money and more to do with perspective. Don't get me wrong, money is important. I've had enough, not enough and more than enough and having more is better than having less. But, having more of something does not necessarily make a person rich. Below are some of my observations on what it means to be rich and some of the people who I learned the lessons from.

1. Work hard. Hard work itself is wealth. As a child my mom and dad instilled the concept of hard work into my head by making me, my brothers and sisters work hard. I remember one day going to a property my dad owned to cut down the weeds. "Steve," he said "one of the keys to life is to pray like everything depends on God and then work as if everything depends on you." 

We worked hard that day to get the property in better shape. A common misconception we have is that "someday" we won't have to work hard...we will have enough money to just sit around and do whatever we want. Sitting on a beach doing nothing the rest of my life is the opposite of wealth in my mind. Wealth is having a job that needs to be done and knowing you are equal to the task. 

I've learned over the years that having work to do is wealth. A wealth of work, a wealth of challenges, a wealth of responsibilities breeds skill development, drive, passion and persistence...all traits of the wealthy individual. There is no greater feeling than a job, no, make that a hard job well done.

2. Observe and express gratitude. Gratitude is wealth. My grandmother on my moms side was not a financially wealthy person. She was, however one of the richest people I have ever known. She was grateful for everything in her life. 

One summer my dad poured a concrete pad for her in front of her garage. Instead of having just a gravel path for a driveway she now had a beautiful cement pad. She was so grateful, so appreciative of the work and the gift she would go out and sweep the small plot at least twice a day. She was grateful for her home, her grandchildren, her life. She was truly wealthy because she appreciated everything.

3. Have faith. Faith is wealth. When I was younger I thought my mom was a little crazy when she would talk faithfully about how she knew things would work out for the best. An extremely hard worker, she embodied the hard work ethic my brothers and sisters share. But she showed more than just hard work. She had faith. She believed. She moved forward in life with faith and conviction. 

It takes great courage to believe, to move forward in life, to have faith. She taught me to believe, see the future with an eye of faith and then work hard to make my faith a reality. Pessimists lack the wealth of courage it takes to have faith. Faith is born from an abundance mentality. Ultimately faith is wealth.

4. Have. Having is wealth. I know, I know you may be thinking "duh, of course having more makes you wealthy." I'm not necessarily talking about having more things. I'm talking about having more...more money because you spend less than you make, more friendships because you deposit more than you withdraw in relationships. Security, safety and wealth don't just come from making more. They come from keeping more, and spending less. 

One day my oldest daughter looked at a gorgeous Corvette and said, "well, that guy use to be rich." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, he had a lot of money before he spent it on that car." The wisdom of a child is profound. Having, not spending is wealth.

5. Collect mementos. Mementos make you rich. Symbolism is in every major religion. Buildings use to be built with it as an integral piece to their design. In one way or another we choose the things in life that remind us of something else, the items that have symbolic meaning.

Having mementos that remind you of something, or some experience in life make you rich. Remember the time when? Mementos help remind you of that time. What about your personal code, your values, your mission, your creed? Mementos can help remind you and bring a wealth of memory and purpose. 

For the most part I wear the same watch every day. It was a gift from my wife on our 15th anniversary. It's a watch that is built to last long after my body wears out. When I'm 6 feet under my son will have it. It's symbolic of my goal in life to build a life, to build relationships, to build businesses that are built to last.

6. Cultivate great relationships. Relationships bring wealth. When I was younger my best friend Eric would drive me crazy from time to time when we needed to be somewhere and he would stay and listen to people until we were late getting to the next place we needed to be. Over time it dawned on me that everyone loved Eric because of this. His ability to listen and empathize was second to none. He developed deep and meaningful relationships with almost everyone he met. He was and still is a very wealthy man because of his relationships. 

Empathy, time, interest, love, compassion, listening. Each one of these relationship currencies build a wealth that can last a lifetime. Friendships are priceless. Owning priceless items means you are wealthy. Value the relationships in your life well and you will be an extremely wealthy person.

7. Recognize that moments that push your limits bring wealth. One night my wife said to me "I think we need go go to the hospital." "I feel fine thanks," I responded jokingly. "No, I'm serious, I think the baby is coming." She couldn't finish the last sentence before her water broke. About 10 minutes later we delivered our son at home...just the two of us, her working excruciatingly hard and me squatting with my catchers mitt to catch the little guy. Paramedics showed up about 15 minutes later. The fears running through my head..."what if he isn't ok?" "What if she isn't ok?" These fears pushed my emotional limits. His life was in my hands. Her life was in my hands. 

That moment, like others that have pushed either my emotional or physical limits have made me very wealthy. Moments that push our limits don't have a monetary price tag. There is no amount of money in the world to to replace the moments that make us better than what we think we are. Imagine the admiration I had and still have for my gorgeous wife for sharing that moment together and seeing her physical and emotional limits tested. That moment made us wealthy.

8. Give. Giving is wealth. When I was younger I served a service mission in South Dakota. I met many people with very little physical possessions. Despite their lack of money they gave me whatever they had. They fed me. They gave me gifts, friendship and love. 

Giving is wealth. Poor people can't give. Wealthy people give, even if all they have to give is love. Don't forget though - if you give more than you have, you will have nothing left to give. Over-giving beyond your means is no better than over-spending. Playing the martyr that gives all is not wealth. Wealth comes from giving what you have. Far too many give to others and let their own kids starve. That's not wealth, it's just stupid.

9. Take care of what you have. We live in a disposable world. Clothing is out of style too quickly. Relationships can end just by clicking send at the end of a nasty text. Wealthy people take stock of their lives and regularly maintain their wealth. From exercising and eating well to care for their body to changing the oil on their car the wealthy maintain and often make better what they have. 

In our family's mission statement we have a line that says we strive to "leave people and places better than we find them." Did you know that one of the major reasons people go into debt to buy a new car is because they want a clean car? Really? We can't just clean and maintain it? Taking care of what we have brings wealth, and, it prevents a great deal of debt.

So, what does it mean to be rich? Ultimately that's for you to decide. I'm fortunate that my positions in life have afforded me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Here is one thing I've observed though, being rich, being wealthy has less to do with money and more to do with perspective. Don't get me wrong, money is important. I've had enough, not enough and more than enough and having more is better than having less. But, having more of something does not necessarily make a person rich. The nine tips I've just shared are my humble opinion. I try to live by them and I feel pretty damn wealthy. Give em a try and I think you will too. 

***Thanks for reading my blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave me your comments below.***