About a year ago, I read a blog post from James Clear, author of the book Atomic Habits, that stuck with me so much I knew I wanted to eventually share it with you. Well, now is that time! 

In the United States, the month of November is capped by the holiday of Thanksgiving, where we focus on expressing gratitude for the people and circumstances in our lives for which we are thankful. Admittedly, it can be a loaded holiday for many, and therefore, there can be some mixed emotions associated with the typical and traditional familial and social gatherings surrounding the holiday. As I was thinking about this month’s theme, which I’m terming “Wealth & Gratitude”, I recalled Clear’s post from last year.  

In his post, Clear says, “There are at least 4 types of wealth:
1. Financial Wealth (money)
2. Social Wealth (status)
3. Time Wealth (freedom)
4. Physical Wealth (health)
Be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2, but rob you of 3 and 4.”

BOOM, that last line was quite the ðŸŽ¤ drop for me. What about you, *|FNAME|*?

I have these types of “trade-off” conversations with my clients all the time, but there was something about the simplicity of that final sentence that felt like a clarifying moment. And I thought maybe there might be a few of you who needed to read that as well. 

Of course, never one to keep my thoughts to myself, and far be it from me to assume I could add to his list, but why not? It’s my Thought Partner.

I would also add 5. Connection Wealth (relationships).

Therefore, be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2, but rob you of 3, 4, and 5. 

Clear went on to discuss how we measure our days. Saying it’s easy to measure our days in dollars earned or tasks completed, but he urged us to consider other units of measurement as well.

  • What would you do today if you wanted to maximize laughter?
  • What would you do today if you wanted to maximize time outside?
  • What would you do today if you wanted to maximize peace of mind?
  • What would you do today if you wanted to create a deeper connection with someone? 

Thinking about these types of wealth measurements, where do you need to focus on increasing your deposits? Are your balances in these accounts healthy? Is it time to withdraw from some accounts?

I would love to know if this topic strikes you as much as it did me. 

In the pursuit of balanced wealth,
Stacy