I read a quote this morning that really resonated with me: “You’re not rich until you have something money can’t buy.” Too often, money is considered the ultimate signifier of success in life – how much you earn, how much you’ve saved, or how much your home is worth. My older brother once admonished me for being a “stay-at-home mom” for a few years after my second child arrived. He informed me that “A person’s paycheck is the measure of their worth.” I laughingly replied that my stock must have dropped. A decade later, my brother experienced a temporary lay-off and childhood patterns led me to ask him how that affected his own worth. His wife laughed, my brother did not.
Anyway, when we measure our wealth by the material possessions we acquire, we ignore what research continues to show – the most valuable assets we can ever hope to amass are the relationships we create. Social media has made “conspicuous consumption” so much more conspicuous these days. But the latest and greatest gizmo will leave us as lonely and empty as we were before we placed the order.
Loneliness continues to be a troubling epidemic and it’s young adults who suffer the most. A decade ago, this same age group had the most thriving social life of anyone. The pandemic and technology may be the root cause of this shift, but the only fix that’s effective for anyone is to build new social connections and deepen existing relationships.
When you realize that your relationships are currency that can be used to secure your future happiness, that should be motivation enough to make plans to spend time or re-connect with the people in your life who matter.
I’m Suzanne Degges-White and that’s my perspective.
