I am a Rich Woman.
Here are all the ways in which I am rich…
I am rich for all the
people I know All
the people who are a part of my life – people I know through being thrown
together by common blood (my family and my relatives); people who
became a part of my family through marriage or adoption; people I know through
being thrown together by a common identity, or a shared place of
work, or a shared neighborhood, or a shared place of education, or a shared
mission, or shared interests. I am
grateful for all of the people I know – those who are in my life, and those who
are no longer in my life. I am rich for
having so many different people touch my life.
I am rich in friendships My United States of Friendship
Series – Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 tells part of the
story. I have lived in 2 countries. The first part of my life was spent in India, the second part of my life has been in America. I have friendships that were formed in both countries. Time, space, and everyday life may separate me from the friendships I made in India, but they are dear to my heart, and part of the fabric of my being. As are the friends I made in America, after I wrote the United States of Friendship series of posts - including relatives who have become friends, and a daughter
who has become a friend. Speaking of
which, I am...
Rich for the
existence of my daughter It has been a privilege to watch Tanita develop and grow into the person she is today, and to participate in her life, to the extent I have been able
to. Thank you Tanita for enriching my life.
Then, I am rich in life
experiences I do
not regret even a single life experience; not my depression, not the
existential crisis which resulted in me separating from my husband; nor having
to give up a successful and glamorous career in advertising in India (where the
sky was the limit) for a very different career in America.
I am rich in meaningful
activities and interactions Gretchen Rubin, the happiness writer, writes, if you don't really want something,
getting it won't make you happy. I do not want vacations, I do not
want fancy gadgets, I do not want a fancy car. I want to blog, to read, to
walk, to spend meaningful time with people, whether friends or family, to earn
an income with a servant heart, to take good care of myself, to make a
difference in people's lives, even if in just a small way…and because these are
the things I go after, my life is rich in meaningful activities and
interactions. If you ask me what the secret is to my current state of contentment and
peace, it is that I don't go after anything I do not want, and I am prepared to make sacrifices for what I want.
I am rich for the place
I call home It may be "just an apartment", it may be
"just 980 square feet", but it is where I am comfortable, and it is all
I need.
I am rich for all my mistakes Relationship mistakes, investment mistakes, mistakes with cars - I have learned valuable lessons from all of them.
I am rich for all the
wonderful things I have seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched and experienced The conversations and music I have been privileged to hear, the dances, shows and performances I have witnessed, the movies I have seen, the flowers and scents and wonderful food aromas I have smelled, the silks and other things I have touched, the taste of so many different and exciting foods, including the exciting foods cooked by my very own family. In the “taste”
area, ‘training myself to abstain’ from some of my favorite things to eat was one of the hardest things to do. Speaking of which…
I am rich for
all the habits and weaknesses I have conquered - and for the things I have given up. I have given up
foods which were not good for me, habits which were not good for me, and ways of thinking and acting and being which were not good for me. This has been one of the greatest victories in my life.
I am rich for all the
phases I have been through The argue till kingdom come phase, the vegetarian phase, the talk about nothing except advertising phase, the talk about nothing
except stocks phase, and my current health phase. They are all part of growing and learning.
I am rich for all the
books and online articles I have read, and tv programs I have watched, and podcasts I have listened to. If I learned to do my own taxes, it
was thanks to this, if I learned investments, it was thanks to this, if I learned strategies for keeping diabetes at bay, it was thanks to this. I even learned to meditate thanks to this.
I am rich for all the
advice I have received from family and friends.
You can get an idea of what kind of advice from this post and this post.
I am rich for all the
things I have learned The knowledge I have gained, and the
skills I have picked up. Thanks to my early education, to what I learn on the job, to the internet, to the deep knowledge of well-meaning
family members and friends, and to work and life challenges, it's a gift that keeps on giving, and the opportunities
to gain more knowledge and skills never ends.
At the end of the day, it makes me wonder if I am richer than some
of the richest people on earth.
Several years ago, I wrote a post “What do Lakshmi Mittal
and I have in common?” If you are interested in knowing what Lakshmi Mittal and I have in common, you will have to read the post.
Now I would like to throw a challenge to all people out there, especially to rich people. The challenge is to
ask yourself, “What do Minoo and I have in common?”
My hope is you will be able to check off all the things I have listed as having enriched my life. And then some.
If you are unable to check off most of these things, these are the words I have for you: “How dare you! How dare you have what you have, and not be able to enjoy the riches of life!”
Sorry to be throwing a glass of cold water in your face,
but it is what I had to do to myself - and I had to do it, without all those riches you have.
The good news is you can change your life.
You can bring the enjoyment and zest back.
What a great thought!
No matter how strong the “I am unhappy and miserable” belief, there is an “I am happy”
belief waiting in the wings to topple it, as happened to me at the end of my
depression.
It is things like this that make you realize life is filled
with latent possibilities.
These latest possibilities are only waiting to happen, and
only waiting to confound the probabilities in our lives.
The probability of me doing any of the things I list as
having done in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 of this
series, was low.
The imagination and will were lacking. Further, there were ingrained
habits, and hopeless and helpless ways of being, and feeling, and thinking.
And yet at some point, the will was born, and a fresh eye
was born, and a new spirit was born, such that even deeply ingrained habits, thoughts, and feelings were
powerless to stop the tide.
What this suggests is you should believe in the future.
Believe you will do wonderful things you can’t dream of
doing now, which will make you feel differently from how you feel now.
Believe new ideas and triggers will emerge.
Believe new dimensions to your life will surface, as a
result of those ideas and triggers.
You cannot see these new ideas and new triggers, because
they are still in the future.
Don’t fret over your problems.
Problems lead to solutions, as I wrote in my post, The Element of Seeing All Problems as Puzzles and Its Hope for becoming Master Solvers.
So go ahead and say it… “Problems are good”.
And the next time you face a problem, say, “It’s time to
put on my thinking hat and to seek a solution.”
You can even go a step further, by saying “I will not be
intimidated by constraints, because constraints will lead to creative
solutions”.
How now, Minoo?
Read my post, The Element of Constraints and its Hope for More Creative Solutions, and you will understand how constraints can spur
creativity and innovation.
So get excited about the future, and especially about becoming
a rich woman like I am.
And on that “exuberant” note, I will end this post.
Do come back next
week for the seventh part of this series, 10 Things I Told Myself That Turned
Out To Be Completely Wrong.
Acknowledgements
Thanks for the feedback,
(comments, likes, shares) on Part 1, 2,3, 4 and 5 of this series. I appreciate
the kudos from old friends, new friends, and relatives who have become friends.
You keep me going.
NEXT, Thanks to all readers, current
and future, for sharing my journey to wisdom, meaning and a better life.
Like you, I am trying to find my way through this complex maze we call life,
and I am honored to have you share my journey, as I continue to seek the wisdom
hidden in plain sight.
FINALLY, A Happy Birthday shout-out: to those with June
birthdays. Use your birthday month as a gratitude month – make a list of
all the things which have enriched your life and say thank you for each one of
them.
Have a blessed week, and hope to see you next
week.
P.S. Not sure if you have time, but if you want
to read the other posts in this series, you can do so using the links below.
Take me to Part 1 of 10 Things I Told Myself Which Turned Out To Be Completely Wrong (Marriage and Driving)
Take me to Part 2 of 10 Things I Told Myself Which Turned Out To Be Completely Wrong (The I’m a Words Person, Not a Numbers
Person Notion)
Take me to Part 3 of 10 Things I Told Myself Which Turned Out To Be Completely Wrong (The Invest Like Warren Buffett Fiasco)
Take me to Part 4 of 10 Things I Told Myself Which Turned Out To Be Completely Wrong (Health Misinformation)
Take me to Part 5 of 10 Things I Told Myself Which Turned Out To Be Completely Wrong (Tax Cluelessness)
If you have still more time, featured below is a
sprinkling of older posts:
Friendships
The United States of
Friendship – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12
Family
Our Cake Boss Family, Family Songs, The Nightdress Brigade, Family Advice I Am Grateful For, The Porki And Bonkers Tradition, No Need for 23 and Me,Letters to Lucas, Flying Lessons
Pets
A Fresh Perspective on Pets, Secrets of The Super Models In Our Family,BowWow, Meoww, Why You Should Not Abandon Your Pet
Nature
Hobbies
Managing Your Money
Yoga for Investors, How to Turn Your Girl Scout or Cub Scout Into
a Stock Scout, Financial Piece of Mind, Financial Piece of Mind – Part Deux, A Retirement Planning Formula You Won’t Find
on Oprah
Simplifying Your Life
You know what Wesabi is, How About Wabi Sabi? The Simple Life, The Element of Simplicity and Its Hope for
Living a More Satisfying Life
Getting Over Your
Self-Consciousness
The Element of Release From Inhibition, The Element of Being Less Self-Centered and
Its Hope for Seeing Things in The Correct Light, The Element of Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone
and Its Hope For Experiencing More of What Life Has to Offer
Learning to Laugh
How To Deal With The Sheldon Coopers in Your
Life – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,Part 4, The Nightdress Brigade, You Aced the SAT, How About the LAT?, How To Cause Atmost Confuzen at the Scripps
Spelling Bee, How To Go From Madonna to Lilly to Myrtle in
The Course of A Single Evening - And Even Have a Sex Change, A Facebook Face-Off, A Short Stint in Advertising
Learning to Relax
How To Become a Low Maintenance Person, Connected Minds, How To Become The Kind of Person People Want
to Work with, How Many Times a Day Do You Visit Ireland? The Art of Carrying Things Lightly
Health
Raising the Bar, 4 Healthy Eating Ideas I Learned from My
Friend Julia, The Element of Becoming More Focused and
Precise In Our Goals and Its Hope for Achieving Powerful Results
Pursuing A Dream
What’s Next For You? The Element of The First Step and Its Hope for
Getting Big Things Started In Our Lives, She Victories
Changing in Good Ways
Maybe Its Time To Become More Receptive, Maybe It’s Time To Live More Purposefully, Maybe It’s Time To Bust Some Myths, Maybe It’s Time to Walk In The Direction Of
Your Fears, Maybe It’s Time To Understand What Freedom Is, Maybe It’s Time To Turn the Page, Maybe It’s Time To Rock The World, Maybe It’s Time For Freshness
1 comment:
L:ife, minoo, is truly filled with latent possibilities. All u have to do is realise it, as you've so aptly done! A masterpiece of a blog, beautifully written...transformative and game-changing...true wealth is indeed in internal, personal, familial and professional fulfilment , and not just in money...your focus on that highlights this effectively.
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