Keith “admitted” that he buys bruised fruit and washes then reuses paper towels.
His coworkers chuckled under their breath.
At the end of the episode, the camera zoomed in on his computer screen to reveal the unassuming nurse on St. Denis Medical had $4.1M.
While his coworkers were busy “looking” successful, he was busy being successful. That is the difference between Relative Wealth and Absolute Wealth.
The Vanity of Relative Wealth
Most of us are trapped in the Relative Wealth cycle. We gauge our success by how we look compared to our peers.
The blow-out kitchen renovation… the luxury SUV in the private school pickup line… the new Rolex… the Instagram reel of 5-star resort vacations…
But here is the truth: A brand-new $90,000 car parked in a driveway isn’t a sign of wealth. It’s a sign that $90,000 (plus interest) has left someone’s net worth.
Relative wealth is a game we can never win. There will always be someone with a faster boat or a bigger house. If we use other people’s spending as our benchmark, we are letting their bad habits dictate our financial future.
The Sanity of Absolute Wealth
Absolute Wealth doesn’t care about the driveway next door. It’s invisible.
It’s the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly when we’ll hit our Financial Zen Number. It’s the stability of a high Net Profit Margin on our paychecks. It’s the freedom to know that if we walked into work and quit today, our lifestyles wouldn’t change.
True wealth is the money we haven’t spent on toys. It’s the ability to own our time.
Now THAT’S a financial flex!
The “Grinder” Mindset
The nurse with the $4.1M knew a secret: Wealth is built in the margins. It’s built by the people who don’t care what the “crowd” thinks of their habits because they are too busy focused on their destination.
People might laugh at the guy buying bruised fruit, but they aren’t laughing at the $4.1M.
And for the record? I actually wash and reuse Ziploc bags.
Just sayin’.