It is very common to associate wealth with words such as money, fortune, finance, cash, funds, property, stock, possessions, riches, and others similar to these. Personally, I like to challenge the norms of society. I enjoy redefining what society defines. I encourage you to do the same in aspects of your choosing, I find that without doing so we do not see different perspectives and change is not made.

While "wealth" is a mere word, it can help give you insight on what does give you meaning in life. As college students especially, this is important, because how we define this word can provide us with insight on what type of life we are pursuing. It can give us clues to the compass that guides the very decisions we make. I find that by challenging the way we define certain words or things in our life we can discover the areas where we place the most value. I can't define this for you but is something you will have to figure out yourself.

Personally, as I have gotten older I have found that the common stereotypical definition of wealth is not the way I define wealth. I don't like placing my wealth into the value of money, possessions, or riches. I don't want to place my value or focus my energy into how much I can obtain from the way the world defines "wealth".

Honestly, think about it. When you get your paycheck what usually happens? You spend it. Whether it be on bills, for food, gas, or on treating yourself it all eventually goes away. This type of "wealth" isn't lasting. It isn't substantial. It won't leave you with something long-term. This type of rich that the world defines is it really that rich? In my life, I have known people who have had so much money but are some of the emptiest people I've ever met. The money can't fill them with what they're missing. The money can't give them meaning. It can't give them a lasting relationship with others who care about them. It can't give them the acceptance and love they crave. Money is spent as soon as it is received most times. We need something more than coins and paper dollar bills.

My own father has proved this to me. For most of my life, he has sought and pursued after ways to obtain more money. He would get multiple jobs just for the money. He would not always spend the money wisely, but on electronics or anything luxury that we couldn't afford at the time. He would put this above his kids and family. He never saw how while he felt like he was gaining worldly wealth he was depleting any meaningful wealth he had left. By this, I mean his family, his kids, those who truly cared about him. While he let material possessions and monetary wealth be the thing in which he placed value he also let this detract from the value he placed in his daughter. There were times that I just really needed a dad. He always thought money would make it better. For me, it never did and that was never what I wanted. I just wanted my dad to truly love me and be there for me. I would not love my father any less if he was a homeless man as long as we had a meaningful relationship. Now our relationship is bordering the edge of nonexistent. While this is sad, I refuse to beg, chase or compete with objects or monetary wealth. I know I am of more value and worth than that.

While this personal excerpt seems random, it's not. My father is an example. He's an example of how putting all of his value in worldly wealth stripped him of a meaningful relationship with his kids and family. Please don't be like my father, choose to define "wealth" differently. Trust me, no matter the age it makes a difference.