I want to be a Billionaire!
“Inherited wealth is a real handicap to happiness. It is as certain a death to ambition as cocaine is to morality.”
William K. Vanderbilt (grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt)
Often when I listen to people’s dreams, I hear them say, “I want to be a billionaire!” In fact, that thought has crossed my own mind several times as well. There is even a song with a similar name as the anthem for this dream by Travie McCoy. Although there is nothing wrong with wanting to become a billionaire, my challenge with this idea is that it is often based on false expectations. Typically, most people ONLY envision a life full of private jets, beautiful homes, supercars, luxury travel, yachts, exclusive clubs, and expensive toys. As the old saying goes, “be careful what you wish for.“
Unfortunately, life is a paradox so every dream fulfilled will come with both good and bad. Sadly, the pursuit of our dreams often blind us to the truths right in front of our noses. For example, you may want to be a billionaire but ignore that you already are a multi trillionaire, as your body is made up of trillions of cells. You may desire a beautiful home yet ignore that you live on an amazing planet called Earth. You may dream of owning a supercar or a private jet but ignore that you are travelling through the universe on our planet at a speed faster than any current man made luxury vehicle.
The lifestyle of a billionaire is also not always as rosy as you may imagine:
1) For example, you may dream of travelling in the back seat of your limo but not imagine riding in the trunk of a car like Pablo Escobar.
2) Some billionaires have acquired their wealth using very aggressive business tactics before making a positive impact on the world, like Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie, and John D Rockefeller.
3) Some Billionaires have lost their fortunes, like Sean Quinn and Eike Batista.
4) Other Billionaires have committed suicide, like Adolf Merckle.
5) Some Billionaires have served time in prison, like R. Allen Stanford, Thomas Kwok, and Michael Milken.
Of course, I wish you the very best on your life journey and hope that your dreams come true. I also wish you a life full of happiness, love, joy, good health, great prosperity, and wonderful relationships. However, be careful that your desire to be a billionaire is balanced with actually fulfilling your true life purpose and making a positive difference in the lives of the people around you. Otherwise, saying “I want to be a billionaire” may generate a result that you never expected or wanted!