“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus
For years I chased quick riches. The next promotion. The next pay raise. The next “how to get rich in X days” program.
I told myself: “If I just nail this routine, make this career move, have this one conversation with my boss… then I’ll finally get there.”
Get where? Rich.
And in a way, it worked. I got promoted. I got my raises. I did the routines.
But my desire was never satisfied. Every step I took moved the goalpost further away.
Now I sit here, a professional project manager in the energy sector, with a well-paying job, and yet, I am unsatisfied.
The Wrong Goalpost
Through reading, journaling, moving my body and reflecting, I started asking myself hard questions.
What if the goal itself is wrong?
Why do I really want riches?
Is it so my day will become one long stretch of leisure?
The answer came slow but steady: no.
It’s not leisure I crave. It’s purpose.
What Riches Really Mean
So the next question was: what do riches mean to me?
Is it yachts? Private jets? Endless vacations?
Again, the answer was clear: no.
I sat down and wrote out what my “perfect day” would look like if I had all the money in the world. After several hours of reflection, the picture was simple:
- Time with my family
- Time for my habits
- Time to pursue my purpose
It wasn’t yachts. It wasn’t 365 days of vacation. It was peace of mind and time.
So maybe being rich… is actually about being free.
For me, yes. Freedom is the greatest form of wealth.
Reframing Riches Into Wealth
But it doesn’t end there. This isn’t some fairy-tale formula of “just get rich and you’ll be free.”
It’s more complicated.
The real shift began when I reframed the word rich.
I realized I wasn’t chasing riches. I was chasing wealth.
And wealth, at its core, isn’t about yachts or jets. Wealth is about being able to afford your perfect day every day.
Wealth = Enough.
Enough time. Enough peace. Enough resources to live aligned with who you are.
Finally, I saw it clearly:
Riches < Wealth = Enough = Freedom.
I’ve written before about what enough really means not just in numbers but as a shift in mindset. That post lays the foundation for understanding why chasing more never satisfies. This article is the next step: turning that idea into action with a simple protocol you can use today.
You can read it here:
https://alexsmindfuel.com/2025/09/17/defining-enough/
The Protocol
That’s why I built the Defining Enough Protocol.
It’s a simple tool you can use to calculate your own “enough” number. Not to chase endlessly. Not to compare. But to finally put a clear boundary around what wealth means for you.
👉 [Download the Defining Enough Protocol here] (insert your link).
It will help you:
- Separate needs from wants
- See your monthly and annual cost of “enough”
- Calculate your freedom number (the wealth target that sustains you forever)
- Reflect on whether your goals align with your true values
Closing Reflection
You don’t need to chase someone else’s scoreboard.
You don’t need to keep moving the goalpost.
Wealth isn’t more. Wealth is enough.
And enough is freedom.
Leave a Reply