My chapter by chapter breakdown of “The wealth money can’t buy” by Robin Sharma
I just finished the first two parts of this book ( growth & wellness) and I’m genuinely blown away by the insight he brings on such simple truths. Among other factors, I think the timing that I booked this book up at amplifies the amount I see myself in some of the examples that he provides. The way he reframes what true wealth looks like beyond just financial freedom is grounding and almost feels like a breath of fresh air.
First chapter
The first chapter is a constant reminder that real wealth begins with inner growth. He emphasizes that discipline, consistency and continuous learning all have important roles in becoming wealthy.
I wrote down some of my favourite quotes from this section
“Don’t confuse movement for progress.”
Just because we’re busy and everything is moving fast doesn’t mean we’re improving. Growth demands intention.
“Ideation without execution becomes delusion.”
Chapter 2
“Your health is your foundation.” He calls vitality the fuel for impact. And it’s not just physical health, but mental and emotional stamina stamina. The importance of taking care of your health, being outside, and understanding what type of “fuel” is essential for your body has lasting effects.
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
One step at a time, keeping moving forward. He also wrote a lot about “Deliberate gratitude”, which is making the conscious decision to acknowledge and feel thankful for what is good in things, no matter how small.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.”
A quote he pulled from another guy (don’t remember his name)
He also wrote a lot about the dangers of social media and how it can skew your perception on important parts of life.
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The third form of wealth/chapter is family, which I just completed. He writes about the importance of cherishing those around you and the importance of slowing things down in such a fast paced world. Here are some quotes:
“The irony of being more compassionate is that the very act of giving to others makes you feel better as well. “ - speaks for itself 🤷♂️
“If something is important to them make it important to you. “ -This was in reference to romantic relationships but I believe this follows in friendships and family members as well.
“Let us not carry grudges. Nothing good ever comes from them.” - cool perspective
“In all his years as an elite business titan, he’d never taken his wife to lunch.” When speaking about the ceo of KPMG who had looking back at his life when suddenly he had 3 months to live. I truly don’t want to live a life to one day look back and have this same realization. Time waits for no one.
He speaks about how social media trains us to be a species of broadcasters rather than receivers. We must be better listeners and more curious. Listen better than you speak.
I took to this in a special way as I find myself to be someone who can’t sit still, always achieving- or trying to at least.
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Chapter 4, Craft:
Part of being an honestly rich human is APR (absolute personal responsibility), taking accountability for everything. We see the world not as it but as we are. If you hold yourself accountable and responsible for the reason that things are the way they are, it opens up a more positive chain reaction. (Ex: I’m coasting in my studies just to finish the exam and onto the next. Rather: assign value to what you’re learning, take a REAL interest in what you do and you’ll see everything take off.)
“The hardest experiences end up serving us well, by dissolving egos, raising wisdom and opening your heart to greater love.”
“Stop doing list” his notion of a stop doing list being more beneficial that a to-do list is one that stuck with me. The idea of identifying aspects of your life that lead to negativity or work against your goal and making a point of eliminating them is untraditional. I def will be adopting this into my life.
“No one will notice it” lie
If you focus your effort on things everyone else can see and disregard the things “no one will notice”, you are losing self-respect with each act of average. Focus on the things no one will notice first, as these are ones that only you can notice.
The daily 5
A productivity protocol that he speaks about in this chapter is setting 5 daily micro victories that can be done no matter how your life is currently running. I adapted something similar into my routine a little while ago and it made one thing extremely clear to me: it’s not what you do once in a while that will get you to great, but what you do everyday.
5 wins each day become 500 in a month and 1800 in a year…
He quoted John Lennon: “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time” and this quote is one that will take me time to fully grasp but I think that Im definitely headed in the right direction. It is important to work on eliminating the guilty feeling of unproductive behaviour. If you can truly hold yourself accountable to getting shit done, then there is the absolute need for this ‘time you enjoy wasting’. Although it is easier said than done, try to avoid the sense of shame attached to doing things that may not be productive or that have no end goal aside from making you happy.
“The person who chases two rabbits catches neither”
Be good at working and even better at enjoying life.
He closes this chapter by speaking on the importance of not doing your craft for the money, but for the talents it will introduce you to and the person it will make you, and do it supremely well.
“Remember to never take your victory for granted. Because nothing fails like success.”
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Chapter 5 money:
The fifth form of wealth is money, and going into the chapter I would have assumed it was going to be Robin Sharma giving his financial habit stack. Instead, he writes about the importance of disassociating your concept of value to monetary and materialistic goods. I think this is the chapter that I will relate to the most in this book as I have dedicated a lot of effort recently into this specific concept (it is number 1 on my stop doing list). There is also some pretty good advice on living a wealthy life throughout the chapter.
“Go deep rather than wide, and granular on anything you decide to win at instead of superficial and light.”
“If you’re not over prepared, you’re not prepared. “
“The multibillionaire in the very empty mansion”
I read this chapter a few times and even went back to it. The story of this multibillionaire who has everything he could ever want, but absolutely no one to share it with is devastating. Keep your family and friends close.
“Do remember that a problem only becomes a problem when viewed as a problem.” This goes back to way we are wired to have a negativity bias. It’s important to reverse that bias day by day.
“Take most of the daily hours spent watching online videos that have little value and turn them into productivity.“ This is one thing I have adopted into my life and that I cannot stress enough.
“Humility is necessary for enduring mastery” this is something I’ve grown to learn as I’ve matured and experienced things fast. Have high self-worth is extremely important, but respect your genius and stay open.
“Make you better and your income,influence and impact get better. “
“Greedy is not Happy” is a chapter that I really related to. He speaks about people who have a hard time feeling fulfilled until they acquire the next biggest or best thing and the domino effect it carries.
Someone who has so much yet sees it as not a lot is not called ambitious, rather is someone who is greedy, and someone who is greedy is not happy (in fact most greedy people are miserable). As soon as you reach one summit, you anxiously need to start climbing the next as if it’s all a competition to be better than another. He closes the chapter saying “This is not a wise or successful or peaceful way to live. Avoid it at all costs. Please.”
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Chapter 6: Community
He opens this chapter by quoting Nikola Tesla: “Intelligent people tend to have less friends than the average person. The smarter you are, the more selective you become.”
He then goes on to explain that in order to know ‘real’ fortune, you must surround yourself with great people. Choose the kind of people who lift you to levels you wouldn’t otherwise reach.
The chapter titled “Why have an enemy when you can make a friend?” Speaks about holding grudges and how we view others in general. He recommends forgiving people, because whatever they did made sense to them in that moment. If they had a higher conscious they would have acted better. He also spoke about being the bigger person and how that feeling will free up your own mind from the negativity that’s blocking your own productivity and happiness.
Another key takeaway from this short chapter is to treat people with the utmost respect, politeness and kindness. It takes so little to lift someone’s mood, and help a person remember that they matter.
Last takeaway is that technology, when intelligently used is awesome. However if it’s poorly handled, it can push people away, ruin your reputation and relationships.
“Don’t be a servant to your phone. Become a master of remaining present.”
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Chapter 7: Adventure
This short chapter emphasizes the importance of not living the same life 80 years over and calling it a life. He stresses the importance of releasing yourself from living complacently and detaching from our digital lives. We attach too much value to owning a lot of things as opposed to making alot out of our life. I am someone who’s extremely guilty of having this bias for as long as I could remember, but it’s never too late to start making progress and I’m grateful for this book that constantly reinforces this ideology.
“The important thing is not how many years in your life but how much life in your years” -Edward Stieglitz
“You can be happy or you can be with toxic people, but you will never, ever, be able to do both.”
He goes on to breakdown that at a time within our culture where too many of us forget that freedom means more than numbers on a net worth statement, it is important to make memories. When we are on our deathbed, we should enjoy thinking about all the memories and special moments throughout our short lives. Emphasize doing the things that scare you, go the places you dream to go and most importantly, work on mastering the major skills you dream of learning.
“The only failure is failure to try.”
While financial freedom is great, money can only bring short term pleasure, which is different from happiness. Happiness comes from your daily thoughts, behaviours, accomplishments and adventures. We shape our lives out thinking that happiness will come as soon as we drive the right car, have the right watch and live in the nice house.
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8 form of wealth: Service
“Put your last day first”
This idea is quite unique as it forces you to sit alone and think about the final day of your life. Imagine the faces of your loved ones around you, and think about the things that will be celebrated from your life time. This allowed me to realize that I wont be sitting with my accountant, lawyer, or financial advisor but rather with my family and friends. It also puts into perspective that all the cars that I will have driven in this lifetime along with all the watches or nice clothing I would have owned will be mere pieces of material at that point. Although a balanced, financially free life is always the goal, we should always keep our priorities in check.
He continues this last chapter with an emphasis on leaving people better than when you found them. The more you serve for others, the greater your inner peace is, which is a great part of living a rich life. This will also allow you to view your daily work as your mission, and not a job.