During this time of tax preparation, many focus on their financial state's wellbeing. Countless hours are spent calculating expenses, evaluating revenues, and accounting for assets. This is a necessary exercise that is part of adult life, and I am grateful to be able to contribute to the perpetuation of this great nation and the resources we have available through the collective sense of obligation we have to each other.

I have spoken before about the four tenants of wellness, with financial wellness being one of them, but I want to focus on the word that we usual associate with financial wellness, and the limitations it places on our ability to truly thrive in life. The word is wealth, and it has taken on a very limited application as to financial status, so I am going to attempt to broaden it.

I will start with my own story of growing up on a small farm and how money, or in this case, the lack thereof, was an early lesson in the true meaning of wealth.

My parents raised six kids on 38 head of dairy cattle. Let that sink in for a bit. During that time, they battled, drought years, flooding years, decimated milk, and crop markets, along with cancer and many other struggles. While most of our nation was experiencing the boom of the 80’s we were living in the realities of the 30s. But here’s the thing: we didn’t know it.  We were being raised by two people who loved each other as much as they loved each one of us. They knew their purpose and remained steadfast in their commitments. There was never talk of poverty or want for more, just appreciation for all that we had. We were in fact wealthy beyond our own ability to grasp it.

So, let’s get back to that word from earlier: wealth. For a moment, set aside its association with finances, and apply it to the other tenants of wellbeing. Are you emotionally wealthy, with a sound portfolio of optimism, appreciation and contentment?  How is your Social Wealth? Have you invested in the relationships that truly matter in your life and support those relationships with meaningful interactions? Finally and most importantly, how is your Spiritual wealth? Do you rise every day knowing that you are part of something bigger than yourself? Knowing that you were placed here for a specific purpose. Does your existence have meaning beyond material accumulation or social status?

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Wealth is Poverty. I fear that in our world today, especially in this great nation, we are, in fact, suffering from poverty—a poverty of the soul, the heart, and the mind. The good news is that we have the ability to raise ourselves from this state of poverty into lives of unlimited wealth—wealth of Mind, Heart, and Spirit. Once you have established those foundations of wealth, your returns are unlimited.