What has been the intrinsic value you have derived from the money you have earned till date, has it made your life happier or have you gone miserable thinking about to doubling it or investing in all sorts of propositions that have open up the flood gates of investments. A friend of mine has been in a position of power in Big 5 accounting firms and has been hovering around numbers for almost a decade, till recently he had made a formidable portfolio to the envious of all, he was going at the right way of an ‘early retirement plan’ which most of the early successful youth aim for. He has done it but not with problems which are copious to his treading this path of wealth and fortitude as up there on the pinnacle of his professional height, he feels lonely and sidelined by average outs there in the society.
A quick view around your living,
one can see many strugglers entrenched in daily living and balancing the limited
amount of resources they have, the zeal for them to do this is their immediate
family and friends – the souls they can bank upon at time of aloofness, but
here I am confronting a guy who is all set and done at a middle age of his life,
having accumulated riches and wants to enjoy his new found success but the
point is with whom ?
The circle he has ventured out is always busy in acquiring fame and trying to climb up the ladder of society, the family is of support but now that the kids are on their own and have just entered collegiate education, don’t have time anymore for their ‘Rich and Lonely’ father, the wife has made her own kitty party circle over a period of time which she doesn’t want to loose as that would certainly bring back loneliness in her life.
His parents have their own group of oldies with whom they love to gel up, as he has been ignoring them for quite some time now, destiny would settle scores with him at this juncture. The only ray of hope comes in the form of his sister who is as loving as she was when both had a brilliant camaraderie, he tells me that he calls her everyday to discuss matters and shed his inhibitions.
Today, my friend finds himself in
a complex vagary of life, where most people want to be financially secure and
then start a retired life, he has achieved the acumen at a middle age and now
has ample time to defy his aloneness! The other day he told me that he has started
to invest his riches in Himalayas to find ‘Solace’, an escape from the daily
buzz of life, hearing this I was quick to interpret his state as a ‘Victim of
Success’ as his achievements are now paining him to do more as he enters the
highness of the sophisticated society, though he doesn’t want to be a part of
it anymore, but the pulls will not leave him for quite some time now! It was his
own choosing to break the shackles of his middle class upbringing and do
something ‘Big’ in his life, he did but not for a price, which he is paying
now.
His confused state of mind is a learning allegory to me and may be to many who would read his story – everything you achieve will come with a cost attached to it, weather it is time, money, health, family all needs equal respect…you ignore any one and you fall to your nadir… As the conversation ended, a prelude to a next phase of our life, all I could tell him is ‘Best of luck!” for his future endeavors, as I know that he has the acumen and the skill to fight it back , I expect he would be a better caller the next time we converse on the state of his living.. till then let’s wait and watch!