[TheFinalEpic]

This thread has made me re-read Dennis' book. And early on he states that money will not make an unhappy poor man happy, and that past a certain point it becomes almost more of a game than anything else. You need to ask yourself what getting rich means, and where you want to be. That chart is a direct quote out of his book, and that's what money meant to him. It is completely perspective. For me, even at a young age, I see it as a game; for others, it's a completely emotional topic. That article that Gringuito posted about how few people have over 1k in savings hit me hard though, it brings me back to Earth and shows me where I am in life compared to more than half the U.S. population.

I think that anyone, if they desire it enough, can get to a point of freedom. I don't think desire alone will bring someone to a billion dollars however. Personally, I enjoy building businesses and building relationships because of them. I enjoy learning about investing and playing with my money in the markets not only because it makes me money, but also because it shows me how interconnected the world is, and how everything impacts everything else. I am lucky to have a dad that has always had the mentality needed to build his companies and been able to teach me that mentality, and because of that mentality had the time to be able to do it too. I desire the freedom that business can create, and have been inspired by business and creating value for others since I was a boy. But I think being rich in time is what rich actually means.

When you have time, you have freedom. Take all the fancy houses and cars out of the equation, they are an afterthought. Rich is being free to live as you want. For many people, that is spending time with loved ones. For some, it is building their empire. I enjoy the many perspectives in this thread though, because it has made me look at myself and ask what do I really want.