Last year, I got to meet and take a picture with one of the richest men in the world. His name is Steve Schwarzman, and he is the CEO and founder of Blackstone Group. According to Forbes, he is worth 11.5 billion dollars. Here’s a picture of us hanging out in our pajamas.
Mr. Schwarzman is wildly successful in the business world, and has more money than I could ever dream of having, yet I do not envy him. He doesn’t appear to be the most healthy dude in the world, sporting a solid gut and moving around pretty slowly. I would have been surprised if someone told me he had exercised once in the last five years. When I met him, I thought that he must have been something like 80 years old. Turns out he was 69 at the time.
Contrast Mr. Schwarzman with my Grandma, who just turned 80. She goes on regular walks around her neighborhood, and has logged over 3,300 workouts at her local gym over the past 11 years.
Grandma is not a billionaire, and not a millionaire. But she’s got enough money to live comfortably. Most importantly, she is healthy and happy. She is a spunky 80-year-old who will zip around her house in excitement whenever she has people over for dinner, and she doesn’t hesitate to dance with her great-grandchildren.
While I do focus on money quite a bit, I strive to be more like my Grandma and less like Mr. Schwarzman. I want to still be riding my bike and eating healthy well into my old age. I want to hike up mountains when I’m 80 years old, still be able to dance when I’m 100. With a lifetime of good habits and advancements in medical technology, there’s no reason I shouldn’t live to be 120 (can you imagine the compounded returns?).
At the end of the day (and at the end of your life), the numbers in your bank account won’t mean anything. Your ability to still move around and enjoy life will definitely be more valuable. The extra years or decades added on to your lifespan that you get to spend with family and friends will outweigh any amount of money, and that’s why health is more important than wealth. #MoneyGoals