Wealth is measured by how grateful you are.
Let me shock you. Wealth is not primarily your cash or your houses or your cars. I believe wealth is first of all an emotion. Wealth is a feeling.
The true measure of wealth is not your money, your real estate, or your jewels. The true measure of wealth is how grateful you are. The more grateful you are, the wealthier you are. The less grateful you are, the less wealthy you are. It’s that simple.
20 years ago, I was earning P30 a day. Yet I felt so rich. Because I was so grateful for God’s blessings. Today, I even feel richer. Not just because I earn more, but because I’ve become even more grateful.
As I told you before, there are three levels of gratitude: Superficial, Simple, and Sacred.
1. Superficial Gratitude
Superficial Gratitude is being thankful for big-ticket items.
A house. Car. Marriage. Baby. Healing. Big Business deal.
Superficial gratitude is very good, but I warn you that it doesn’t last very long.
Like yesterday, I read a story of a man who finally passed the bar exam after 9 attempts. For those 9 years, passing the bar exam was like a full time job. But finally, he passed it! Imagine if you’re John. You’d be very grateful. But soon, you’d have new problems as a lawyer.
I remember my friend who finally got married at the age of 51. Imagine her joy. I’m sure she was very grateful. But eventually, new problems will come up. Like marital problems.
Superficial gratitude is good, but it doesn’t last. Because after awhile, big problems come with big blessings.
You need to move to the second level of gratitude.
2. Simple Gratitude
I believe there’s no difference between big and small gifts from God.
Last month, I gave my mother a trip to the US. I felt that at her age, she should already meet all her friends in America before they leave planet earth and go to Heaven. Obviously, at 84 years old, she couldn’t go alone. So I had to pay for my sister to go with her too. So it was a big, expensive gift.
But I give Mom small gifts too. Like every two weeks, I bring her out on a date. I don’t really spend much on those dates–just a simple restaurant meal and that’s it.
But if you ask my mother, “Tita Pilar, what gift do you most appreciate from Bo–your US trip or your dates with him?”–I’m sure she’ll say, “Both. I love them both. They’re equal in my eyes.”
Here’s what I learned: When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a small gift.
Take your breathing for example. Is that a small gift or a big gift?
It was Fr. Leonardo Polinar who said, “What if God put an Oxygen meter in your nose. And an Angel came to your door collecting monthly payments for oxygen?”
Collector Angel: “Your monthly bill, Brother Bo.”
Bo: “Oh no! Why is it so big?”
Collector angel: “Your nose is so large.”
Bo: “But last month wasn’t this big.”
Collector angel: “Perhaps your snoring got worse this month.”
Or how about daily food. Is that a small gift or a big gift?
I was very touched when my friend Dave Quintana shared this with me. He’s an American missionary who worked among the poorest of the poor in Payatas. One day, he met a little boy there, working in the garbage dump.
He befriended him and asked him, “What’s your favorite food?” For a few seconds, the boy didn’t answer. The question was totally foreign to him.
He finally said, “Yung pagkain na hindi bulok.”
Food that isn’t spoiled. That was his favorite food.
Now tell me: Is your daily food a small gift or big gift?
But even Simple Gratitude is not the deepest form of gratitude.
3. Sacred Gratitude
The deepest gratitude is Sacred Gratitude.
The Bible says, Be thankful in all circumstances. This gratitude is no longer tied to circumstances. You’re no longer attached to circumstances or outcomes or results. Because no matter what happens, you believe that God will work for your good.
If you have Sacred Gratitude, you’re always thankful. You’re thankful for life, for love, for God, for presence, for happiness… You’re thankful for the fact that you’re alive. You’re thankful because you exist.
At this point, gratitude is no longer something that you do. Gratitude is who you are. If you have Sacred Gratitude, you become one of the wealthiest persons in the world.
So, Is Money Not Wealth?
Money without gratitude isn’t wealth. It’s poverty.
But gratitude with money is true wealth.
Here’s why gratitude is the true measure of wealth: Gratitude is a special magnet. It attracts whatever you’re grateful for.
When I’m grateful for the love in my life, I attract more of it. My relationships get deeper. My friendships become stronger.
When I’m grateful for money, I attract more money. The right people come into my life. Doors open before me. Opportunities fall at my feet.
Friend, how grateful are you?
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. Do you want to earn passive income through internet marketing? If you live far away, my internet marketing guru Jomar Hilario offers online coaching program. If you live in Cebu, you’re in luck. Jomar will give a 2-Day Hands-On Internet Marketing Workshop in Cebu on December 12-13. For more information on his online coaching program as well as for his Cebu workshop, click here.
