“Wealth is not the number in your account — it’s the strength in your body, the people at your table, and the fire in your chest when the alarm rings in the morning.”
-adaptationguide.com
💡 Live and Learn: Wealth Is More Than Money
1️⃣ Redefine Wealth Before You Chase It
Most people define wealth as financial accumulation. You define it as four pillars:
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Financial wealth – Enough to reduce stress.
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Health wealth – A body that lets you live fully.
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Relationship wealth – Deep, multi-generational connection.
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Purpose wealth – A reason to get up every morning.
The key insight?
💬 Money is only one quadrant of a meaningful life.
Financial freedom isn’t about maximizing net worth. It’s about minimizing anxiety.
2️⃣ Wealth Is Managed, Not Won
“Our goal wasn’t to get wealthy, but to manage what we had.”
That sentence alone is a masterclass.
Wealth is rarely explosive. It’s:
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Discipline over decades
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Consistency over hype
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Planning over gambling
This aligns with the philosophy popularized by The Millionaire Next Door — real wealth is usually quiet, steady, and intentional.
Lesson: Slow and deliberate beats flashy and fast.
3️⃣ Purpose Doesn’t Retire
Many retirees struggle not because they lack money — but because they lack structure.
You rejected the idea of “doing nothing.” Instead:
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You continue contributing your skills.
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You remain useful.
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You stay engaged with your community.
Psychologists studying longevity in so-called “Blue Zones” (like Okinawa) consistently find that purpose — what Okinawans call ikigai — is a major predictor of long, satisfying lives.
Lesson: Purpose is preventative medicine.
4️⃣ Health Wealth Is Compounding Capital
You invest in:
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A home gym
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Racquetball
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Regular movement
Health wealth multiplies the value of every other form of wealth. Without it, financial freedom becomes theoretical.
Hard truth: Retirement without health is delayed regret.
5️⃣ Relationship Wealth Is the Ultimate Dividend
Nine grandkids. Eight great-grandkids. Annual family vacations. Regular travel to see family in British Columbia and Alberta.
That’s not just family time.
That’s legacy in motion.
Relationship wealth requires:
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Time
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Intentionality
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Showing up
And unlike markets, it appreciates when nurtured.
6️⃣ Financial Freedom = Stress Reduction
This is one of the most grounded insights in your story.
Financial freedom isn’t about maximizing wealth — it’s about reducing stress.
That shift changes everything:
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You stop comparing.
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You stop chasing.
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You start stabilizing.
Enough > Excess.
7️⃣ Retirement Is Maintenance Mode — Not Idle Mode
Your advice is practical and deeply actionable:
✔ Prepare financially.
✔ Stay physically active.
✔ Protect relationships.
✔ Keep contributing.
✔ Stay curious.
Retirement should extend life — not shrink it.
🔑 The Core Takeaway for Live and Learn
True wealth is diversified across four accounts:
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Money
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Health
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Relationships
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Purpose
If one collapses, the others suffer.
If all four grow, boredom disappears.
You didn’t retire from life.
You retired from stress.
And that may be the wisest investment strategy of all.
yours truly,
Adaptation-Guide
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