THERE'S NO POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW!
When the word "treasure" pops up, everybody thinks of diamonds, gold, cash and a roomful of hidden relics.
Wake up, this is not Hollywood. There are no gems lying out there in your backyard. I wish I had some of these imagined treasures too but after decades of wishful thinking, I finally decided to just get off my butt and work.
And what do you know, when you work hard for that little extra cash, you are not in a hurry to spend it all in a hurry.
After putting in those unused mental and physical muscles to work, I suddenly found the satisfaction that I have been craving for, and it tastes much better than striking lottery.
I wonder if I should withdraw the last sentence. Honestly though, unless you try working, you will never know what it's like to earn money through sweat, no blood and sometimes tears.
OK, I confess. I sometimes do place a buck or two on some lottery. It's just one of those human frailties. We are always trying our luck. Taking that long shot in the dark. Who knows? You know what I mean?
One of the greatest treasures to my mind, at this time in my life is the satisfaction I get from looking back at the years of hard work, lots of faith and a big dose of prayers in "surviving" those so-called hard times.
I guess when you have completed one phase of life's journey, you tend to derive a great amount of personal satisfaction that you have had some interesting experiences along the way.
Life is basically all about experiences. So you have have a roomful of gold nuggets, what can you truly boast about?
True, you will have a great time spending all that money. Spend, spend, spend. After a while, I assure you, you will get bored. Too much money has that kind of effect on a lot of people.
It has been said by many wise men, the simpler your life, the greater your joy. Ask those old timers who consciously and wilfully lead a quiet life based on simple personal needs.
At the end of the day, nobody really is going to look at the label in the collar of your shirt to judge your character. Everybody is obsessed with what they wear, how they look and how much they can impress their colleagues and friends.
The game is the same. But when you can see through everything, it pales in comparison to what is the true path to joy, peace and happiness. The answer is so simple, it's almost idiotic.
All you need are two or three square meals a day. You need a good night's sleep without worrying about world affairs because you are probably not a president of any country and you don't need good looks to be deliriously happy.
If you don't have a great car, get a bicycle. If you don't even have that, walk! I have done a lot of walking in my life and believe me, walking has opened up a lot of vistas for me.
I learn new things every day because I choose to walk. Heck, it ups the ante as far as healthy living is concerned.
Go for it. The greatest treasure is right there with you. Forget the cash and diamonds. Leave them to Hollywood.
