HEALTH IS WEALTH AND TIME IS PURE GOLD
I once went through a money phase.
I spent five years studying Investments, and I even took two semesters of college level accounting so I could read financial statements and understand what made companies tick. I learned how to recognize healthy companies, and I could ferret out companies vulnerable in financial downturns.
It was a fascinating study - learning how capitalism works. Seeing how companies could hide malfeasance and misadventures by cleverly manipulating their financial statements. I had a full tool bag sufficient to become an excellent long term investor.
But then something happened. I started looking at the world through dollar sign eyes.
When you look at the world with dollar sign eyes, you put a price on everything in your life. Your mental balance sheet is always up and running, and the really good things in life don’t fit on that balance sheet. A personal financial statement overlooks the things that make living worthwhile and turn life into an unforgettable adventure.
It took me five years to figure out that life was not about money, and looking at the world through dollar sign eyes blinded me to the important things in my life.
If I continued on a money driven quest, I would have been rich, but I would have missed out on my greatest adventures. A big pile of money is nice to have, and it gives you many options, but it still is a poor substitute for all the things I would have to give up to get the mountain of money.
I shifted gears and adventure with my family became my quest.
I had six different Land Rover Defender expeditionary vehicles that I used to travel around the world. My kids learned to drive in the deserts of Arabia on camping trips in the Empty Quarter - we camped with them between 60 to 90 nights a year in the Arabian sands.
We purchased a Privilege 39 Catamaran and went on an eleven year sailing voyage around the world, and in the process my children became citizens of the world.
I realize that most people would not want to spend their life the way I spent mine, and that’s ok. It was my life, and my family, and my opportunity to create a life that was meaningful to me.
Now that I have more than seven decades under my belt, I have no regrets.
Ok, I have a few regrets, but none of them have anything to do with money. Those regrets are wasted time and missed opportunities to go where I could have gone, to do what I could have done done, and to become all that was possible for me to be.
My holy grail still is to have more adventures until I am all used up.
My balance sheet is different than most.
Health is wealth and time is pure gold.
God willing, I will stay healthy, and I will have time for many more adventures.
If you have your health, and you have time, you are the richest person on planet earth.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
