When you have no money, making money is obviously the most important thing — just like when you’ve been thirsty for a long time, drinking water is all that matters.
But at a certain stage, other goals become worth pursuing: physical health, family harmony, raising the next generation, meaningful relationships, personal interests and hobbies.
I’m not saying you can have everything, and I’m certainly not encouraging greed — that grown-adult mentality of “I want it all.” I’m simply speaking from a middle-aged perspective. The things I’ve listed, and the many more I haven’t, all hold meaning in a life well-lived. They are their own kind of savings — things money cannot buy, no matter how much you accumulate.
Of these, I put physical health first.
Many people, lying on their deathbeds, deeply regret that old joke: “The person’s in heaven, the money’s still in the bank.” Of course, it’s said with dark humor. But the truth is plain: when your body is gone, money really does become nothing more than a number. You might have finally acquired everything you wanted in your youth — and yet lack the energy to enjoy any of it.
I am obsessed with exercise. Over the past ten years, the days I haven’t worked out can be counted on one hand. When my father was alive, he couldn’t stand watching me. He felt I should channel all that energy into building a bigger career. Later, his own health gave out.
A harmonious family is also worth cultivating — and I use the word cultivating deliberately, because it implies you cannot simply act on impulse. Among family, you cannot casually criticize or tear each other down. You use words of care, actions that lift others up, and you lean on each other.
No matter how busy or exhausted a person is, coming home to a kitchen full of warmth and a family greeting you with genuine smiles — that should be heaven on earth.
Good relationships with neighbors and old friends are a fine complement to all of this. Just because you’ve achieved something doesn’t mean you look down on everyone else. By middle age, with elderly parents above and young children below, there will always be moments when a neighbor can help you — and moments when you can help them. When something goes wrong, you won’t feel like you’re facing it alone on an island.
Years ago, I heard all kinds of voices insisting that making money was the only thing that mattered. Even then, something felt off to me.
Now I can finally articulate these thoughts with clarity, drawn from my own lived experience. I’m not speaking from some position of comfort I haven’t earned — there are plenty of people wealthier than me, and if you measure yourself against those above, the climb is endless.
A person with a sense of responsibility will naturally want their family to live well.
But that doesn’t mean you have to pursue it without limit — like slipping on the red shoes from the fairy tale, unable to stop dancing for the sake of fame and fortune.
Human capacity and energy are finite. Whether your career flourishes also depends, sometimes, on the workings of destiny (BaZi). When money feels scarce, of course you push harder. But if you find yourself strapped to the money train, it’s worth pausing to remember: this is not the only train running.