A New View of Wealth and the Importance of Intentional Travel to Create “Wellthy” Experiences By Ella Chase Hyland and Michelle Langdon
“T
he wealthiest place in the world is not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.” —Dr. Myles Munroe Wealth. The perceived pinnacle of success. But for those who have been on the receiving end of financial abundance (regardless of earned or inherited), know that this is far from true. In fact, in many cases, it muddies the waters of a “successful” life, as the lines have been blurred by which to measure satisfaction. In the words of Joseph Campbell, “There is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering that you’re on the wrong wall.” We believe that financial gain alone is the wrong wall. We started Wellth Works and redefined the term wealth for ourselves after having climbed the ladder on the wrong wall. We are both asset recipients, Ella from a longstanding multi-generational family and Michelle from a family liquidity event in her lifetime. We each received a level of financial benefit from family situations and leveraged it independently, creating successful lives as historically defined by money, career, and title. And yet, we both still felt dissatisfied, looking around at the top and wondering what was missing. Exposed to a variety of life’s challenge including marriage, divorce, and lost loved ones, we each came to realize that we are guaranteed only a small amount of time in this life and a lot of choices. After meeting in a smoky cafe in Bolivia on a year-long Intentional Travel adventure in 2016, we each set out to define a new way and make intentionally aligned choices. It was during this 30-country voyage that we began to explore a new definition for a fulfilled, abundant life. We
16 LEGACY ARTS Issue 17 www.paragonroad.com
created and launched our company Wellth Works based on the premise that money is only one ingredient to an abundant life. Wellth Works offers people (families, individuals, and specifically the rising generations) a new framework for meaningful, successful living. Wellth = Financial + Health/Wellbeing + Significance + Contribution
Wealth
As is the culturally accepted norm, financial wealth is fairly straightforward. While there are many benefits, money can also be correlated with increased loneliness and higher rates of anxiety and depression. Wellth Works’ goal in working with clients is to help them see that financial success is important and not the only endgame.
Health
Health includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. These are often taken for granted until there is a problem and financial abundance is not a guarantee to solve them. We support families and individuals to take a more holistic look at health, providing tools and conversations that help people access a foundation of sound physical, mental, and emotional health. As longtime yoga practitioners and meditators, we enjoy weaving concepts we’ve learned from around the world to broaden out the definition of health and well-being with our client collaborations.
Significance
How do you derive your place in this world? What are your values, ethics, morals? The need for individual significance is inherently universal, and yet little time and energy is spent considering this component. For some, it may show up in generative ways, such as pride in parenting and taking on leadership roles in areas that they value.