I have a friend who is a “man of means.”  He has a fair degree of resources at his disposal.  He owns a large company, with hundreds of employees.  He has the wealth to do what many only dream of.

He is a good man.  He is a big-hearted man.  He is a generous man.  He is a kind man.

Recently he and his wife spent a month down in Mexico, living in the spartan guest residence of an orphanage, with a number of other big-hearted people.  My friend and his wife were leading this group in philanthropic projects for impoverished people.  They were mainly involved in construction projects of various kinds.

They were working in conjunction with a local person who was regularly involved in the lives of impoverished people and acutely aware of the issues they face.  She would introduce my friend to various people who lived in ramshackle homes and could benefit from some kind of construction project in their house: a concrete and tile floor instead of dirt, a new roof to replace the old scorpion invested palm frond one, some new walls to keep out the cold, etc.

My friend had stepping into this adventure not because he has a passion for building.  No, he did it because he has a passion to somehow help out.  He wants to make a positive contribution to the lives of others.  He recognizes that with his means comes the responsibility to contribute to the betterment of other people’s lives.  And that is what he is endeavoring to do.

He relayed a situation to me that profoundly impacted him.

They were briefed on a man we will call Eduardo.  Eduardo lives in a very small ‘home’ with his wife and 2 children.  Their home is 10’ x 20’.  It has 3 walls and a dirt floor.  There is no electricity.  There is no running water.  The only access they have to water is by a hose which they can utilize for 1 hour each day.

Eduardo makes hammocks for a living.  Every day he rides to the market on his rickety, old bike to sell his wares.  His bike has a flat tire, but that does not stop Eduardo from happily doing what he needs to do to provide for his family.

When Eduardo was told that my friend and some other people from Canada would like to visit with him, he walked 1km from his house to meet them with a gift of gratitude for their visit.  He had bought a bottle of Coke which he shared with the team.  He then escorted the team back to his home to proudly host them.

The team listened to him briefly share about his life.  They then asked him what they could do for him.  Looking around they had surmised that he and his family could benefit from a tiled floor in their home, the addition of a 4^th wall to provide greater shelter, and perhaps a well to provide a regular water supply.

However, when they asked him what he needed they were shocked by his answer:

“I am quite content.”

Wow.  How many wealthy North Americans with everything money can buy can say that?  “I am quite content.”

Eduardo had found the secret to being content in the midst of, what appeared to be, great need.

In our desire to keep moving forward, to grow companies and portfolios, to acquire, accomplish and achieve, we can lose sight of contentment.  Losing touch with contentment renders accomplishments, achievements and acquisitions hollow – they do not satisfy.  It can be argued that success without contentment is not success at all.

I believe the key to contentment is simple, but not easy: gratitude.  We must choose to be grateful for what we have.  We must never let the things we want cause us to forget the things we have.

It has been said that the happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they simply make the best of everything.  And they understand that contentment is not the fulfillment of what we want, but the appreciation for what we have.

Contentment is true wealth.  Are you wealthy like Eduardo?