How to Feel Rich (even when you aren’t).

Sometimes, when I am feeling sad or bored, I play the ‘I just won the lottery’ game. The actual number varies depending on my mood – it might just be a cheeky $500,000 or, if I am feeling extra bullish and deluded, I make sure it’s a proper game-changer of a win. That said, it’s never more than $10M because I see no need to be unnecessarily greedy with this imaginary money of mine.

And, I know – vast wads of cash are not the instant ticket to never-ending happiness. But, f*ck, it would be kind of fun to learn that lesson first hand wouldn’t it?

But, in light of the fact I don’t even buy lottery tickets and the chance of any of us being bequeathed billions from some unknown aunt are slim to none – what, my friend, can we do to feel rich (even when we aren’t)?

• Turn Your Dial UP: This idea comes from Ramit Sethi, author of ‘I will Teach You to be Rich’ – he explains how we all have our Money Dials, the stuff that we love to spend our money on. For some people (me!) it’s travel, for others it might be clothes or fitness. Convenience or self-development. Relationships or experiences. He suggests that once we understand what our particular thing is, we dial it right UP. The way to do this, without your bank account begging you to not, is to dial right down on the stuff that you could care less about. Fly business but take the bus. Ramp up your personal training sessions but ditch the new threads. Say ‘No’ to Pilates, but yes to Elton John. The Result? ‘Not only will we have more money and energy to spend on the things that bring us happiness, but we’ll be able to spend on those things guilt-free, since we know we’ve freed up the money by ignoring everything else.’
• Upgrade Your Every Day: This tip is from one of my favorite financial gurus, Scott Pape (aka The Barefoot Investor) whose philosophy is less ‘teach you to be rich’ and more ‘teach you to be a fully functioning financial adult’. He suggests we ‘spend wisely and well on the things you use everyday’ – nice pillows, comfortable undies, good trainers. In doing so ‘not only will you learn to appreciate the simple things but you will feel more content and less likely to splash out on the unnecessary.’
• Don’t be Deceived: When the author’s of  The Millionaire Next Door  set out to do a study to find out how to market to the rich, they interviewed the people who lived in the perceived wealthy suburbs. The ones with the big homes and flash cars. They soon discovered these guys were mostly income rich and asset poor – often drowning in debt no less. They soon discovered that the truly wealthy were the ones in the modest homes with the 2nd hand cars, but who had stocks and savings and minimal debt. Like my ‘friend’ Ramit says (and honestly it bears regular reminding) : ‘Wealth, in fact, is what you don’t see. It’s the cars not purchased. The diamonds not bought. The renovations postponed, the clothes forgone and the first-class upgrade declined. It’s assets in the bank that haven’t yet been converted into the stuff you see.’ 
• Change Your Frame: My version of ‘rich’ is not going to be the same as yours. For some it might be spending their summers in the Hamptons and their winters in Gstaad, for others it might mean a full tank of petrol and the occasional Friday night takeout. But, honestly – cheeseball alert! – having a RICH life has little do with dollars and cents. If you are lucky enough to do work you find satisfying or meaningful then you are RICH. If you have at least three friends you can call for help at 3am then you are RICH. If you have someone who loves you, not because of but in spite of, then you are RICH. Like most things in life, it’s often less about the picture and more about the frame.

This GET RICHER post is brought to you by someone who would like to remind you that you’re more likely to die on your way to buy a lottery ticket than you are to actually win the lottery.