The Four Riches To Measure How Successful You Are

To be rich in money alone does not make you successful. — Chris Harder

Do you want to be successful?

Being successful is much more than just having money. It’s about balancing the four riches in your life that make you feel fulfilled and happy.

Understanding the difference between being wealthy and successful, you must understand the four riches: money rich, time and experience rich, impact rich, and relationship rich.

I was recently introduced to this concept of the four riches by Chris Harder on one of his Podcast episodes: The Four Riches & How to Truly Measure Success.

I resonated with his message of money not being everything because there are other ways to measure success.

So What Does Success Mean?

We all wish for success, but sometimes we forget what makes us truly happy or satisfied with our lives.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines success as achieving of desired results, or someone or something that achieves positive results.

But really, the meaning of success is subjective and boils down to what it means to you and how content you are with your level for each of the four riches.

Some people want to be rich to travel and see the world and having adventures with their families.

Other people might want to have a successful impact on society or add value in some way that will leave an imprint on the world.

You may have all the money in the world but no time to spend it on experiences, spending time with loved ones, or contributing to meaningful causes.

The Four Riches

To know the difference between wealthy and successful, it’s important to understand the four riches. — Chris Harder

Money rich

To be money rich is to have financial freedom. It’s to have enough income that you don’t have to worry about ever being broke or worrying about paying your bills.

Money rich is knowing you have enough money saved to do whatever you want.

Being money rich also means knowing that if an emergency comes up, you will still manage your income well and not go into debt just because of a bad situation.

Time & Experience rich

“If You’re So Successful, Why Are You Still Working 70 Hours a Week?” — Harvard Business Review

For me, being time and experience-rich is living life with little stress and feeling fulfilled by making the most of every day.

Time and experience-rich people usually have more control over their time.

Being time and experience-rich means having the time and freedom to do whatever you want and live life on your terms. You can go anywhere, travel whenever you want, and get to enjoy unique experiences.

Impact rich

Impact rich is about making a difference in the world. It’s to leave something behind that makes you proud and impacts society for good.

Being impact-rich may mean writing books, building schools, starting charities, or contributing to your community in a meaningful way.

It’s working at a job that brings meaning to your life by doing something important for society.

It’s about having meaningful experiences outside of work too.

Relationship rich

When you are relationship-rich, you have a strong network of people that support you.

Having close friends or family members gives us peace of mind knowing we have someone to lean on when things aren’t going our way.

Whether it’s advice for important life decisions or emotional support through difficult situations, being relationship rich means having the option to rely on others in times of need.

It’s about having a family or relationships with people who love you unconditionally.

How to measure success?

To indeed be successful, you must be abundant in all of the four riches. You cannot be successful without having an ample amount of time to pursue the things that truly matter.

Successful people know how to manage their freedoms correctly.

No one of these is enough to make you genuinely successful on its own. Having a lot of money will not guarantee that you’re successful; having a lot of money usually comes at the expense of something else.

Being experience-rich may look impressive, but sometimes the people with the best-looking Instagram accounts also wonder where their rent will come from every month.

The people who are impact rich are often taking care of everyone else but themselves. And relationship rich, while being one of the most important riches out there, still isn’t enough to make you successful if you neglect the other areas.

Knowing this, how do you define success?

To be successful, you need to have accumulated a significant amount of wealth in all four riches. That is a success.

If you were to rate yourself for each category on a scale of 1–10, what would be your score?

Final Thoughts

I resonated with his message of money not being everything because there are other ways to measure success.

So what does success mean?

We all wish for success, but sometimes we forget what makes us truly happy or satisfied with our lives.

Some people want to be rich to travel and see the world, having adventures with their families. Other people might want to have a successful impact on society or add value in some way that will leave an imprint on the world.

Suppose you’re currently not fulfilled in your life. In that case, it’s time to redefine what success means for you and which riches might need improving.

You may have all the money in the world but no time to spend it on experiences, spending time with loved ones, or contributing to meaningful causes. If that’s the case, then what’s the point?