Your Survival Guy loves stories about guys like Ronald Read, pumping gas like he always did, and as I imagine, without a single customer realizing that he was the millionaire next door.
Customers probably had no reason to know or to think about how wealthy someone like Read was because they were too busy trying to get to wherever it was they needed to go—spinning their wheels.
Not Read. He lived his life at his own pace and how he wanted to live it, because he could. There’s a gift in knowing a job is well done.
The Power of Peace of Mind
Not that he didn’t offer his opinion, I imagine, often differing from his customers’. His views may not have been the ones “accepted” on social media, but he gave up on being accepted a long time ago. It’s obvious he knew the right way to live was not worrying about how others thought but about educating himself on how to think.
That quiet wealth was oh so powerful to his peace of mind, providing him freedom of thought while others were chained to popular opinion. Read had the quiet confidence of not needing the approval of others for acceptance.
Quiet Wealth, Quiet Life
But let’s not confuse individual thought with not liking people. Read liked most people. He wouldn’t miss the Friday night or Saturday afternoon games, and he’d stop in for a drink at his favorite spots. Seated in the same spot at church on Sundays, he was gone before coffee was served.
The quiet life. Or was it? When you’ve made it, you don’t really care. You don’t have to. That’s quiet wealth.
Action Line: I have a feeling you have the freedom to live how you want to live, because many of you tell me. Want to chat? Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com.
