The Richest Man In Babylon
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
All I asked was a simple question. Could I steer it? To my surprise the gentlemen answered with a nod of the head. Who in their right mind would let a thirteen-year-old kid steer their yacht through the intercoastal waterway of Ft. Lauderdale? But that is exactly what happened. I don’t really recall who this man was, but he helped instill some valuable principles into me.
By all accounts my grandfather was a pretty successful business man. I was named after him and always held him in high regard – even to this day despite passing away in 1999. He didn’t make it past the 8thgrade but was able to enjoy financial freedom in his 40’s. He took risks. Always tried to help people when he could. Family meant the world to him. He was the typical Italian man. Emotional. Passionate. Proud of his heritage.
A Secret Was Given
I usually spent three to four weeks of my summers in Canton, Ohio visiting my fathers’ side of the family. When autumn rolled around my grandparents would venture down to Pompano Beach, Florida to escape the winter. Not a bad way to spend a winter break away from school so often I would go for a week. On one of these trips I got to steer a yacht. The experience was profound. Not because of the yacht but the advice I was given. The gentlemen told me if I wanted to own a yacht one day, I should go read the book The Richest Man In Babylon written by George S. Clason. So I did.
The truth of the matter is I don’t really want to own a yacht. The principles did, however, lay the foundation of my personal finance interest and my pursuit to financial independence even if I didn’t know it at the time. My first job at the ripe old age of fourteen was as a bag boy at my neighborhood Winn-Dixie grocery store. Twenty-two years later and I still have some of that money that I saved invested in an index fund compounding nicely.
Hoping To Leave My Own Mark
Indeed, the journey I have been on has been enlightening, gratifying and filled with mistakes and trials and tribulations but I am confident I am in a position to steer my own yacht albeit it in a different conceptual method. For me one of life’s greatest joys is inspiring others. I yearn to have that feeling. What better way to leave a mark on the world than making that sensation contagious? I’ve been fortunate to have a supporting cast in my life that’s allowed me to accomplish some pretty memorable things – many of which I will share in this journey. I believe in making people better that we surround ourselves with and in doing so we make us better in the process. Because hope dies last and anything is possible!
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