A Day with a Millionaire – 3 Lessons for Wealth & Success
“Mooi op tijd1” – He smiled at me as I locked my bike.
It was 8:00 in the morning, we were about to hop into his car and do some gardening where he Lives.
I made a promise that I won’t talk in English from the beginning of the year, which I kept quite easily. You see, this promise doesn’t include talking in Dutch either, just the lack of English. So I sat there silently, as we were stuck in a traffic jam on the way to his place.
Once in a while; after carefully thinking about questions to ask him, we began talking:
– How long you’ve been smoking?
“Hmm, about 50 years” (Half a Century. Can you imagine? And he isn’t even coughing)
– Which country or place was your absolute favorite?
“America. I lived there for a bit – I could survive on 11$ a day. Sometimes I slept on the fields. Those were nice days“
As I got more confident in asking things, I started to come up with topics that would have a deeper meaning.
(1)
– How do you know if you’ve found the right thing? Not just in Life, but in work or business. An occupation that fits“
“You don’t. You have to go out there and do things. That’s the most important thing. Maybe you’ll do something for 15 years, and suddenly realize that it’s not your thing. Then, you go out and look for other things. You have to do, that’s it. Of course, you have to think a little, but most people just think and think and think. Doing. That’s the key“
(2)
– It’s hard to find people who have this mentality, especially in this age.
“You have to be the person who you’d want to associate with. Then, they’ll come in your way. You have to be an example. You have to lead. That’s just how it is…
When I was a kid, I used to deliver newspapers. Then I bought a bike and became more mobile, so I could do more things, faster than previously. Then I bought a car, that gave me even more mobility. It had holes in it, but it didn’t matter, because it was still rolling. Back in the days we could just borrow the driver’s licence of our buddies – “Hey, can I use it for today?” and there you had it. That’s how money was made. You have to be mobile, so you can reach more things. I used to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week – for years.“
No wonder he can afford to buy Ferraris on a monthly basis.
– I did that too, it was difficult to keep going after half a year.
(3)
– So that’s how you became wealthy.
To this, I received the most amazing answer anybody ever gave.
(Since the entire conversation was in Dutch, it’d be a crime to paraphrase a wisecrack like this, but I’ll translate it to English at the end of the story*)
“Als je altijd werkt, kun je niet uitgeven. Dubbel, éh?!2“
– Nou, dat is slim!3
I was amazed. It was the advice of the decade, which is quite easy to say on January 9th of 2020.
Right after that we arrived and he invited me in.
It was humble and quiet, not a single sign of extreme riches.
There was no mansion with Porsches, just a proper house and a garden, with a beautiful dog (Jane) in the backyard and horses on the land.
“See those dead trees? We’re going to cut them, and build a wall or a fence. The neighbor is always looking at what I’m doing, and it’s heel vervelend4.
Alright, let’s get something to drink and then we begin.“
He poured me a glass of juice, then gave a pair of boots, gloves, and a leather jacket that was way too old.
“The one you’re wearing is about 40 years old. I wore it when I went hunting“
– HUNTING?
“Mmhmm, it’s not allowed anymore, though you can still catch a few bunnies in the evening if you’re handy” – he added with a wink and a smile on his face.
After getting the tools ready, we started to cut down the trees. From thick to thin, so the fat trunks would serve as a foundation, while the thinner ones would serve as a topping. Bit by bit, his forest in the backyard became more and more vivid. He was sawing, I was building. The wall got bigger and bigger with every fallen tree. We used what we had to the last inch.
Until we stumbled upon a 25m tall tree, the final boss of the day.
He needed to take his tractor, bring a ladder and tie a rope around it.
“Okay, listen carefully. Sit in the tractor, and when I raise my hand, slowly start to pull the tree“
He went there, while I had to balance the force of the bending tree pulling back the machine, as the tires below started sliding on the wet weed. The rope was tight and angled in a way to direct the tree away from the doghouse and me. He picked up the chainsaw and started to work on it.
Patiently, he cut deeper and deeper into the tree, until suddenly he yanked out the machine and waved at me, signaling to press the pedal and start pulling. The tractor struggled a bit, but the cracks became louder and louder as the tree started falling, crashing on the ground and shattering into four chunks, almost evenly.
He took his gloves off and gave a huge high-five with a smile for the teamwork we just did. It felt really great. He sliced the remaining pieces into smaller bits, and I continued to hoard them to the edge of the property.
Some of them were quite heavy, thought it made me feel Manly.
“I’ll make us something to eat. Eggs are okay?“
I nodded and he went in.
After I evenly placed everything and heightened the fence properly, he was still inside, so I started to play with his dog, Jane.
She was extremely cute, smart and energetic. Her hair was light brown and gold mix, smooth and shiny. I just couldn’t stop petting.
“Zit“, I said – just to try it.
And there she was, placing her butt on the ground immediately.
She’d lick me all over my hands and face. Such a lovely creature, I couldn’t believe it.
During our playtime he came out and waved me in. The toasts with eggs were ready, along with some tomatoes, bacon and a touch of pepper on it.
The lunch didn’t hold us back from talking, nay, it became less and less troublesome to speak in his language.
After finishing, we ended up cutting the remaining branches off the trees to place it on top of the fence I’ve built, and there we were – 8 hours later the heavy gardening was finished.
As a reward to enjoy the view of his clean yard, he brought us some ice tea as we silently admired the work we’ve done.
“Dit is een klus voor echte Mannen5“
He agreed.
On the way home, he remarked that the day was only 60% productive.
– But we did a lot of things!
“Yes, but we sat in a traffic jam for at least 30 minutes“
I didn’t dare to say “insatiable” or “workaholic”.
“Why, do you think it was productive?“
– Hell yes, we were talking in Dutch the whole day!
He nodded, acknowledging that it was a victory indeed.
Soon we arrived to his workshop, where he thanked me for helping him out today.
– Graag gedaan!6 – I said, smiling.
That’s how I spent a day with a millionaire, and those are the things he taught me.
“Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.”
– Miguel de Cervantes
[Dutch Dictionary]
– Mooi op tijd 1 – Right on time
(3) – Als je altijd werkt, kun je niet uitgeven. Dubbel, éh?! 2 – If you work all the time, you can’t spend! What a trick, isn’t it?
– Nou, dat is slim! 3 – That’s smart!
– Heel vervelend 4 – Very annoying
– Dit is een klus voor echte Mannen 5 – This is a job for real Men
– Graag gedaan 6 – You’re welcome (Literally: Gladly done it)
PS: I turned 23 today (01.18)
I’m planning to keep these habits for at least half a century – Growing old, spreading Love, chasing dreams – and writing good stories.
Wishing you the best, as always.
See you on the Road,
Erik
Road to a New Life 
Pingback: The Journey | Road to a New Life
When I was starting my profession/ career as a medical technologist, the assistant pathologist who was also a Filipino always said: Nobody dies from
hard work. I kept this wise advise to this day as part of my work ethic.
You are very lucky to have a good mentor to guide you in search of a new life. Carry on partner!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Golden Ticket | Road to a New Life
Pingback: Day 700 | Road to a New Life