I recently came upon an article in New York Times where the subject of an interview was a 22 year old american guy. Nothing exciting so far.

Well, reading on this guy amazed me. At 22, he was a professional poker player. Online poker. Sounds pretty distant and unknown to me, but this guy was a real pro. Playing simultaneously on 12 tables, placing bets, bluffing etc. he has been earning millions since being a very young kid. All the money displayed on his computer screens meant nothing more than simple points in a game. That guy couldn’t realise this was real money. Telling stories of losing millions in a single day, then winning some sounds like a story from a place not on this planet.

But not the amount these kids win and lose is the point I want to make. What amazed me was that this guy was paying for professioanl sessions with a lifestyle/psychiatric professional who was teaching him how to get back to the real world and start enjoying his fortune. The guy was seeking professional help in order to get a real pleasure out of his poker won money. Wow!

When I started thinking about it it made a perfect sense. I know many people who work hard, try to develop their businesses to be bigger and more profitable – in other words – people with no personal time. All their lives and time dedicated to their business. One day you just depart from this world on your way to meet your maker. When you start thinking about it you see that your have been working hard but enjoying yourself and your family. Don;t get me wrong, I am a workaholic myself but I also subscribe to the school of thoughts that the most important (read “the best) thing on Earth is to love and be loved by friends and family. As you may well know, nothing compares with a kind word from a loved one, with time spent in the company of your dear family.

Thinking work and money are worth their entire dedication is a common mistake people on the road to riches make. They think work and money is everything. But it ain’t. And sooner or later one finds out the truth. And one might start feeling sorry for he had wasted precious moments that would never come back.

Don’t be that poor millionaire guy!