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The Richest People I Know Do This Instead
Why More Money Wont Make You Free
The reflection for this Sunday, May 18th, is going to be a little different. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but never put into words until now.
As many of you know, Nassim Taleb is one of the thinkers who has shaped my worldview more than anyone else. His writing doesn’t aim to impress, it aims to cut. And it does.
Years ago, I read a chapter from Antifragile that changed how I approach almost everything: wealth, time, stress, even how I design my weeks. The idea was simple but brutal:
“The solution to many problems in life is by removing things, not adding them.”
Taleb calls this via negativa. Not doing more, but doing less of what doesn’t work.
Not stacking habits, tools, and hacks, but removing friction, noise, and things that don’t serve you.
This shift in lens reveals a different kind of wealth, one most people overlook, because it doesn’t flash, it doesn’t post, and it doesn’t show up on a balance sheet. But it builds quietly and pays dividends every day.
Call it silent wealth. Or functional wealth. Or maybe just peace.
