If I Were a Rich Man ... If I Were a Rich Girl ... almost everyone wants to be rich. "Rich" means different things to different people. For the moment, let's limit the definition to financial matters.

For some, "rich" might mean having enough money to live on without having to work to earn a living. For others, "rich" means being able to buy anything their little heart desires. For most others, "rich" lies somewhere in between - enough so they don't have to work, and can maintain a pretty good lifestyle though maybe they can't buy the gold plated golf clubs or the new car of their dreams.

I've never thought that "rich" would be an adjective used to describe me, although I'm sure some people would consider me to fit within that category already. Maybe in time people will describe me as rich. However, my goal is not to be rich - my goal is to have enough money to quit work and live comfortably for the rest of my life, without having to worry about whether the meat is on sale at the supermarket.

Having said that, it is difficult to fit within any definition of "rich" without a sustained effort over many years. There are two sides to the equation: money in, and money out. You have to spend at least some time focusing on both parts of that equation in order to become rich.

That's what I'm trying to do. Maximize the inflows and minimize the outflows. In time, that's what makes you as rich as you can possibly be.