What comes to mind when someone is described as rich? Do you instantly visualise four-carat diamonds and European sports cars? Do you consider yourself to be living a rich life?

When I was growing up, one of my father’s favourite sayings was “that’s a bit rich!” whenever he was hearing something that was too ridiculous to believe. Come to think of it, the context was probably me trying to explain why I arrived home at 3am or hadn’t yet managed to hand in my uni assignments.

Riches of the “gold coin” variety were something I gave a lot of thought to when I was younger. The primary objective as I recall was to get enough money to buy the ever-increasing, and never-ending list of indulgences on my “Wish List” including the so-hot-back-then glomesh wallet
(I wanted a white one so that I could be different to everyone else).

Over time I began to realise that my constant yearning for more “stuff” was really motivated from a desire to fill a void inside of me. If I could get enough of the right stuff then somehow I would feel like I was enough. Illogical as it was, this need fuelled much of my unhealthy relationship to spending and shopping. These days I am still an avid shopper and buying beautiful things, from shoes to homewares, is still something I love to do. It’s just the motivation behind my desire to have things has come full circle.

The dictionary defines rich as “worth a great deal” and in this edition of SW we are challenging you to define, or perhaps redefine what rich means to you. Is your life rich with the things that matter the most to you? Do you enjoy the richness that comes with experiencing depth and fullness in life? Are you earning a wealth of experience that will help propel you to a more rewarding future?

I have come to the conclusion that you can only ever truly live a rich life when you live a life compatible with your highest, and most cherished values. This rarely happens when we don’t know ourselves intimately. My sister describes herself as a “memory collector” and most of her life experiences, including her vocation and hobbies reflect this. I am more of a self-confessed “daydream believer” so my experiences are vastly different to my sister’s yet deeply fulfilling to me.

The six women featured on the SW Rich List are all living very different lives – some like Katie Page have accumulated worldly fortune earned through an incredibly successful career. Others like Geraldine Cox have changed the world through philanthropy. Mahalia Barnes (daughter of Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes) has found her reward in creative expression while Gill Hicks (London bombing survivor) has reinvented herself to find a life rich in being of service.

I saw an interview recently with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love in which she talked about feeling satisfied and happy when her life is organised in a way that supports her to be her personal best. For Elizabeth this means never being too busy. She likes to take her time, to potter, to write and to make cups of tea.

We have a great line-up of stories for you in this edition of SW, so I do hope that you can find some time to pop on the kettle, browse through the diverse collection of stories and take just a little time to think about what it will take for you to live a rich, rewarding and satisfying life.

Until next time!
Cherie & The SW Team.