Confession time.
I scroll through social media sometimes and feel it too—that squeeze in my chest when I see someone’s vacation in Santorini, their new Tesla, big old business deals. That whisper that says “you’re not doing enough, earning enough, being enough.”
Comparison is the thief of joy. I don’t know who said it first, but they nailed it.
We’re living in a world so money-obsessed that we’re missing the point. We’re so busy envying lives we think we want that we’re not building lives we actually love. We’re checking bank balances when we should be checking our pulse.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of chasing adventures instead of just chasing dollars: When you focus on living a rich life—really living it—the success follows. The connections follow. And yes, often the money follows too.
But more importantly, you become wealthy in ways that actually matter. In stories that connect you to people. In experiences that make you feel alive. In a life that’s genuinely yours, not some curated version you think you’re supposed to want.
Here’s what being rich really looks like.
Here’s a quick example that recently happened.
A couple weekends ago, my friend and I drove up to Hampton Beach. After a lovely waterfront lunch, we did what any reasonable adults would do on a blustery 50-degree day.
We changed into our bathing suits.
As we crouched in sprinter positions on the sand, preparing to charge into the Atlantic, I heard a voice to our left: “Oh, they look ready!”
I turned to see two women—one fully dressed with her iPhone pointed at her friend, who stood there in a bathing suit. On this freezing beach, with 20 mph winds whipping sand like tiny needles, we’d found our people.
“Want to run in with us?” I asked the swimmer.
Her smile was instant. “Absolutely.”
Quick introductions and we all counted down from five together. And then ran into the water at full speed.
Just as I was hyperventilating from the freezing water, a wave overtook me and I thought I may drown. Lol, I didn’t. We definitely froze. The wind pelted us with sand so hard it felt like a full-body exfoliation. And we laughed—deep, breathless, ridiculous laughter that comes from doing something completely absurd with people who get it. Instant connection. We exchanged Instagram handles and shared our photos. I now have a video of the moment that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Total cost of that adventure (minus lunch)? Zero dollars. Total value? Priceless.
That’s the kind of wealth I’m talking about. In those moments, we all felt so alive!
That one experience was currency. It’s the reason I can connect with the mom at school pickup who mentions she did something crazy last weekend. It’s why I can laugh with the intimidated new gym member who thinks everyone else has it all together. It’s how I know that most of us are just trying to feel alive in a world that wants to numb us with notifications and comparisons.
My Success Strategy
1. One Big, Scary Thing Per Year
Every year, I commit to something that terrifies me. Last year, it was opening another DSC location. In other years it’s been marathons, triathlons, learning how to jump horses, endurance racing, obstacle racing, through-hiking 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting new business, learning pottery. You get the point.
Your big thing doesn’t have to be that dramatic. Maybe it’s finally signing up for a race. Taking an art class. Just pick something that makes your heart race just thinking about it. Choose something that takes you outside of your comfort zone.
2. Collect Micro-Adventures
You don’t need a trust fund or a sabbatical. You need a Saturday afternoon and the willingness to say “why not?”
Sunrise hikes. Trying that hole-in-the-wall restaurant you’ve passed a hundred times. Taking a different route home just to see what’s there. Strike up a conversation with a stranger.
These tiny adventures are the spice of life.
3. Say Yes to the Unexpected
When strangers want to join your freezing ocean sprint, you say yes. When a friend suggests something ridiculous, you say yes. When life offers you a plot twist—even if it’s wearing a bathing suit in 50-degree weather—you say yes.
The best stories never start with “Remember that time we played it safe?”
4. Invest in What Terrifies You
Here’s a confession: I’m terrified of heights.
So naturally, I tried bungee jumping. And zip lining down mountains. And hot air ballooning. And rock climbing.
Fear isn’t a stop sign—it’s a flashing neon arrow pointing toward growth. It’s your brain’s way of saying, “Hey, you’re about to feel really, really alive.”
5. Diversify Your Experience Portfolio
I’ve been an Air Traffic Controller, a critical care nurse, and now a gym owner. I’ve run marathons, completed triathlons, jumped horses (and off bridges). I’ve had businesses fail spectacularly and others succeed beyond my dreams.
Every experience—the triumphs, the face-plants, the “what was I thinking” moments—adds to my wealth. Failed businesses taught me more than successful ones. Every scar has a story.
6. Share the Wealth
That woman on the beach? She could have taken her solo plunge. But running into that icy water together transformed a moment into a memory, an adventure into a story, strangers into members of the “we’re definitely crazy but in the best way” club.
Rich people know this secret: Joy multiplies when divided.
The Balance Sheet
Are you thinking that you’re too busy, too stressed? Maybe you’re in that sandwich generation—caring for kids and parents, with your own needs squeezed in the middle like forgotten lunch meat.
You’re exhausted. You can’t remember the last time you did something just for you. The idea of an “adventure” feels like another item on an already impossible to-do list.
And maybe you’re thinking, “Must be nice to have time for beach trips and adventures.”
I get it. That’s part of it. It’s a vicious circle. I, and many of my friends, are some of the busiest people I know. They are also the most successful people I know. Because they have figured it out. You must do some things for yourself so that you can show up as the best version of yourself for others.
And here’s another key to success, I can walk into almost any room in the world and genuinely connect with someone. The executive stressed about their startup? I’ve been there. The parent worried about their teenager? Yep. The person terrified of taking their first fitness class? That was me once too. The nurse pulling double shifts? I’ve worn those shoes. The person afraid of heights trying to be brave? Still me, every single time.
Every adventure, every failure, every ridiculous beach sprint—they’re not just memories. They’re bridges. They’re the reason I can look someone in the eye and say “I understand” and actually mean it.
People don’t connect with your bank balance. They connect with your stories, your struggles, your willingness to be real.
We’re all going to run out of time before we run out of money. We don’t have an infinite supply. It is the great equalizer, isn’t it?
If you’re waiting to “afford” to start living, you’re checking the wrong account.
Start Today
This weekend—THIS WEEKEND—do one thing you’ve never done before.
It doesn’t have to be diving into a freezing ocean (though I highly recommend it). Maybe it’s:
- Taking that fitness class that intimidates you
- Saying yes to an invitation your comfortable self wants to decline
- Driving to that scenic overlook you always pass
- Having breakfast for dinner just because you can
- Starting a conversation with a stranger
The richest people I know aren’t checking their portfolios. They’re checking items off their “I can’t believe I just did that” list.
What’s your micro-adventure going to be?
Because life’s too short to die with a full bank account and an empty story vault.
And life’s definitely too short to spend it wishing you were living someone else’s highlight reel when you could be creating your own beautifully messy, ridiculously real, surprisingly rich life.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my next adventure. Probably something involving heights. (Why do I do this to myself?)
Stay rich in all the ways that matter,
Coach Daria
P.S. Speaking of adventures that scare you a little… Our 42 Strong Summer Shred starts MONDAY. If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to challenge yourself, waiting for life to slow down, waiting to feel ready—stop waiting. Sometimes the best micro-adventure is the one that happens in a gym full of people who get it. People who’ll cheer you on when you’re struggling and celebrate with you when you surprise yourself. [Check out all the details ⬇️] and come be rich with us.