Recently one of my girls asked me if I were rich. I told her that I was very RICH - I have an incredible wife and five wonderful children, I live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, I am fortunate to have traveled extensively, and I am blessed to do something I love - professional speaking. What could make one more RICH?

Though the activity level was at a peak this weekend, the experiences contributed to the wealth I feel. I had a relatively “local” speaking engagement for which I took my eight year old daughter. She just loved the hotel, the swimming pools, and the food. She asked me if my client had the cookout the evening before my speech because she was there! She couldn’t have been more pleasant and we had a ball together.  We drove back into town for her upcoming dance recital practice and then I was off to my son’s soccer game with another daughter in tow. Last night, my son and I attended a campfire outing in which he was “tapped” into Order of the Arrow, a leadership honor for which he was elected by his peers. I couldn’t be more proud of him and loved sharing in the experience. The tapping occurred at dusk on a peninsula on a lake and started with two canoes arriving on shore with six older boys dressed in Indian costumes. It was very cool to watch and reminded me of my own Order of the Arrow experience when I was a scout.

The weekend concluded tonight with my younger girls playing “daddy’s playground” - which basically means they climb all over me like playground equipment. If they hugged me any more, I might have bruises.

While I might someday have more money, I’ll never be as RICH as I feel right now.

Inspirational speaker Tim Richardson speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, healthcare, and financial services. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

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