#jachts

The other day I crossed paths with one of my neighbours. We had never met before and so we began talking. It didn’t take long for me to notice that he was persistently coming back to one word.

‘Money.’

Whether we were talking about sports, hobbies or even family - his question was always: “How much did you pay for that? How much did you earn? I’ve made this much on a deal - I’m a millionaire…“

I quickly grew bored of the materialistic nature of our conversation, so I came up with an excuse to leave. But the story doesn’t stop there. He was on my mind for a while after we had spoken and he made me reflect on the real value in life.

You might own luxurious cars, mansions, even yachts. But what you own doesn’t determine who you are. If anything, I’ve met several millionaires - that if you stripped of their designer clothes and their luxury belongings - would have nothing to show for themselves. Their confidence is bought and can quickly be taken away.

I grew up in a strong family with strong values, and I still remember the day I came home from my debut at the Ajax Stadium as a 19year old boy. I had just played in front 50,000 people. I came home and my mom asked me to take out the trash. “Me? No, I’ve just played my biggest match yet, and I was on live TV. I’m not taking out the trash.”

My mom slapped me hard and sent me on my way.

That day, with my head low and two trash bags in my hands, I learned a valuable life lesson. It doesn’t matter what you do, what you own or even how much power you have. What defines you is who you are, your character, your personality, and your soul.