For most people money is important. It gives them choices, options, and provides them with a certain type of lifestyle. I believe real wealth is a combination of three key components, which I call external wealth, internal wealth and eternal wealth.

External wealth is measured by what you have, whether that be your employment, business title, community status, money in the bank, the type of suburb you live in, what you own, the interests you pursue or even the car you drive.

Most of society measures people using this one criterion; however, such achievement or wealth does not guarantee happiness or overall life success, whatever that may mean for you. In my travels I have met very wealthy people who are surrounded by the trappings of success and appear to the outside world to be high achievers without a worry in the world, yet they are miserable and unfulfilled in their life.

Internal wealth is measured by how much you like yourself. It is about self-love — that ability to like who you are, what you are doing and the difference you make. This type of wealth is not measured by a balance sheet or bank account. It is measured by how you feel, how happy you are, how much love is in your life and how filled with joy you are right now. Perhaps life for you just feels right!

The final component, eternal wealth, is measured by what you do for others. It is about the legacy you leave for others to enjoy, the benefits you create for others, the values you pass on to those who know you personally and to those who know you from afar. It is about the gifts you create and leave for others to benefit from both while you are alive and after you have gone. It is not necessarily about creating a foundation or trust, but about creating a legacy that is bigger than you, outside of you and will live on after you.

If you want to explore this idea further, ask yourself these questions:

• External wealth: What material wealth and success do you want to achieve in your lifetime in order to feel secure, happy and fulfilled?
• Internal wealth: What do you need to achieve as a person to feel a greater level of self-love?
• Eternal wealth: What legacy do you want to create for others to enjoy and benefit from both while you are here and when you are gone?