Written By: Brad Pedersen

I still remember the day the fancy black box arrived at my house. When I opened it, I found a sleek model of an Air Canada jet, perfectly scaled down with my name inscribed on the stand. I had officially reached the 1-million-mile status, a milestone marking countless hours in the air.

I carefully assembled the model and placed it on my desk. At first, it felt like I was awarded a badge of honour—a testament to the personal investment I had made into long flights and the relentless drive required to build the business. It was a symbol of achievement, grit and endurance.

However as I sat there, staring at it, a different feeling crept in. I began to think about what this little plane really represented. It wasn’t just a measure of how far I had traveled—it was also a reminder of how much time I had spent away from my family.  I thought about the sports games I missed, the parent-teacher meetings I never attended, and the bedtime stories I skipped.

The more I considered the significance of the model plane, the more I realized that it was not a trophy to be admired but rather a badge of dishonor of how I had chosen to chase the growth of my business at the expense of everything else.

The Hidden Cost of Success

Don't get me wrong, I am not against working hard and paying the price. When you’re starting out as a business founder, there’s an undeniable truth: it will take everything you have to get your company off the ground.

Long hours, missed weekends, and constant sacrifice are part of the deal. In the early days, you convince yourself that this is temporary—that once you hit a certain level of success, everything will balance out.  You make compromises on all your other values under the illusion that once you have made it, you will be able to be more intentional.

But here’s the trap: the goal posts for what you consider "making it" keep moving further out.

Achievement—especially in business—is a game that never stops demanding more. If you’re competitive (as I am) and prone to measuring yourself against others, it’s even easier to fall into this trap which is only amplified when you start comparing.

Montesquieu noted this truth centuries ago: “If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than others, and that is almost always difficult, because we think them happier than they are.”

We often believe that those with more wealth, power, or status have unlocked a deeper sense of happiness, convincing ourselves that if we reach their level, fulfillment will follow. But the finish line never stays put—there’s always a bigger goal, a higher benchmark, another milestone to chase. If we’re not careful, we may one day wake up and realize that while we were busy pursuing numbers, the things that truly matter—our health, relationships, and personal growth—were left behind in the race. The truth is if you have a family, the only people who will remember you worked late or travelled extensively are your wife and kids.

The problem is that we like scoreboards. We like to measure progress over time--and money is a useful tool for tracking. Think about it: you can quickly find out how much money you have in the bank. You can compare your income to others. You can check your company’s revenues and profits relative to the market. Because money is easy to count, it often becomes our default scoreboard for success. But we should ask ourselves if it is the right one?

The Truth About Money and Happiness

To be clear, I’m not dismissing the value of money. It plays a crucial role in building a rich and fulfilling life. However, psychology and behavioral economics have long documented that beyond a certain point, more money doesn’t equate to more happiness. Research suggests that once an individual earns between $70,000 and $200,000 per year (depending on location and cost of living), additional income has little to no impact on overall well-being.

Yet, despite this reality, society clings to the belief that we never have enough—that more will finally bring security and fulfillment. The pursuit of “enough” never seems to end—because when financial success becomes the sole metric to measure the quality of your life, contentment will always allude you and be just out of reach. That’s the trap. The more you have, the more you think you need. And while you’re busy chasing the next financial goal, your time—the one thing you can never get back—is slipping away.

What Really Matters: The Full Spectrum of Wealth

If money isn’t the ultimate measure of success, then what is?

Harvard’s longest-running study on happiness—spanning over 85 years—revealed one clear truth: the strongest predictor of a fulfilling life is meaningful relationships. More than wealth, exercise, or even diet, deep connections with others have the greatest impact on long-term happiness. The research found that people with strong social ties weren’t just happier—they were healthier and lived longer. Emotional well-being, shaped by quality relationships, appears to be the ultimate foundation for a long and prosperous life.

Beyond relationships, mental and physical health are equally essential. They are two sides of the same coin, both requiring consistent investment to stay strong. Yet, many of us sacrifice our well-being in the relentless pursuit of wealth, only to realize too late that no amount of money can buy back our health. It’s a sobering reminder of an age-old truth:

“A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man wants only one.”

With that in mind, if your wealth is purely financial, you might be rich on paper but poor in life. True wealth is about more than money—it’s about finding meaning in the work we do, creating lasting impact with the resources we steward and developing deep connections in our most important relationships.  These are the essential building blocks required to create a foundation of fulfillment and by being intentional with our life design, it is how we can discover “wealth beyond money.” 

Are You Ready to Redefine Success?

I’m now on my 53rd lap around the sun, and with each passing year, I’m increasingly aware of my mortality. The reality is, we’re all moving toward a terminal outcome. The average North American lifespan is around 78 years, and I am aware I’m in the back half of my life.

I find it grounding to think in terms of a finite number of times. If I’m fortunate enough to live to the average age and take one summer vacation a year, that means I have just 26 left. My in-laws, now in their 70s, are aging, and if I see them only once or twice a year, I can count on one hand the number of times we’ll be together. That perspective is a sobering wake-up call—one that forces me to ask: How can I live in a way that minimizes regret?

When the final chapter closes, will I look back and say, “I’m glad I did…” or “I wish I had…”? The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The next best time is today. There is no better moment than the present to start becoming the fullest expression of yourself and intentionally creating the life you truly want to live.

If any of this resonates with you, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself a few key questions:

• Have I prioritized accumulating wealth at the expense of my relationships or health?
• Am I investing my time in things that energize and fulfill me?
• What does a truly rich life look like for me? (one that goes beyond financial success)

At Full Spectrum, we help business leaders discover how to create Wealth Beyond Money. To move beyond the relentless pursuit of superficial success metrics to discovering and investing into the values that build a life of true significance. Our goal is to journey alongside accomplished business leaders to help understand how to stop just merely striving and then to put them on a path to start thriving.

They say insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different outcome. If you feel like you’re stuck on a treadmill that only moves faster, constantly chasing the next big thing yet feeling more unfulfilled—this might be your wake-up call.

Join us for our upcoming complimentary Full Spectrum workshop, where you’ll have the opportunity to assess where you are, explore the steps towards building a more fulfilling life.

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