Narrative Escapes

Narrative Escapes

Why I Was Destined Never To Be a Billionaire (The Power of 'Enough')

Sometimes you just have to admit you don’t have the mindset to be a billionaire and that’s okay.

Ian O'Rourke's avatar
Ian O'Rourke
Oct 09, 2026
∙ Paid

Billionaire Lifestyle Stock photos by Vecteezy

I’ll never be a billionaire.

I was sitting around a table with some friends during our yearly gaming retreat in the country, and we were all laughing about how none of us has the psychological makeup to ever become certifiably rich. It was us looking across the table at each other and saying: “Yeah... this is the reason why we’re never going to own a mega-yacht.”

The great thing about it is we weren’t lamenting some grand moral failing or a lack of ambition. Well, okay, from a certain perspective, I guess it was some sense of a lack of ambition, to quote Obi-Wan, ‘from a certain point of view’, but here is why you might never be super rich—and why that isn’t just fine. It’s actually pretty amazing.

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Ian O'Rourke.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Ian O'Rourke · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture