15 Things Everyone Wants But Money Can’t Buy

You know, there are things money can't buy. You know it, but you forget it. You forget that fundamentally, you're on the same level as the richest people in the world. You have to appreciate these things now, so that when your wealth grows, your motivation and happiness can grow too. So, we're here to remind you about these things. Treasure them, work on them, and know that no amount of money in the world can ever buy them for you.

We're starting off at number one today with a personality. Everyone has a personality; I mean, that's what makes you human, right? But some people are way more interesting than others, and that's not something that money can buy. All the private school education, sports activities, and designer brands in the world only give you just a slightly brighter glow. You still need a personality to bring all of those things together, and there's no amount of money out there that can get you a great personality.

Studies show that people who focus on material wealth actually struggle to build deeper connections. They rely on all of their stuff to tell their story, but your story and personality are shaped by your life experiences, your mindset, and how you connect with other people. You can be the poorest person in a room of rich people, and everyone will still gravitate towards you because, well, you make them feel good. You make them feel something. You bring intrinsic value to their lives, even if it's just a short conversation.

Number two: the truth. A lot of money, time, and emotions have been spent on trying to get the truth from someone. But if they're not willing to give it to you, there's nothing you can do about it. It'll always remain hidden, and if you've squeezed the truth out of someone with the promise of riches or the threat of fear, then whatever they tell you isn't going to be the full truth anyway. Begging someone for the truth will only keep them telling you what you want to hear because, well, that's how they hold on to control. You can only get the truth from truthful people, and when you find the right people, the truth is free.

Number three: a world ruled by sanity and reason. A world ruled by sanity, honesty, and reason seems like a totally fair request. But in all of human history, it doesn't seem like we've ever actually had that. Even now, with the most advanced economies and political systems, we still read the news in complete disbelief. We're gobsmacked that the very people who are in power just seem so absolutely unhinged. Money clearly cannot buy peace. Maybe it's because humans are emotional by nature, and emotions drive a lot of decisions. But no amount of money can ever change how people feel or react to situations.

Albert Einstein nailed it when he said, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity." We crave a world that makes sense because it feels safe and predictable, but we're never going to have that—not really. Because fear, anger, and love cloud your judgment, and that's just a part of the human experience.

Number four: natural charisma and charm. If you've ever been around a naturally charming person and you've seen how they can control a room and effortlessly have all eyes on them, well, you know it's not something that money can buy. Sometimes, the brokest, shabbiest-looking people out there are like magnets in a social circle. What on Earth has given them so much confidence? Well, it's a step up from having a great personality because people don't just find you interesting; they find you magnetic.

There's a certain confidence with charismatic people that you can only possess if you're a little bit delusional. When you couple that with the ability to listen, hold a great conversation, and show genuine interest in other people, well, then you've got a recipe for social circle royalty. Charisma comes from within; it's built on your confidence, empathy, and your ability to connect with people.

Number five: great, loyal friends. Think about this: when has a great, genuine friendship ever been built on a financial transaction? Celebrities pay their assistants and makeup artists, and they become their friends, but there's something inauthentic about it. Both sides don't actually feel totally safe because it is still a transactional relationship. The person paying their friend will always have a question lingering in the back of their minds, wondering if that person is only around them for the money. Conversely, the person getting paid will always feel like there's a power imbalance in the friendship.

You can't buy loyalty and love from a friend. You can buy fear, control, even politeness, but a friendship built on money is always going to feel flimsy and delicate. Real friendships are about understanding, trust, and emotional bonds—things that come from shared time, not shared wealth.

Number six: common sense backed up by fact. You know, it's almost like everyone has a different type of common sense because some of the people shouting about it, well, they do some of the dumbest, most illogical things. It's clear now that common sense is influenced by people's beliefs, not facts, logic, or an intelligent discussion. You can't pay someone else to have enough common sense, and most of all, you cannot buy it for yourself.

The scary thing is that most people don't even know that they're lacking it. It's not tied to education or wealth; it's about learning from life, looking at patterns, and then making choices that fit the situation. Fact-based common sense will help you work through life challenges much easier, but you can only build it through looking back at your mistakes and being honest with yourself about what you could have done differently. For some people, their ego is far too big for common sense to ever prevail.

And on top of common sense, money also can't buy you number seven: higher emotional intelligence. People with high emotional intelligence are better leaders in every aspect of their lives. They can lead their families, their teams, their friends, and themselves without feeling like it's an extra emotional burden. At least, that's what a study published in the Harvard Business Review showed us, which is why on the Alux app, we have multiple courses on emotional intelligence.

We understand how important it is to be a good leader. On the app, we've got a course on the foundations of emotional intelligence, on how to call on your emotional intelligence during times of stress and uncertainty, and honestly, many more learning packs and collections on this very topic.

Now, you might be wondering if you can't buy emotional intelligence, then how do these courses help you? Well, it's a bridge. These tools are an accelerator. Without learning about what influences your emotional intelligence and how you can control that influence, you're basically walking through a rushing river trying to get to the other side. You might make it, but the journey will be longer, harder, and slower.

These courses put a bridge over that river, so while you still have to do the work, at least you've got some help. That realization isn't influenced by money and power. Someone could spend thousands of dollars trying to connect with themselves, going to therapy and visiting silent retreats across the world, and still not accelerate their emotional intelligence because they are not actually doing any work. It's up to you. You have to walk across that bridge.

In the Alux app, we give you the science and psychology behind it and give you practical tools to develop it. But all that work is yours. Through your awareness and your practice, as you're improving your EQ, you have to constantly look at how your actions and words impact other people without it affecting your emotional state. No guilt, no shame—just observation, understanding, and real change. That is difficult.

Okay, you have to control your ego and then control your emotions. Money can't give you any of that. Your ego and your emotions will laugh in the face of a million dollars if it's in a difficult position. All of this effort is up to you.

Number eight: it can't buy good genes. Now, it might seem like natural selection is being replaced by human selection, but even our most advanced gene technologies are limited. It can only take from what the parents already have. You might be able to choose an embryo with fewer genetic risks, but you can't rewrite your own DNA. No matter how much money you throw at it, it cannot guarantee things like how long you'll live, how intelligent you'll be, or how good-looking and athletic you'll be.

You can choose the most beautiful, intelligent, and ambitious partner, and something could still go awry. This is Nature's inheritance, and it will dish things out accordingly to its own will, not ours.

Number nine: to understand your purpose. In "Man's Search for Meaning," Victor Frankl wrote, "Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by a lack of meaning and purpose." How powerful would it be if you could only pay a consultant to find your purpose for you? Maybe everything would be more bearable. Then it would tame many people and take their constant thirst for something—anything—and quench it.

For some rich people, their purpose seems to be making more money, and when they get to the top, they're living their purpose. Yet when you hear them speak, they sound just like everyone else—like they have unfinished business, like they have a problem with life and themselves, and they're still trying to solve it. Everyone wants to live with purpose and meaning and feel like they're making an impact in this world. Everyone wants to be noticed and loved. But purpose and meaning aren't for sale.

It's not even something that you can search for and find. It just, at some point, seems to find you, as long as you're walking the right path.

Number ten: happy, stable mental health. You're probably thinking, "Of course, money can buy you great mental health. You can pay for therapy, medication, and rehab centers. What more do you need to get better?" Money is also often the root of so much stress and worry for a lot of people. For so many people, mental health problems can be solved with just a little bit of extra money. And yet, the depression, anxiety, and mental health disorders of the wealthy are even greater than the middle class.

Studies show that rich people, especially teenagers who come from wealthy families, have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Good mental health really comes back to those genes. Some people are born happy and stable, and they're able to hold on to that for their entire lives. But others are born troubled. Your environment and the people around you can make it better or worse in both cases. But you can't buy the foundation you start off with.

Money can give you access to help, but it's not going to suddenly make you better. Everyone, no matter what number shows in your bank balance, has to go through the same dragging, swampy process to regain their mental health.

Number eleven: to be free from pain. There is not enough morphine in the world that can help numb the pain of normal life experiences. Life, death, accidents, and illnesses—they all come for everyone eventually. Even billionaires, with all of their wealth, will go through loss, heartbreak, and physical suffering. Hospitals can only do so much. There's no shielding us from the human condition. In a way, pain is a great equalizer. It doesn't care about your wealth, your status, or your power. It strips away the illusion of control that money gives us.

As much as we wish we could escape from it or pay to have it taken away, it's impossible. Having no pain and hurt might bring you comfort and peace, but it will also keep you trapped in one place. You need those experiences to give you perspective, to push you, and to grow. Money can't touch things that are a normal part of the human experience.

Which brings us to the next thing money can't buy: number twelve, more time with the people you love. We have time with the people that we love, and it's right now. But you're not there now. You're not spending it with them. The only time you realize how much you want more of it is when they're already gone. No matter how much money you have, you cannot buy extra time. Time is the most fleeting and valuable currency we have. And while you think you can buy more by keeping yourself and the people around you healthy, that hourglass runs out eventually for every single one of us.

And on a similar note, number thirteen: your money cannot buy you good health. Steve Jobs had access to some of the most advanced medical care, and it still wasn't enough. You can have access to the best fitness trainers, organic foods, and medical technology, but when biology and nature are working against you, it's as if you're a force with no real power, and we can never predict it.

We can't predict sudden illnesses or health conditions without a cure. There are people out there with almost no money, and yet they're in better health than some of the richest people in the world. If you're in good health right now, hold on to it. Protect that allure. Appreciate every second of it and keep reminding yourself that you have the privilege of worrying about everything else. Worrying about everything else, as tough as it is, means that you are not currently worrying about your health. Be thankful for that. There are some folks in this world who would give their entire life savings away to be in that position. Health is a resource. While we can extend it by following certain rules, it is still finite.

Number fourteen: you can't buy foresight. How much would you pay to be able to see your life a year or five years from now? You would know which decisions you should and shouldn't make. You'd know which actions lead to where you're going. Armed with that knowledge, you can become the director in your place, planning and reshooting scenes to get exactly what you want.

In the end, you're on the same level here as the richest people in the world. You have the same tools and resources to make better decisions, and they don't come from looking into the future. Winston Churchill once said, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you're likely to see."

We might not be able to predict the future, but we can learn from history and make better decisions. Your past is what helps you to make those important decisions. Okay, and you have the ability to do that right now. You can never know for sure what the future holds, but you can look at your decisions and your behavior in the past and just see how it worked out for you. The same decisions, even in different situations, will eventually give you the same results. You don't get those answers by whipping out your wallet. You get them by looking into your past, but sometimes we look into the past the wrong way—like through your mouth.

Because one thing's for certain, and that's number fifteen: money cannot buy your youth back. The value people place on youth is wasted on them. They don't know what it's like to be young and carefree, and that's exactly what you start to envy when you get older. The idea of living your life in your own haze, not even thinking about the future, much less worrying about it.

Now, people also want to recreate the beauty and looks of their youth. The industry that promises to restore this is worth billions, but nothing can give you back the vitality, the energy, and the innocence of your younger years. Yes, it's spontaneous, and the possibilities seem limitless. But money cannot stop the natural progression of self-preservation. Staying youthful forever is too risky for our species.

So, we can try to reverse the outside as much as possible, but inside, well, you're an adult now. You've got responsibilities, and if you don't meet those responsibilities head-on, you're not going to feel that freedom that you had when you were younger. You're only going to feel more anxious and worried. That's not something that you can change; it's all happening in your brain, and your brain doesn't take coins, notes, stocks, or investments.

And hey, Aluxir, that's it from us today. Tell us, what's the one thing that you have that money can't buy? That secret little something that brings you happiness and keeps you pushing forward? We want to hear about it. Also, if you'd like to start working on your emotional intelligence and you like the sound of our courses, we've got a gift for you. A discount! Download the Alux app in the app store, come back to this video, and scan this QR code, and then you'll get a 7-day free trial from us and 25% off your yearly membership.

We'll see you back here tomorrow, Aluxir. Until then, take care, my friend.