The richer you are in experiences, the more you have to give to others

I squirmed as a thousand pinkish-orange fish nibbled at my bare feet.

Apparently this was supposed to be a relaxing "massage," but it felt like tickle torture instead.

I was with my best friend and business partner, Joe Huff, at the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka.

There was nothing but ocean ahead for 6,000 miles to Antarctica.

As I dangled my limbs in the warm water and contemplated a future without toes, I wondered:

How did I get here?

The previous week, we had searched for snake charmers.

Devoured curry and egg hoppers.

Visited Buddhist temples.

Met with cinnamon farmers.

Taken shots of some sketchy moonshine out of a bathtub in the jungle.

Seen hatching babies at a sea turtle sanctuary.

And sheltered with monkeys in a mangrove forest after getting caught in a torrential downpour.

But we weren’t there to have adventures––that was just a bonus.

In fact, years later, reminiscing about that trip, those moments barely get a mention.

We were there to work with soldiers (and their kids) from both sides of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Many of them had lost their hearing during the 15-year conflict.

That’s what we were focused on…what gave the trip the most meaning.

And what got us there was a ripple effect from someone else's kindness, which we then passed onto our new friends in Sri Lanka, who passed it on to countless others after we left.

Living a life rich in experiences is about way more than just the impact on your own life.

The richer you are in experiences, the more you have to give to others.

The more joy, love, and wisdom you cultivate for yourself, the more you spread in the world.

You become valuable to others when you share your experiences with them.

That creates opportunities for them to build their own experiential wealth.

When you’re gone, the only thing that remains behind is what you’ve given to others.

In the end, serving others is the most powerful way to feel your life is well spent.

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About Bridget Hilton

Bridget Hilton creates tools to help teams and leaders connect in the workplace through rich experiences and shared goals. Her keynote helps Fortune 500 companies navigate topics of mental health and wellness, burnout, employee belonging and connection, inspiration, motivation, and goal setting. Her book Experiential Billionaire and card deck Treasure Maps is out now. She is located in Los Angeles, CA and is booking keynotes and workshops worldwide now.