I've always found the richest people are the loneliest. It might be that they've spent so much of their time cultivating their vast fortunes, they substitute their material success for their mothers, fathers, siblings and spouses.
These lone-wolf millionaires replace love with riches.
But, as cliché as it sounds, you can’t buy happiness. You can have all the gold, diamonds, yachts, Maseratis and champagne in the world, but what’s the point if you’ve got no one to share them with?
No matter what way you slice it, you're only as wealthy as you are loved – and that’s not something you can pay someone to do. No matter how much your family drives you completely insane, they are your people.
Your family may be loud-mouthed, crazy, stubborn and rambunctious, but they’re infinitely more valuable than even the richest person’s bank account.
You can count on your family, even when you have no money to count.
Your family isn't going anywhere. It isn't susceptible to market trends or fraud.
Your bank account, on the other hand, can fluctuate minute-to-minute. One bad investment can doom your investment portfolio.
Though you probably have moments where you wish that your family would disappear, they’re not going anywhere. They might not have money to burn, but they will always have your back when it counts.
When push comes to shove, who's going to show up at 3 am to bail you out?
You learn how to compromise from your family.
When it comes to your life, it falls on you to decide what you want to do and how you want to do it.
When it comes to your family, you have no choice: You’re stuck with the one you’re born into. While that can definitely lead to some – or many – arguments, it also helps make you a well-rounded adult.
You can't always get your way in life; your actions have consequences beyond yourself. Knowing how to compromise is an essential skill that can help you get out of almost any situation and take you far in life.
You can’t put a price tag on loyalty.
It’s tough to know who really has your back. Most of us have been caught off guard when someone we thought was a friend turned out to be a fraud.
Your family members might drive you absolutely insane, tease you nonstop or pick a fight with you for no reason. But they’re the first ones to defend you when someone insults or upsets you.
Placing genuine trust in another person is a tall order. But being connected to those people from the moment you're born makes that process a whole lot easier.
You learn who you are from your family.
You learn important life lessons from your family, even if those lessons are sometimes downright gritty or ridiculous.
It’s what you take away from your family that makes up the essence of who you are as a person. How you see the world, how you treat people, what you value – your personality comes from these experiences.
All the money in the world won’t bring you that kind of self-awareness.
They teach you empathy.
Each member of your family is totally different from the next one. While that can sometimes leave you feeling like no one understands you, it teaches you something incredibly important: how to empathize with other people.
To get along with all the different types of personalities in your family, you have to understand where they’re coming from. Over time you realize that everyone is dealing with different issues, which makes you more understanding and compassionate.
The better you are at empathizing with others, the better your life will be: You’ll understand people better, communicate more effectively and learn to see something from another person’s perspective.
Life lessons are hard—but what better family to learn them with than the Gallaghers? Unrefined, loud-mouthed, and totally mischievous—gobs of money isn’t an option for them, so their currency is always each other. SHAMELESS stars William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. New episodes Sundays at 9pm ET/PT, or watch anytime by downloading the SHOWTIME® app.
