Sometimes I daydream about having lots and lots of money, because I keep having these grand ideas of how to make the world kinder, safer, happier.

Money can impact our happiness—up to a certain point. If I’m hungry, having money means I can feed myself. That’s a happy moment. If I’m homeless, money means shelter—another happy moment. If I’m a parent, money means I can provide for my family, which would make me happy too.

But there’s a limit above which having more money doesn’t increase a person’s emotional well-being or everyday happiness. According to ChatGPT, depending on where you live, in North America this number is somewhere between $75,000 and $100,000 a year.

I also asked how many people in North America are actually clearing that line. After thinking about it for a while, this is what it said:

So, no wonder so many people are obsessed with money. And these are numbers from some of the wealthiest countries—nations that pride themselves on “anything is possible,” “freedom for all,” and “unlimited possibilities.” At the same time, these are places where a few individuals possess absurd amounts of money—amounts that could help the whole planet if they weren’t hoarded quite so much.

Here are some examples I’ve been dreaming up, using AI to estimate the costs:

Project #1: A Holistic Rehab Centre for Recovery from Drug Addiction​
This centre would include therapists, doctors, mental health professionals, as well as reiki healers, sound healers, coaches, and professionals in other modalities. It would feature beautiful gardens and access to nature. (We used 5 acres in Port Alberni, BC for estimation—land is more affordable there than, say, Vancouver.) This would be a place to express, heal, and learn to reintegrate into society.

According to ChatGPT:

• Capital: About C$15–20 million to acquire land, build, and equip a beautiful, healing 30-bed campus in Port Alberni.
• Operations: ~C$3.5–4 million/year (~C$110K per resident per year) with a multidisciplinary, whole-person model.

Just for comparison, Elon Musk is estimated to have somewhere between US$360–410 billion, and Jeff Bezos somewhere between US$235–240 billion.

Let’s pretend one of them decided to build such a facility. I’ll write out all the zeros, just for fun. Let’s say someone has US$250,000,000,000.

The capital investment to build this “super-duper” centre would be US$15 million (converted from C$ to US$ at an exchange rate of 0.73). Taking the higher number (because building things always costs more than expected):

If that person built the centre, they’d still be left with US$249,985,000,000. Would they even notice the difference? And if they generously decided to operate the centre too, with annual costs of US$2.92 million, it would take 85,611 years to use up all the money.

I don’t know if the human race will survive that long at the rate we’re going. But anyway...

Project #2: Youth Centres​
Centres for disadvantaged youth where they could come, hang out, be fed, and have someone safe to talk to. A beautiful, clean space—maybe with a counselor.

This project likely wouldn’t require extravagant funding (at least compared to the previous one). This idea is inspired by a café in Hawaii, supported by Billy Seal. I love it so much, I’d not only invest in the existing one, I’d open them all over the place.

Project #3: Restoring Ecosystems​
According to ChatGPT, it would take $1 trillion to restore 1 billion hectares of high-priority land. On top of that, we’d need to transform our industries and lifestyles to stop destroying the environment.

If I had a lot of money, I’d probably buy some land and restore ecosystems on it. But projects like this need to be bigger than individual ownership. It’s kind of a Pandora’s box of other projects…

Project #4: Plastic​
It would make sense to stop producing plastic altogether, but fighting the oil industry would drain too many resources. A better solution would be to invest in technology that disintegrates plastic into harmless elements.

I know there’s a lot of talk about a circular economy—recycling plastic again and again—but even in ideal circumstances, plastic can only be recycled 2–3 times. Mixed plastic isn’t recyclable at all. So we must find ways to neutralize plastic, maybe even at the consumer level.

Done with your plastic sunglasses? Just pop them into a plastic disintegrator and turn them into harmless elements. The technology already exists—someone just has to invest in turning it into a safe, convenient household device.

Project #5: Landfills​
I have a friend who loves the idea of mining landfills for resources—and I think it’s brilliant (hi Jon!). While mining, we’d also need to deal with the rest of the garbage.

We already have tech that can break waste down into basic elements like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, but it doesn’t seem “profitable” enough to attract investors. Still, the dreamer in me can’t help but wonder—what if we cleaned it all up?

Project #6: Hemp​
I’d invest in hemp technology and education. Hemp is amazing for so many things, and my favorite use is hemp building blocks.

I’d love to see the construction industry use hemp blocks instead of wood. These blocks absorb CO₂—so it’s like living inside a tree, but with all the comforts. They’re also naturally heat and fire resistant. If I ever build a house for my family, it’ll be made of hemp blocks.

Project #7: A New Economic Model​
I’d hire the brightest visionaries to design an economic model where everyone’s basic happiness threshold is met—where food, shelter, safety, clothing, and education are guaranteed.

Right now, our economy is built on need and scarcity. I know a lot of people who wouldn’t go to work if they had enough money.

(Side note: Is Trump firing people left and right to create desperation and drive his agenda? But I digress.)

What if everyone’s basic needs were met—and what drove the economy was authenticity, passion, curiosity, and inspiration? What would THAT look like?

Now, if you’re thinking I’m delusional, that’s OK. To quote Moana’s grandmother, “I’m the village crazy lady—that’s my job.” But in all seriousness, if we don’t learn sustainable ways of living, we won’t get to live at all. The current systems are a path to self-destruction. We either reinvent them—or we perish.

So what would life look like if we followed our curiosity?

There’d be more artists, for sure. But… who would clean toilets? Who would serve at restaurants? Who would cut hair with a smile—even after six exhausting clients?

Thankfully, technology can help with chores. But I still like when humans cook my food. Would people still cook with love and passion? I hope so.

And if there were no more scarcity, would we still need lawyers and judges? Maybe those roles would evolve.

This reminds me of a story I once read. In some Indigenous tribes, when someone committed a crime, they were placed in the center of a circle. Each member of the tribe took turns reminding the person of every kind thing they’d ever done.

I wonder—could we one day adopt that as a form of justice?

If everyone had lots of money, we’d probably consume more—but we can’t afford that. We’re drowning in waste. We’d have to design products with their end-of-life in mind.

………

Do you ever dream about different ways of living?
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I’d love to hear about your dreams.
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What would the world look like if you had it YOUR way?

Also, if you’ve read this far, you might be interested in this:
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Right now I’m testing a 6-week program that helps people not only discover their true nature—but be brave enough to live from it.

Because it’s a test run, the price is ridiculously low: C$60 (about US$38 at the time of writing).

If this sparks your interest, email me at nataliya@nataliyak.com with the subject line:
​“YES to Authentic Me!” and let’s chat details, or simply hit reply!

Otherwise, be well. Thanks for reading—and we’ll talk again soon. 🌿

Nataliya