Editor's letter 5 April 2020: Who'd want to be a billionaire? Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Editor’ s letter Who’ d want to be a billionaire By You Magazine - April 5, 2020 Years ago, when editing another magazine, I met a young woman who had recently had a huge lottery win. Not millions, but a life-changing hundreds of thousands. It’s the dream, right? But she confessed, guiltily, that it had made her miserable. She knew it was a privilege. She knew that she never had to worry about paying a bill, or being sacked from a job, ever again. But that was the problem. The fact that there was no jeopardy of this kind any more, and that she had nothing to strive for, had left her feeling aimless. She had no holidays to aspire to, nor assets to own. She could go out any time and have anything she wanted. It left her struggling to find a real purpose in life. Yes, for many people that is the cue to play the world’s tiniest violin. Not many tears would be shed in the current economic/pandemic crisis for those stressed out by their riches. But generally speaking, I must admit I am thankful that I’ve always had to work for things. I don’t know what would motivate you to get up in the morning otherwise. Years ago, I worked for a wealthy man who we all found desperately hard to please. I’m sure it was because, after years of striving to get where he was, once everything was in his reach, life had lost its ability to excite him any more. I thought of this as I read Sadie Nicholas’s feature about the children of the super rich. It’s a feverish fantasy we all have now and then, to be part of that one per cent who take the private jet to Spain for the afternoon to watch their favourite football team. But I was so struck by the accounts of adults who work for these children. As one says, ‘If you can have anything at the click of a finger, there’s no thrill in saving up pocket money or having to wait until Christmas for a special gift.’ For almost all of us, that’s a basic life lesson – skill, actually – from which we derive our sense of self-worth. It’s one we all strive to instil in our own children. (The fact that I get a lecture from my teenage daughter any time I come home with a Zara shopping bag may indicate I’ve done too good a job there.) Some of the world’s wealthiest see what a life-ruiner money can be – people like Bill Gates are withholding inheritance from their children. In many ways I think it’s a kindness. But, right now, if you wanted to whisk me off to a remote island on your superyacht to wait out this coronavirus misery, I might be tempted… Editor’ s picks A few things I’m coveting this week Weird April weather, I am so ready for you. Parka, £145, ilsejacobsen.com Brilliant for when we can’t gift our loved ones in person. Hamper, £27.95, prezzybox.com My husband will call me Dapper Dan, but I’m fine with that. Blouse, £150, lkbennett.com RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved