Page 369 - James Caan - The Real Deal

35 · My Life as a Dragon

sight! Now the girls are in their twenties, they’re such good
company and our conversation never stops. There was a night
recently when the four of us were in Cannes and we walked out
of our front door and strolled along the beach until we found a
restaurant for dinner. We were laughing our heads off about
something and I looked at the three of them around the table and
wondered: Does it get any better than this? I really don’t see how.
There are people who spend their lives looking for happiness,
but happiness is only temporary. There are others who drive
themselves forward in search of satisfaction, but the truth is you’re
never satisfied for long. What I have with Aisha and the girls is
contentment, and contentment lasts. It’s sustaining, rewarding,
comforting. I’ve been happy, and I’ve been satisfied, but I’ll take
contentment over both of them. I’m sure it helps that we have
everything we could possibly want, but I think the four of us
would still have been laughing our heads off that night even
without money.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ve never been much
of a planner so that doesn’t bother me. I imagine there’ll be a few
more series of Dragons’ Den and who knows what will come of
that? I’m certainly enjoying work far too much to think of retiring
any time soon, although I don’t see myself doing it for ever. Long
term, I think my future probably lies in philanthropy. In the years
to come I certainly see the money Hamilton Bradshaw makes as
creating a fund that I will donate to causes I believe in. I’ve learned
it’s not just my money that can make a difference, but my skills
and ability to make things happen, and that’s why I feel
philanthropic ventures will tempt me more and more as the years
pass. Money’s great, but I’ve learned that it’s what you do with it
that counts.

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