My friend Jeff is a serial entrepreneur. He’s made and lost a few fortunes personally. He even went bankrupt. But he’s always been wealthy. Even when when he didn’t have a penny. And those in his orbit are wealthier for knowing him.
What is true wealth? If you ask most people the automatic response goes to assets such as money in the bank, real estate, investments, business interests, stocks, bonds, and all manner of things one finds on a balance sheet. These are financial assets. If you pose the question more emphatically, like, “what is the most important asset you possess in this world?” the answer immediately flips to one’s family or health or community, church, neighbors, best friends; all things human and relational. Then you add the intellectual assets including one’s education, experience, reputation, skills, business connections and competence. These things all add up to what truly makes a human being wealthy. This is a new way of defining a balance sheet, with financial assets, human assets, and intellectual assets.
My observation in Jeff’s case is realizing that he went bankrupt in the financial section of his “true wealth” balance sheet. But he made it all back. That is, the money and the house and the “stuff.” His financial bankruptcy didn’t touch his other asset classes. He was exceptionally wealthy in family, faith, friends, integrity, ambition, confidence, knowledge, reputation, business acumen, competence, trust, relationships, and on and on.
Most recently he was moved by the evils of sex trafficking, abuse, and slave trade of innocent young prepubescent girls used by lustful, greedy, despicable, soulless men. His current business endeavor is providing jobs, resources, protection, and hope to these poor victims.
It’s a mission of compassion and giving. It is fraught with risk, heartbreak, danger, and threats. But the rewards are extreme; the smallest is financial.
Traction Distraction 