Let me say up front that there is one fundamental belief that I have, which makes me a sort of unicorn according to most folks:
WEALTH DOES NOT ALWAYS REFER TO MONEY
If wealth only referred to money, then most of the people in the world would have little to no value on the earth, because most people in the world have very little money! So, because I believe all people have value, then I don't define wealth only in terms of something that only a few people have an abundance of.
I believe that every human being on this earth has a purpose, their life has meaning, and each person has the capability to have wealth, in many different forms. Therefore the concept of "wealth" is not something that is only reserved for a certain few who have "money". Real wealth comes in various forms.
You can have wealth without money, and if you shift your way of thinking about wealth, the chances are you will live a happier and more joyful life.
Below I've listed 10 wealth building assets that don't cost money, but can build tremendous wealth for anyone that desires to look at wealth a little different. The interesting thing is, if you focus on these things, monetary rewards are likely to come as well.
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1. TIME - Time is an asset - As long as you are breathing and blinking on this earth, you have the most vital asset any of us can have, which we call time. Time is one of the most valuable assets everyone on earth has, and no one had to pay for it.
Everyone has the same 24 hours every day, and it cost nothing to get it, but could cost you everything if you don't learn the value of it! I bet if you took a poll of everyone who has lived and died (as if that was possible), the one thing they all wish they had more of, wouldn't be money, it would be TIME!
Time is valuable way beyond money, and not surprising, if you take the right type of advantage with your time, you'd ultimately make enormous amounts of money in the process! Don't let anyone or anything that is not constructive waste your precious time. Treasure it, use it wisely, and thank God for it.
2. GIFTS - Your gift(s) are assets - God never created anything without a purpose, and the gifts necessary to fulfill that purpose, built into that which he created. Each person reading this was designed with a "gift" to deliver into the world. That means you have a purpose, and you have gifts inside of you that were designed inside of you when you were born. Your gifts cost you nothing. Identify your gifts, develop them, and use them to serve others.
Your gifts make you valuable, and that value automatically makes you wealthy.
Here are some ways to find your gift(s):
Ask your family and friends about you. What they notice about you, how would they describe and define you, how you make them feel when you are around, what do you do well, and what are you good at?
Identify what bothers you most in the world, and what troubles you more than others. Maybe you were created to fix that thing!
Figure out what it is that you do you do naturally better than most people, with little effort? It comes easy to you, but is difficult for others?
Reflect on times when you were your happiest. Usually people are happiest when they are in their purpose and doing things they were meant to do in life.
CHECK OUT STEVE HARVEY'S INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS BLOG POSTS.
3. HEALTH - Your physical health is an asset - It costs nothing to move, walk, power walk, jog, run, eat healthier, do push-ups, leg lifts, squats, move your arms, drink more water, not smoke, refrain from drinking alcohol, and the list goes on. They say "your health is your wealth", and I believe it. Nothing else on this list matters if you aren't here to enjoy it.
If you take good care of your physical well-being by eating right, sleeping enough, getting plenty of good spring water, and getting regular physical cardiovascular exercise with some resistance training (light weightlifting), then you will be on the right track for wealth.
4. GIVING - Your ability to give, help, and serve others is an asset - I mention the importance of giving in a lot of my blog posts, and I do that because there is truly no greater cure for sadness or depression, and nothing more gratifying, then when you give to others or help people who need the most help. Some people have very little to give, so if you can give and help others, it adds to your wealth in ways that cannot be measured.
It doesn't cost any money to volunteer somewhere doing something for someone else, or just giving your time, talents, or gifts to people. If you don't feel wealthy when immersing yourself in giving, perhaps you may need to check your motives, change your thinking, and work on some personal development in that area. The ability to give of ourselves to help others, is a measure of wealth with no price on it!
5. FRIENDS AND FAMILY - Loved ones are assets - People are the greatest resource on the face of the planet, and having the right friends and family that provide you with a feeling of love, is a tremendous asset. Those who understand the value of people and treasure relationships, are usually more joyful and are ultimately wealthier. It's not how many friends and family you have, but it's the quality of the ones you do have. Good friends and good family can have an impact on stress levels. Here is a great read about the impact of friends and family
6. JOY - Having joy and inner peace is an asset, and it's not a cliche' - First of all, your joy is too important to leave in the hands of anyone but you. When you look at it like that, it gives you ownership over your happiness, and when you have ownership, you have POWER. The feeling of empowerment is wealth! It literally costs nothing to have a positive attitude, change your thoughts to things that are constructive, take deep breaths, pray or meditate, and be at peace. In a world where we are pressured from all sides at all times of the day and stress from life is at every turn, if you can have joy and peace inside you, among the chaos, you are wealthier in that department than most. Your joy is your choice and choosing to have it is a measure of wealth!
7. OPTIONS - Having options and the ability to choose is an asset - A life without options is truly a life of bondage. The more options you have in life, the less stress you will encounter, because having options gives you choices, and that matters. It may not feel like it matters, but just wait until you have to make a major life decision with few choices. The point here is work on creating as many options for yourself as possible, and create them as early in your life as possible.
Sometime, we take our options for granted, and we don't see them as an asset. But there are many people in the world, that have much fewer options than we have. The options you create for yourself in your 20's will dictate what you can and cannot do in your 50's.
Life is good when you have options!
From a financial perspective, concentrate on creating multiple streams of income, various certifications for your line of work, and anything that will give you "life" options down the road. It may cost you a little bit o time, and some effort, but options can give you the peace, the joy, and the additional time you want, and, at the same time, reduce your stress levels.
8. INTEGRITY - Your character is an asset - Having good character doesn't cost anything. I'm not saying you have to live life perfect. I'm saying that when you can look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day because you did the right thing, then that is wealth. When you treat people right, take responsibility for your actions, be fair to people, help others, and care about your reputation, that's wealth. In a world that sometimes doesn't reward honesty and good character, I think it makes the asset of integrity that much more valuable!
9. SELF-ESTEEM - How you feel about YOU is an asset - How you think about yourself will make you wealthy, regardless of how much money is in your pocket. When you learn the art of taking good care of yourself, feeling good about yourself, respecting yourself, loving yourself, honoring the person God made you, and valuing yourself enough to build you up and spend time on personal development and self-care, then you are wealthy.
10. KNOWLEDGE - Information is an asset - What you know right now is valuable. The knowledge, expertise, skills, and information you've accumulated to this point in your life, has tremendous value. There is a topic in this world that you have a "wealth of knowledge" in, and that knowledge is wealth!
If you have access to the internet, which I'm assuming you do since you are reading this, then knowledge is virtually free. There is more information at your fingertips than has ever been in any library in the history of the world.
Slow down on the Facebook scrolling and the selfies, and load up on the reading, educating yourself, and becoming even more knowledgeable. The right information is truly an asset!
I don't equate wealth with money, and I don't think we should be defining our wealth only in monetary ways. Everyone has access to various forms of wealth if we realize the power of what we have in front of us.
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