The Kind of Wealth That Doesn’t Sit in Your Bank Account: Community Wealth

If your bank statement vanished tomorrow, who would still knock on your door?

That answer - that head count - is your real net worth. Not your job title. Not your followers. Not your money. Just the people who would show up without being asked.

It might sound strange, but your wealth might be very different from what you think.

Since I was a baby, I lived between two worlds, the city and the village. The city taught me that wealth is how much money a person can generate. That’s what we celebrate. That’s what gets measured. But in the village where my grandfather was king and my grandmother was queen, things were different. Most people didn’t work for money. They worked for food, for the community, for each other.

At school, I was shocked to learn that the world ranked people’s value based on how much money they made. It didn’t sit right with me. So one day I asked my grandfather, “Grandpa, what is your wealth?”

He leaned in, looked me straight in the eyes, and said,

“You are my wealth.”

I was confused. This man had cows, goats, horses, gold, land, respect - yet he said I was his wealth? Me, the quiet little girl who couldn’t carry buckets of water like the other kids in the village or climb trees like they could? I felt small. I felt weak. My own dad barely made time for me. I didn’t feel valuable.

But in that moment, Grandpa was teaching me something that changed everything:

Valuing someone is a choice. It’s not about what they achieve - it’s about who they are.

That hit me hard. I realized I’d been looking at wealth the wrong way.

He went on to say that my mother, my cousins, my uncles and aunties - even the cousin we always made fun of for doing silly things - and the entire village were all part of his wealth.

And it made me think:

How many times do we treat people like they’re not valuable, just because they don’t fit our idea of “success”? Because they look different? Or struggle more? Or don’t shine in the way society wants?

That’s the real problem.

Today, we live in a world that has replaced people with money.

We don’t need each other anymore - we need salaries. We’ve traded community for money.

In the village, life followed what I call the Traditional Existence Model:

• People worked for food and community needs.

• Status came from generosity and shared skills.

• Wealth was measured in strong relationships, food security, and how well you cared for others.

But today? We live in the Modern Existence Model:

• People work for money.

• Status comes from job titles and bank balances.

• Wealth is private. It’s yours alone.

And the result?

Record-breaking GDP… and record-breaking levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

Be honest:

How many times have you worked hard, reached a goal, looked at your bank account, and still felt like something was missing?

How often do you feel disconnected, even when surrounded by people?

Here’s the truth:

We are social beings. We were made for connection.

Back in the day, physical movement was part of our survival; we hunted, we gathered, we planted. Now we create sports and gyms to keep those health benefits. The same shift needs to happen with community. We no longer live in tight tribes… so we must build community on purpose.

That’s what I call Community Wealth:

Valuing people as your greatest resource. Investing in humans the same way Wall Street invests in the stock market.

Community wealth is the kind of wealth money can’t buy.

It’s the safety net that catches you when life falls apart.

So here’s the real question:

If today, you lost all your money and your ability to work, who would take you in, feed you, bathe you, and love you, not because you could pay them, but because they truly believe you matter?

That answer is your Community Wealth Score.

And if that number feels low, don’t panic. It’s not too late to build. In fact, now is the perfect time.

Start Building Your Community Wealth Today:

• Text someone right now and tell them, “I appreciate you.”

• Check in on a friend who's been quiet.

• Show up when it’s not convenient.

• Offer help without expecting anything back.

• Don’t just collect contacts. Build real connection.

Relationships are the only currency that grows the more you give.

If this message hits home, don’t scroll past.

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Let’s rewrite what it means to be rich.

Because people are the only currency that never crashes.