The 7 Non-Monetary Forms Of Capital You Possess 

I think I've fallen in love with about three women in my life. The first one never knew - rather that's what I told myself. Women always know.

We were teenagers and went to school together. We hit it off as soon as we met. We were inseparable. A few of my classmates - friends to this day - encouraged me to make a move.

I was quick to let them know that it was not happening. We were just friends. But deep down, that's not how I felt.

I didn't want to make a move because my teenage years were the most difficult of my life, at least from a financial perspective.

A few years before, my mom left my dad with her three kids in tow. Taking care of three teenaged kids on a part-time postal worker's salary was taking its toll. We barely had the money for food at times, and I'd often walk or hitchhike to school. Luckily, I became known in the area and had regulars who would get me there. But when I did get to school, I'd steer clear from the cafeteria, maybe having just one meal a day (that may be the platform for my intermittent fasting habits today).

Our conversations at home often revolved around money or the lack thereof. My mom was particularly jaded at that time when it came to men and constantly reminded me that I should be able to provide financially for any woman I decide to have a relationship with.

She's not wrong.

To this day, I believe we should be able to pull our financial weight.

But what I didn't know - until well into my late 20s - is that we are more than our bank account. We are more than a piggy bank and contrary to what mainstream media will tell you, most women don't want you solely for your cash.

So with my current information, I felt that I was in no position to express my feelings because I had nothing to offer. Unnecessary pressure for a 17-year-old. I didn't possess the wherewithal to know that I had other values and qualities that made us friends in the first place. 

So I was there to comfort her when another broke her heart. And looked on as she fell for another. 

I think this is what the new generation calls 'simp' behavior.

Fast forward many years later, our deep friendship turned into occasional online conversations and accidental meet-ups. It's really hard to stay friends with someone you don't really want to be just friends with. Besides, I was involved with others since.

On one of our occasional check-ins, she showed me a picture of her second newborn child. 

I made a cringy, offhand comment along the lines of 'You've got lovely kids. If I only knew, I would have made a move.'

Her response was along the lines of 'I waited for you to do so for years and you did nothing.'

Meh. 

You live and you learn.

I share this story for those of us who prop up our worth on what's in our bank accounts. Many of us have been taught to believe that we are only valued based on one metric - our economic capital.

We are much more than that. 

Our other forms of capital allow us to fully experience everything it means to be human. And these are what can lead us to economic value and so much more.

1. Emotional Capital

It feels like empathy, integrity, and emotional intelligence are in short supply. On one side, people aren't caring for others and seeing things from their perspective. And on the other side, we have behaviors like gaslighting and virtue signaling. 

It's hard to tell who's real and who's not.

That's why today, employers are now looking for intangibles like honesty, dependability, compassion, teamwork, and loyalty. That all comes from high emotional intelligence.

You can teach skill, but you can't teach will. 

You can't teach someone to be a good person. 

Either they're an asshole, or they're not. 

Your ability to genuinely help others, care for others, and understand others will attract the right people and opportunities into your life. In time, the right people notice. 

Even if you don't have money in the bank, you have love in your heart. Work on growing your EQ.

2. Intellectual Capital

The more you learn, the more you learn about yourself and the world. In turn, you become valuable to the world. It's one of the best places you can start with becoming stronger from an economical sense. 

With intellectual capital, you can make moves from a place of understanding. You can pass on knowledge to your children, family, and friends. Knowledge impacts generations. 

The wrong knowledge can impact you as well. So knowing what to unlearn and relearn is an invaluable skill in itself.

The danger of intellectual capital is knowing a lot of useless information. Learning just for learning's sake. With the wealth of information available, it's easy to get overwhelmed or fall into that learning trap. 

Information overload is real. So if you must learn more, limit the learning to one or two topics of interest. Marcus Aurelius said it's about "doing less, but better". 

3. Physical Capital

Your strength and your health are wealth. Without a strong body, you can't achieve the things you want in your life. Today, we have more impediments to health than ever before. That's why 80% of adults around the world suffer from back pain and why 66% of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Excess screen time means one in two persons would need glasses by 2040. 

In the near future, physical health will be a valuable asset. 

Keep yourself active and eat the right foods if you can. 

And if you can't eat well, try fasting to keep your body performing at its best.

4. Leadership Capital

Who follows you? I don't mean only on social media. Who truly considers you a leader? These are the people who call you first for advice or help. 

Your peers at work look up to you based on your expertise. 

Your church. 

The community. 

Over the years, you would have built up leadership capital. 

The ability to lead people helped me have a successful career in management. The greater your leadership abilities, the more you can get done. People will help you get what you want because you've led them to get what they want. This quality helps with personal relationships, your love life, your family, and your business.

It's one of the strongest non-monetary forms of capital you can possess. 

5. Spiritual Capital

Religion, science, and spirituality help us make sense of the world. Life without at least one of them is a lonely and confusing place. - Naval Ravikant

Within you is a spirit. A soul. How often do you two connect? Having a deeper connection with your spirit helps you to have a deeper understanding of the world. You can connect with your spirit through meditation, prayer, and mindfulness. 

Take the time to close your eyes and go within and you'll see so much more.

This spiritual capital resonates with others. You attract other spiritual people into your life and you trust yourself more. And when things go south, you have a deep connection with yourself to fall back on - instead of self-medicating - allowing you to bounce back faster than most. 

6. Time Capital

You may not have money. But you do have time. 

When my mom and dad were together, I did not have to worry about food and shelter. 

I remember that he was adept at making money and had different hustles, though he was quite miserly. What I can't remember are the times we spent together as a child. 

Giving your time freely to someone else is a powerful asset. People do not forget how you make them feel, and you can do that by just being fully present. 

7. Unknown capital

A friend of mine is a self-proclaimed atheist. 

Religion is a topic we often steer clear of in our group for that very reason.

When it does come up, I often catch him off guard with one particular argument:

If we agree that we don't know more than we do know, then it stands to reason God/Allah/Jah/Shiva/etc. does exist in that realm of the unknown.

Do you know what exists in that unknown as well?

Acres of potential.

We've yet to unlock our real abilities. When placed in difficult situations and dire straits, we do things we never thought we could.

You've yet to reach the heights of your true self and that is invaluable. 

You're more than your piggy bank.

Yes, our financial strength is an important part of our lives. Without money, we can't help our family in times of need, have new experiences, and set up the next generation. But we're more than the ones and zeros in our bank account. We have intellectual strengths, emotional strengths, spiritual strengths, and powers we've yet to tap into. 

Conclusion

In today's world, it's hard to tap into the other qualities we have until we "secure the bag." 

But we can destroy our lives when we realize we're different people with different needs and desires. 

So our goal should always be to explore ourselves and develop our other strengths and qualities along with our financial standings. 

When we do that, the length of time it takes to achieve financial success reduces in importance, because we have other qualities we can offer to the world. And the irony of ironies is when we do offer up ourselves in service - genuinely - we are well compensated in return.