I’ve been reading The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom. I highly recommend it. The author talks about:
Time Wealth
Social Wealth
Mental Wealth
Physical Wealth
Financial Wealth
They are all fascinating, but I want to expound on social wealth. In his book, Bloom refers to “Your front row people.” These relationships are the ones with depth. And he says you “know depth when you feel it.” Depth is built through three primary actions, behaviors and attitudes:”
Honesty
Support
Shared Experience
Honesty: I don’t often have a problem with sharing with just about anyone, my mistakes, my embarrassing moments and things I used to believe that I don’t anymore. Laughing at myself is my way of not taking myself too seriously. But the kind of honesty that comes from depth is different. We all have inner thoughts, dreams, fears that only the best of friends can be trusted with. Honesty is a two way street. If only one person is sharing, it doesn’t feel like depth, it feels like counseling. And while counseling can be a good thing, it is not depth. To be honest is to be vulnerable with each other. And only the tried and true have the privilege of listening to our inner most thoughts.That is depth.
Support: I was once in a small group of women for over ten years that was such a blessing to be part of. We were there for each other and practiced a lot of honesty. We saw each other through loss of parents, loss of jobs, marriage challenges, etc. It was a wonderful support for all of us in the group. Yet other times I have been part of a large group of people who haven’t really been the people I would turn to in times when I needed support, even though I saw them all the time. The reason is, that having people around us does not automatically mean there is depth. Mutual honesty helps create a bond and depth that inspires us to be there for each other. Support comes from depth and creates more depth.
Shared Experience: Walking through good times and bad times together creates depth. Friends you have had for a lifetime like your partner, cousin, friend and others, shared experiences bring us closer together. But for that, we have to be intentional about doing life with others.
The author leaves us with this:
“Depth is the foundational pillar of Social Wealth. It is built through daily actions and behaviors- honesty, support, and shared experience-embraced consistently over long periods. Without depth, you cannot live a happy, fulfilling life. With depth, anything is possible.”