The first form of wealth is Character.
Surprised?
I'm sure you didn't expect this to be on the list, let alone be the first. Follow me closely, and God will teach you something that will bless your life.
Character is the aggregate of features, traits, qualities, moral codes, etc. that form the individual nature of a person or thing.
Character, which is inherent, is expected to be consistent over time and dynamic in its impact. Character, like a magnet, attracts people to you. This, in itself, translates into wealth. Because your network influences your net worth. It is said that if you have five (5) friends and all of them are billionaires, then you are likely to become the sixth one. However, your character is the access code that grants you entrance into that circle.
Character should be a deciding factor as to who crosses the line in your life. It should be a selection criterion for friends, business partners, and associates. A person of good character is truly an asset to any person or organization, and as such, the issue of character should not be considered trivial.
The habits, actions, and emotional responses of a person are the building blocks of his character.
Your character determines a lot of things about you. How well people relate to you, how effective you are in fulfilling your dreams, how trustworthy and dependable you become, how much influence you command, etc. all rest primarily on your character.
Two acid tests for character are credibility and integrity.
Credibility is the quality of being trusted and believed in. A credible person is someone who is not just an expert (experienced, qualified, intelligent, skilled) but also trustworthy (honest, fair, unselfish, and caring).
Credibility is important because people often choose to respond to a persuasive message not based on the content but on their credibility with the communicator. They trust the person so much that they can do what he's saying without fear of any adverse outcome. Many times we have taken decisions not because we were sure of what we were about to do but because we trusted the person leading us enough to take that leap of faith in the dark.
Integrity, on the other hand, is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty, truthfulness, or accuracy of one's actions.
The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. Integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that someone "has integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs, and principles they claim to hold.
There are many ways to rise, but character is one of them.
Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, and empathy are the seven building blocks of character.
Let these pillars be the signposts that guide our character development.
I trust you were blessed by this!
What, then, is the second form of wealth?
Are you sure of the answer, or are you in doubt?
Watch out for it in my next post.
Grace and Mercy!!!
Amb. Emmanuel Etukudo
Kingdom Wealth Ambassador