WEALTH IN REALTIONSHIPS

Discovering Real Wealth; Is Not on Wall Street!

Why Your Net Worth Will Never Surpass the Value of

Meaningful Relationships

We live in a world that measures wealth in square

footage, portfolio growth, and luxury cars. But real

wealth? It doesn’t sit in a vault, wear a Rolex, or have a

five-digit stock ticker symbol. It lives in the people we

allow into our lives and the connections that either

push us toward purpose or pull us into distraction. If

you’re searching for the one thing that can bring

healing, joy, strength, and growth—it’s not money. It’s

not status. It’s people.

When God wants to bless you, He sends a person.

When the enemy wants to distract or destroy you, he

sends a person too.

The common denominator between your greatest

moments and your deepest pain is the presence—or

absence—of someone. So, let’s talk about what true

wealth looks like and why your most valuable asset

isn’t in the market, but in your inner circle.

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The Currency of Connection

Every significant experience in your life—both good

and bad—has a person’s fingerprint on it. Think about

it. A heartbreak? A betrayal? A celebration? A

breakthrough? All were shared with, shaped by, or

influenced through another human being. That’s

because relationships are the agents of change. Or as

trauma expert Dr. Bruce D. Perry says:

“Relationships are the agents of change and the

most powerful therapy is human love.”

In a world obsessed with independence, success,

and self-made narratives, we often overlook that

healing doesn’t happen in isolation. We’re wired

for connection. We crave companionship,

affirmation, and partnership. And despite the hustle

culture’s promise that you can “do it all alone,” the

truth is: you’ll never be whole without healthy

relationships.

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Lonely Rich: The Illusion of Success Without

People

You can live in a six-bedroom mansion and still feel

imprisoned if the rooms echo with loneliness or

conflict. You can drive a six-figure car and still carry

the weight of insecurity in your chest. You can hit

seven figures in income and still lie awake at night

with no one to call, no one who prays with you, and no

one who truly sees you.

The CEO of Enron, once at the top of the financial

world, couldn’t handle the collapse of what he believed

was everything. As the empire crumbled, he sat in his

Mercedes Maybach and ended his life. Why? Because

once you start to believe that losing material things is

the same as losing your identity or your worth—you’ve

already lost.

Once you equate losing your wealth with losing your

value, you’ve already become relationally bankrupt.

You just don’t know it yet.

Prosperity without people is poverty with polish.

Real wealth isn’t in your bank account—it’s in your

support system. It’s in the mentor who shows up when

you’re lost, the friend who speaks truth when you’re

off track, the partner who sees your flaws and stays

anyway, and the community that surrounds you with

love when you have nothing to give.

Renowned researcher Brené Brown put it beautifully:

“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives

purpose and meaning to our lives.”

That’s not just poetic—it’s practical. We thrive

when we’re surrounded by people who help us

rise, and we deteriorate when we’re cut off from

love and support.

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Hiding in Plain Sight

So many people are hiding in plain sight, suffering in

secret. They’re not alone because they don’t have

people—they’re alone because the people they do have

don’t really know them. They’ve built relationships on

fragments, on versions of themselves that feel safe and

acceptable, but not whole.

They’re in friendships that would disappear if they

revealed their darkest secrets.

They’re in families that might isolate them if they told

the truth about their struggles.

They’re in romantic relationships where they fear

rejection more than loneliness.

So instead of being vulnerable, they become fractured.

Instead of being seen, they become skilled performers

—playing the role of “fine” while falling apart inside.

They are surrounded, yet starved for real connection.

They are known, but not understood.

They are supported, but not held.

It’s a lonely existence—a painful truth—to be in

relationships that are real in presence but not in depth.

When the connection is built only on the fragments

people find comfortable about you, not on the whole

person, the relationship may function—but it doesn’t

fulfill.

You cannot be healed in relationships that only accept

the edited version of you.

Healing begins where honesty is welcomed. And if you

have to lose people in the process of telling your truth,

let it be the filter that protects your destiny. Because

love that demands silence isn’t love—it’s control.

And connection that requires performance isn’t

intimacy—it’s imprisonment.

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The Power of Who You Let In

Let’s be honest—people can be both our greatest gift

and greatest liability. That’s why the quality of your

relationships determines the direction of your life. The

right person can unlock parts of you that you didn’t

know existed. The wrong person can derail your

destiny in one toxic season.

Your circle is either your net worth or your network of

wounds.

When people say “I don’t need anyone,” it often

stems from trauma—not truth. Isolation can feel safe

when you’ve been betrayed, used, or dismissed. But

staying disconnected will rob you of your ability to

heal, grow, and flourish.

Unhealthy relationships stem from unhealed places.

And trauma? It’s sticky. It bonds to others like glue—

whether that’s to someone who’s healing or someone

still broken. That’s why trauma bonding is so

dangerous. It doesn’t just affect how you feel—it

shapes your reality and your choices.

But the beauty is this: healing happens through

relationships too. You were wounded in connection,

and you’ll be restored in connection. Healthy

relationships have the power to expose the lie that

you’re unworthy, unlovable, or too damaged to grow.

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Trust: The Bridge Between Pain and Purpose

In his book The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey

explains:

“Trust is the one thing that changes everything.”

When trust is present in a relationship,

communication accelerates, creativity flows, and

progress happens. When trust is broken, even the

simplest things feel heavy and strained. This isn’t

just about romantic partnerships. It’s about

friendships, business relationships, ministry teams,

and family.

Trust builds speed, clarity, and impact. The people in

your life can either reinforce your identity or chip away

at it. That’s why learning to discern who should walk

with you is critical—not everyone has the character to

carry your calling.

Covey’s insight reminds us that healing doesn’t happen

on hope alone—it requires intentionality. And trust

isn’t built overnight. It’s built in the small, consistent

acts of love, honesty, and presence. Every healthy

relationship is held together by trust like a bridge over

past pain.

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Healing Starts with You

We often think that having better people in our life will

fix everything. But attracting healthy people starts with

being healthy yourself. The cycle of unhealthy

connections continues until you heal the part of you

that keeps choosing familiar pain over unfamiliar

freedom.

This is your invitation to take inventory of your

connections, but also of your own heart. What are you

attracting—and why?

Sometimes we repel good people not because they’re

wrong, but because we haven’t fully accepted love

ourselves. Until you embrace your own worth, even

pure intentions will feel like manipulation. Until you

trust your own voice, every correction will sound like

condemnation.

You are your greatest asset.

And your true wealth is in discovering who you are—

apart from status, applause, or possessions.

One of my friends Pastor Ron Williams calls this

internal alignment “Godfidence.” It’s the kind of

confidence that comes not from a title, a check, or a

number on a scale—but from knowing you are divinely

created, deeply loved, and assigned for impact. You

can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. You can only

become that.

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How to Cultivate Healthy Relationships (Starting

Now)

Here are five quick but powerful steps to build real

wealth through real relationships:

1. Heal First.

Take responsibility for your wounds. Own what hurt

you without becoming what hurt you. Therapy,

journaling, prayer, and trusted counsel can all help you

heal internally so you stop bleeding on people who

didn’t cut you.

2. Choose Intentional Circles.

Audit your circle. Who energizes you? Who drains

you? Who tells you the truth? Who only claps when

you’re down? Build relationships with people who add

value—not just history.

3. Learn to Trust Again.

Yes, people failed you. But that doesn’t mean everyone

will. Open your heart gradually. Trust isn’t foolish

when it’s guarded by wisdom.

4. Be the Friend You Need.

Sow what you want to reap. Want loyalty? Be loyal.

Want kindness? Offer it. Want accountability?

Welcome it. The best way to attract healthy people is to

become one.

5. Stay Rooted in Purpose.

When you live with intention, it filters who has access.

Not everyone deserves a seat at your table. Set

boundaries, not walls. Give access based on alignment,

not emotional attachment.

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Your True Net Worth

We’ve been conditioned to chase things that can’t hold

us when we’re crying at night. We’ve been told that

comfort comes in commas and peace comes in

possessions. But truth be told, your most valuable

investments will always be people.

So build relationships that outlast your resume.

Surround yourself with voices that call out the best in

you. And remember: you don’t have to do this journey

alone.

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of attracting the wrong

people, I want to help. Let’s break that pattern together.

Let’s uproot what keeps you from trusting again.

There’s a version of you that’s not tied to your past

pain—but to your Godfidence, your purpose, and your

healing.

Discover your true wealth.

It’s not on Wall Street.

It’s in your connections.

And it starts with you.