THOUGHT ESSAYS are your weekly dose of open-ended, playfully subversive explorations that invite you to think differently about the everyday and the systemic alike.
Does it annoy anyone else when people boast that their success was attributed “just showing up” and “doing the work”? It assumes that it’s not a whole process in and of itself to simply understand the invisible scaffolding of what is the right work to pursue and what is distracting. Frankly, it feels like a naive, self-congratulatory cesspool which completely ignores the network of support one might have around them to point them in the right directions of what to focus on, who else to meet, where to hang around, what to study, and on.
In this nature, it is sort of a societal hoodwink that we celebrate the “self-made” success. As if anyone is genuinely makes it on their own.
Humans are social creatures, and nobody succeeds alone.
Yes, we live in a capitalist society. Money is undeniably important. But to call yourself self-made while ignoring the diversity of wealth beyond your bank account is like declaring yourself a gourmet chef for microwaving leftovers. Your emotional intelligence, your family support, your health, your education, your citizenship, even the cultural and legal infrastructure you were born into — all of these are currencies too. They shape your capacity to act, to risk, and to create value.
Acknowledging the wealth you already possess — beyond financial assets — does not diminish your achievements. It equips you. It illuminates your genuine risk profile, your authentic gifts, and the opportunities where you are most likely to succeed. It’s like mapping your capital before your place your next bet on life, creativity, and culture.
So, here is a radical idea: audit your wealth. Not just your finances, but every asset that shapes your capacity to thrive. The tangible, intangible, and invisible. See the network you are part of. You a node within it, not a freestanding island.
From that perspective, start to see how ideas, leverage, and opportunity flow.
Your self-wealth audit: 10 questions to ask yourself.
What safety nets do I have — financial, social, or legal — which afford me to take risks that others couldn’t?
Which people, and how many, have directly or indirectly influenced my thinking, choices, and opportunities?
How emotionally literate am I? Can I navigate conflict, setbacks, and stress effectively?
What physical, mental, and spiritual resources support my performance and endurance?
Do I have a healthy sense of identity that fuels my direction, purpose, and decision-making?
How rich is my access to knowledge, education, and cultural capital?
Do I have grounded habits, routines, or practices which give me energy, focus, and flow?
How connected am I to communities that reinforce my innate human value?
Where do I have agency in my life; where I am not constrained by circumstance or system?
How resilient is my capacity to integrate learnings from my failures, to pivot accordingly, and continue creating value?