The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life

“They had independently focused on a variety of things: build lasting relationships, have fun, invest in your future mental and physical wellness, raise well-adjusted kids, and more. There was certainly immense value in what I heard but perhaps even more value in what I didn’t. In all the advice, insight, and wisdom shared, there was a notable omission. No one mentioned money.”

In this crucial passage, the author recounts his experience of asking a group of seniors for life advice and noting the wide variety of suggestions that he received. Because none of the seniors focused on financial wealth, Bloom concluded that this particular form of wealth is not the most essential aspect of Living a Balanced Life. Instead, the seniors tended to discuss their relationships and health. This quotation therefore supports Bloom’s broader injunction that people prioritize these intangible but essential forms of wealth in order to increase their life satisfaction.

“You’re walking this perilous path because of one simple mistake: You’re measuring the wrong thing. Money. When a measure of performance becomes an explicit, stated goal, humans will prioritize it, regardless of any associated and unintended consequences.”

Bloom laments the fact that because money is so easily measured, people become obsessed with earning more of it and often use it as a measure of their own worth and success. This discussion suggests that people are automatically inclined to fixate on concrete forms of measurement while neglecting the more qualitative aspects of their lives. This passage supports Bloom’s recurring discussions on the importance of Overcoming Biases and Social Conditioning, and he challenges people to use his system to measure their other wealth types.