Social Capital

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in. ­– John (the apostle)  

Let’s say you want to start your dream business. You think of every item you need, you search out a location and find a perfect one, and your heart is racing to see it begin. Then you receive a report from your financial adviser who says to you, “This business will need N2,000,000 to get off the ground.” At that moment your mind goes to your account balance and you remember that you barely have N2,000 left. The next thought that goes through your mind is, “You stupid dreamer, you better wake up!”

If you are like most of us, this story describes you and your response to the universal start-up enemy: financial capital. It is easy to place a money-estimation on virtually every aspect of your life. The interesting thing about money is that the moment you bring it into a free flowing idea thought line you go blank. It often seems like the brick wall that cannot be surmounted.

Financial capital blocks our ideas because we fail to look at other forms of capital. One of such capitals is the social capital. Social capital involves every single person you know; relatives, friends, acquaintances, and the like. Social capital will open doors that financial capital may never be able to. If your dream is to meet one-on-one with the UN Secretary General, for example, you may not have the wherewithal from where you are to achieve this dream. But what if you knew the president of your country on a personal level? All you need is to hop in an official trip to the United Nations Assembly and your dream may be achieved.

           {To order for my new book, Do it Like Kids, click here}

        Do not look down on the people in your life. They are all there for a reason. I regularly remind myself that people are more important than things – because they truly are.