Rich means having a great deal of assets, wealthy, plentiful, or even interesting.  It has something to do with “more” but it doesn’t have to be any specific thing.

Most people think of money when they are exposed to the word but I’ve developed an immunity to that concept.  I think of money all day long (especially during the week), so it may be some sort of creative outlet.  However, I’ve seen and heard some fascinating stories unfold over the last couple years of The Impactmaker movement.

The richest people have more than just one thing in life.  Money can certainly be part of it, but it’s usually also related to joy, relationships, non-monetary (or even physical) possessions.  Liam Sanford and I always talk about “the rich life” in our Wednesday Twitter Space called “The Creator’s Unwind”.   

The King

Just like the word “rich”, the word “king” has taken on more colloquial meaning in modern times.  There are’t many true kings and queens left in the world.  That form of government has been replaced by more democratic models.  This is certainly not a political blog but I think most can agree that outright monarchy as an imbalanced way to govern.

So, what has the “king” become.  It now refers to someone who is really good at something or considered the best in their field.  

Michael Jackson was the king of pop.  Lebron James is the king of basketball (I know Jordan fans, Leb’s nickname was self-given).  There’s a whole Wikipedia article with a list of people nicknamed “King”.  All of these people are at least, super-talented at something.  

A New Definition

As long as we are not using the traditional definition of “king”, why don’t we keep advancing our understanding of the concept?

What if its meaning started to shift toward having an abundance of what one has determined as uniquely valuable to them alone?

The key is unique.  There’s a lot of things in the world that most people would say they’d be happy to have - money being the easiest one to identify.  You can buy anything with money, right?  That’s for another entry but I believe there are much more important things that we should desire.  

Let me be clear in saying that it’s okay to desire money.  I am fully convinced though, that it is not the sole answer to anything save a winning Monopoly or some other game or simulation.  

The new definition of “king” should be focused on people who are in a state of life that is admirable but not unachievable by anyone.  

There’s Plenty

The great thing about this new definition is that it’s way different than money.  If you’ve read my book, Personal Finance in a Public World, you’d know about the chapter on cryptocurrency.  There’s a bit of a focus on macroeconomics (in a totally excited way, I promise!).  

The monetary system that we have in the world right now is called “fiat”.  The Federal Reserve is  the central banking authority and has control of a few important things, including the money supply itself.  

“Defi” or decentralized finance supporters would argue that cryptocurrency (largely Bitcoin) is a worthy replacement for the U.S. Dollar as the world’s reserve currency.  In other words, the Federal Reserve and many other reserve banks around the world should not have control of the money in the world.  

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum (and it is a spectrum between one extreme of thought and the other), the new idea of kingship and richness doesn’t face the same issues that monetary policy does.  

I am not arguing for a replacement or elimination of money.  We could start a whole new podcast and blog about economics.  Hit me up in the DMs on Twitter or IG (@bdepa) to talk about this!

My thoughts are strictly related to the abundance of joy (richness) we can find in the world.  There’s no limit like Bitcoin (21 million) or inflation like the U.S. Dollar.  There’s such an opportunity to achieve an abundance of richness that everyone could be a king or queen should they desire.  It could be a state of being and not a status.  

Imagine if you had the choice to be a king or queen?  It wasn’t related to your bloodline, war, lust, politics, or monetary policy?

The Future is Now (and the Past)

Some new things are less about being truly new and more about repurposing something in a different form.  I’ll admit, as much as I like to consider myself an innovator, in this case, I’m just recreating an age old form.  

I’ve been hearing and talking a lot about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs recently.  In it’s original form, the top of the pyramid (the pinnacle of human fulfillment) was self-actualization.  More recently, psychologists have identified an additional step - helping others achieve what you have.  It’s all about service to others.  Seem like a familiar concept here?

My church has been reading a book and participating in study/challenge called The Red Letter Challenge by Zach Zehnder.  I had the pleasure of seeing Zach co-lead the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) National Youth Gathering in Houston this past summer.  I owe credit for inspiration to Zach and the challenge.  

I am referencing the above scenario because my new definition of “king” really isn’t that new.  It’s related to Maslow and modern psychologists’ studies of actualization.  Humans have a  natural desire to help others and reach a special state of joy where they and others around them feel a sense of purpose.

Innovation

The desire to help the next person is related to innovation and advancement of society.  Some might say leaving a legacy is a different conversation but I disagree.  I think there is a direct relation between your current purpose in life and the purpose of the next generation.  I’d be curious to talk to some psychologists and philosophers about this but I am sure that our human desire is beyond just ourselves in physical space but also in time.  

Being selfless is not just looking to the person beside you but also to the person behind you in time (or the person in the future, the time ahead of you depending on how you look at it).

I suppose this concept is why The Impactmaker Movement provides so much meaning.  Unfortunately, there are issues in the current world to address.  But knowing that gives us hope, desire, and purpose that we can innovate for good.  

Innovation doesn’t have to mean semiconductors, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.  In fact, I think it’s most impressive to change things that are solely human and have been that way since the beginning of time.  

If you are a computer programmer, I hope you can create the first self-flying commercial plane or create a teleportation device.  But what about the rest of us?  I think we can innovate healthier ways to communicate with, share, lead, follow, and support each other.

We can get “rich” by finding better ways to actualize each other.  

Old News

At the risk of undercutting this whole entry, the whole concept is as old as time.  Maybe we’ve just experienced some mission drift as a society.  I’ve referenced this concept before (so not only am I copying philosophers of old, I’m also repeating myself, haha).  Here’s a new related reference - Mission Drift by Peter Greer and Chris Horst.

It’s possible that serving others was a clear focus for fulfillment many moons ago.  Actually, people weren’t as self-sufficient back then.  Tribes had to band together to survive.  This is more proof that the human race was designed to enjoy helping others.  Otherwise, the main concept for survival would have been a drag and our ancestors wouldn’t have survived.

Over the millennia, we’ve made communicating with each other easier but the desire to less.  It’s almost as if we don’t know what we have (until it’s gone…).  It’s up to us as the current generation to take a step back as we continue to push forward.  Our innovation will be considering concepts of the past and applying them to the world of day.

Oh, the Irony

Ironically, “king”, a term of the past, is actually a concept for the future - at least how I look at it.

Apparently, there are 43 sovereign states where a monarch is in charge.  That seems like a lot but many are not absolute monarchies.  You can study history and learn about how hard it was to be a king.  

King Tutankhamun (Tut) was just a teenager when he claimed the throne of Egypt.  It was about lineage, not merit.

Let’s make the new age “king” a much more desirable title - one that doesn’t necessarily come with financial riches but one that provides a wealth of fulfillment and actualization for the person and those around them.

The “King of Impact” is not the person who made the biggest impact, or had the most, or led the largest non-profit organization.  It’s the group of people that felt as if they used what they were best at to help others do the same and advance society at the same time.  

I’ve determined as a result of the thought energy needed to produce this energy that positive impact is closely related to innovation.  

Impactmakers really have two focuses, doing the best with what they’ve been blessed and making the future better for those whose present and past haven’t been that great.

Accept your crown, Kings and Queens.  You’ve inherited a meaningful throne.