The Money Scale: Understanding Wealth Beyond Professional Skills
There are a lot of talented people in the world, but not all of them are wealthy. This is because wealth is not just a reflection of their career skills, but their overall life skills.
Table of Contents
- What I’ve noticed about wealth and skills
- The skills I keep seeing in wealthy people
- My “money scale” theory
- But hold on - this theory has holes
- What this means for me
- Final thoughts
What I’ve noticed about wealth and skills
Take this video editor I know. The guy is phenomenal at what he does - his work is creative, technically perfect, everything you’d want. But he’s constantly stressed about money while other people in the industry who produce mediocre work are thriving.
At first, I thought maybe the world is just unfair (which, let’s be honest, it often is). But the more I observed, the more I realized something: maybe wealth isn’t just about being good at your job. Maybe it’s about being good at life.
The skills I keep seeing in wealthy people
This is just what I’ve noticed, but the people I know who are doing well financially seem to share certain traits that go way beyond their professional skills:
Soft Skills and Communication
- Networking, relationship-building, and communication. They connect with clients, other professionals and colleagues nicely.
- They can read a room and adapt their approach.
- Emotional intelligence - they understand people and how to motivate them.
Financial Management Skills
- They are not just earning the money, but managing it along.
- They find opportunities for multiple income streams, both stable and side hustles.
- They invest their money smart with discipline and strategy (and I still struggle with this one).
Business and Market Skills
- They understand their position and their value in the market. They don’t undersell themselves.
- They can negotiate effectively, whether it’s with clients or for their own salary.
Self-Management and Productivity
- They set boundaries for their work and personal life. This helps them avoid burnout and stay productive for a long period.
- They prioritize their time and energy on what matters most, ignore all the noises, the dramas, and the distractions.
My “money scale” theory
I think money might actually be a pretty good scale for measuring overall life skills. Not the only scale, and definitely not perfect, but still useful.
If someone is talented but not making money, maybe they’re missing some of these other skills. And if someone is making good money, they probably figured out at least a few things beyond just their core profession.
My apologies if it sounds too harsh, but I think this is a fair way to look at it. It’s not that talent doesn’t matter - it absolutely does. But talent alone isn’t enough if you don’t have the broader skills to back it up.
But hold on - this theory has holes
I realized I was being too simplistic. There’s a lot of stuff that affects wealth that has nothing to do with skills:
External Factors Beyond Individual Control
- People have different starting points.
- Timing matters (and luck sometimes plays a role here)
- Some people just don’t care about making money (and that’s fine as long as they are happy)
- Life isn’t fair anyways.
So while I still think the “money scale” is interesting, it’s not the whole story.
What this means for me
I’ve been using this framework to look at my own situation. That’s when I tell myself to improve and grow, learn more and more skills aside the cores.
I ain’t perfect. I do realized alot of those stuff I mentioned but still, sometimes I find myself struggling at the same thing actually, haha. Sometimes I get burned out, distracted by the noise, or just lose sight of the bigger picture. But I think that’s fine, as long as I am still trying.
Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to realize the gaps, but at least it gives me something concrete to work on.
Final thoughts
Money definitely isn’t everything, and it’s not the ultimate measure of a person’s worth. But I do think it can tell us something about the ecosystem of skills someone has developed.
I’m still figuring this out myself, but that’s my current thinking on why talent alone doesn’t always translate to financial success. You can read more about my personal journey and approach to growth in my writing and perspectives.
I’m have my admiration for people who are talented, and people who are wealthy, and people who are both. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are all great. It’s just who I want to be, which is why I try to learn and grow from the person I want to be.