Currencies That Make the World Go Round

Seeing and valuing the many flows between us

“Questions about money are questions about living.” - Emily Sullivan

“What we’re really after is a feeling.” - Peter Sonnenberg

Currency comes from the Latin root currens, which means flowing or running; it describes the movement or circulation of something. I became intrigued by all of the different flavors of currency that might exist when I heard my beloved yoga teacher reference the movement of currency, or lifeforce, in the body. It was a clue to take a closer look at this whole currency thing.  

It’s natural to fixate on money as the currency of our time; it’s ever-present, easy to measure, and increasingly easy to exchange. In this sense, money is a tangible marker of value with tremendous signaling power. Earning it, having it, and giving it can become an important sense of purpose, and even identity, in our own lives. But a thriving life requires so much more than the circulation of money. And if we start paying close attention, we’ll see how many other currencies are circulating to and from us all the time. Currencies that have tremendous and under-appreciated value. We are far more resourced, and resourcing of others, than we think!

I was talking to a new friend about this dynamic recently. He’s part of a tight knit community of people who lead very different lifestyles. When he realized that some of his peers were struggling to pay for certain group experiences, he initiated a conversation about how they could better show up and care for each other. It wasn’t long into the discussion before some of his own non-financial needs surfaced. As a new dad, he was short on time and low on in-person connection. What he wanted most was for someone to make a trip to see and spend time with him. He described to me how heartened some of peers were to hear that they could offer something “of value” by simply showing up at his house for a hangout. We don’t tend to think about visiting a busy friend as a currency at our disposal, but it is…and it’s just as real as a financial flow. 

On a similar note, I was checking out at my local grocery store the other day, and as I was about to walk out the door, the cashier looked me in the eye and thanked me for my kindness. I could tell he was touched, and I was a bit surprised that our 30-second interaction had meant enough to him to say something about it. His acknowledgement was so meaningful to me; it gave my actions value. I thought to myself, “wow, I have kindness to give?” 

These recent experiences inspired me to start compiling a list of currencies, something of value that can be given and/or received, to see what else I might be overlooking. As soon as I opened my notebook, examples started flooding in…and they haven’t stopped. Below you’ll find my working list.

Currencies:

• Able-bodiedness

• Access to nature

• Acknowledgement

• Active listening

• Acts of service

• Appreciation

• Art

• Assistance

• Attention

• Beauty

• Brainstorming

• Breath

• Candor

• Celebrations

• Charisma

• Chi

• Clean air

• Coaching

• Companionship

• Conversation

• Correspondence

• Credit

• Curation

• Design

• Drawing

• Dreams

• Education

• Encouragement

• Experience

• Expertise

• Exploration

• Eye contact

• Facilitation

• Feedback

• Food

• Forgiveness

• Fresh perspective

• Friendship

• Gathering place

• Generosity

• Generous assumption

• Gifts

• Gratitude

• Healing arts

• Healthy soil

• Hospitality

• Humor

• Innovation

• Insights

• Inspiration

• Intellect

• Introductions

• Intuition

• Invitations

• Justice

• Kindness

• Knowledge

• Laughter

• Leadership

• Literacy

• Love

• Money

• Music

• Opportunities

• Organization

• Partnership

• Passion

• Physical space

• Physical strength

• Planning

• Poetry

• Prayer

• Presence

• Quality time

• Recognition

• Recommendations

• Referrals

• Research

• Respect

• Smiles

• Song

• Storytelling

• Structure

• Style

• Time

• Understanding

• Vision

• Vitality

• Water

• Wisdom

• Words of affirmation

• Writing

While this list is incomplete, it paints a much more holistic picture of wealth—one that feels a lot more true, at least to me. I see how many of these currencies I am giving and/or receiving on a regular basis, and by seeing them, I value them. I make them “real.” The intention of this list is not to dismiss the importance of money; it’s to contextualize money as one currency in a much larger web of exchanges that are taking place all the time. It’s to present a more comprehensive view of the conditions that create a thriving life, of which money is a part. It’s to help us see how many resources we actually already have—and to help us let more of those resources in.

May we be willing to receive all of the goodness that is already here, and may that be enough, at least for now.