The best currency in the world

When we think about the word "currency," our minds naturally turn to the different forms of money used around the world. Currencies such as the US dollar, British pound, Chinese yuan, and many others have facilitated global trade for centuries, connecting people from different cultures across the globe.

But if we take a step back and ask why money matters in the first place, it all comes down to one word:

Trust.

Money is simply a way for humans to establish trust with strangers. You and I may come from completely different cultures, follow different religions, and hold different opinions. But if we both trust that the Chinese yuan has value, we can trade and do business using it without ever personally knowing each other.

In other words, the best currency in the world is trust.

We spend so much time thinking about how to earn more money, yet we often forget to think about how to earn more trust. Trust is earned by doing what you promise to do.

If you say you are going to complete a project by a certain date, complete it by that date. If you say you are going to repay money you borrowed from someone, repay them on time. If you say you are going to buy flowers for your spouse, buy the flowers on that day.

It sounds simple, but it is never easy.

So when we say that relationships matter in business, what we really mean is that trust matters in business. And the more trust you earn, the easier it becomes to create opportunities in life.

Books

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari