Have you ever wondered why some people, even though they don’t earn more than others, live with increasing ease—while others work tirelessly, accumulate relentlessly, yet always lack a sense of security? Because most people are hoarding tangible assets, but they overlook the intangible assets that truly generate compound growth. Savings can shrink, jobs can change, industries can be replaced, and many visible things may lose value as the environment changes—but cognition, mindset, learning ability, emotional stability, physical condition, credit, and perspective will continue to grow, just like interest.

So-called self-abundance is, at its core, a low-cost process of hoarding intangible assets. When others put all their time into fighting for immediate gains, you are quietly improving your cognition. When others are drained by their emotions, you’re cultivating your inner disposition. When others rely on external sources for a sense of security, you’re training yourself to create that security from within. These things aren’t flashy, but they can keep generating “red envelopes” for you in the future.

Tangible assets determine what you have now; intangible assets determine what you’ll be able to create in the future. The truly smart often aren’t just people who know how to make money—they’re people who understand how to use life’s most precious resource, time, to continuously hoard intangible assets that no one else can take away and that can generate interest for a lifetime.