Billion Dollar Relationships
I was recently hit with one of the most perplexing questions I’ve ever been asked: “How much would you sell our relationship for?”
People of emotion shoot back instantly....I would never
People of logic start running numbers.
One’s usually lying to themselves.
The other sounds shallow.
Neither feels like the kind of mindset I want shaping who I am.
I’m a romantic at heart. I want billion-dollar relationships. The kind you can’t buy, sell, or replace.
I want the friends who are there when you’re at rock bottom. The ones who, when you say, “I need you to do something stupid with me and don’t ask questions,” they just say, “Who’s driving?”
That’s one end of the spectrum, the everyday, in-the-trenches kind of people. The ones who have a seat in our life today, not just in your past.
Here’s where it gets weird. I also have family members I talk to maybe once a year. Some I haven’t talked to in years. And yet… I wouldn’t want to sell those relationships either.
It’s a strange paradox. There’s no constant contact. No regular updates. Sometimes the whole relationship exists in shared history and a quiet knowing if something ever happened, we’d be there for each other. Instantly. I could go years without seeing them, but one conversation and you pick up right where you left off.
It’s not about the frequency of interaction. It’s about the depth of the bond. That’s where people get confused. We think only the people we see daily deserve top-tier value. Some bonds run so deep they stay rooted even when the branches grow in different directions.
Then there’s the cat. I once asked my wife if she’d take a million dollars for our geriatric cat. She didn’t even blink. “No.”
She didn’t run the numbers. She didn’t think about what a million could do for us. To her, the cat was family. Ten years of life we couldn’t get back for any price. Every morning coffee with the cat curled up beside her. Every dumb little moment that only meant something to her. That’s a value you can’t translate into a check.
That’s when it hit me: some connections live outside the market. They can’t be priced.
But I’m going to push you on this.
Stop and think about what $50 million really is. Not “a lot of money.” No, break it down. That’s never-work-again money. That’s “your kids and grandkids are set for life” money. That’s paying off every debt you’ve ever had, buying your dream home outright, traveling anywhere you want, and still having more in the bank than you could spend in a lifetime. That’s private jets, oceanfront property, and waking up every morning without the weight of financial stress.
Now… what relationship would you still say no to?
Don’t answer quick. Dig deep. You’re not going to have dozens. You might not even have five. But do you have at least one? One person you wouldn’t trade for $50 million, even if it meant turning your whole life upside down?
This is where it gets uncomfortable. Because if you can’t name one, what does this say about the relationships in your life? If you can name one, are you living like they’re worth that much? Or are they just sitting there, unappreciated, while you keep saying “we should get together soon” for years on end?
We love to claim certain people are priceless to us, but our actions don’t match it. We act like they’ll always be there. We let time, work, and distractions get in the way. We take the “always” relationships for granted because we think they’ll survive neglect. We take the “now” relationships for granted because they’re so woven into our daily life we stop noticing them.
Both can slip away. And once they’re gone, no amount of money can buy them back.
I’ve started looking at my life through this lens. I want to fill it with billion-dollar relationships. Not the ones that are worth a billion on paper. The ones I wouldn’t trade for a billion, period.
This changes the way you operate. It makes you invest in people differently. You call when you don’t feel like calling. You show up when you could make an excuse. You prioritize connection over convenience.
The thing is, billion-dollar relationships aren’t built by accident. They take time, vulnerability, and sometimes a little bit of chaos. They take showing up when it’s inconvenient, standing by someone when it’s unpopular, and having the kind of history that’s been through enough storms to know it can take another one.
They also require you to be a billion-dollar relationship to someone else. This is the part most people miss. You can’t demand this level of loyalty, love, and depth without being willing to give it in return.
So here’s my challenge: write down the names of the people you wouldn’t trade for $50 million. If you have at least one, you’re blessed. If you have a few, you’re rich in the way that matters. But here’s the question....does the way you live show them this? Or are they worth $50 million in your heart but treated like they’re worth $50 in your calendar?
I don’t want to just have billion-dollar relationships in theory. I want to live like they’re worth this much in reality. I want to make decisions, spend my time, and show my loyalty in a way that leaves no doubt. If I’m not willing to invest in them, then saying “I’d never trade you for $50 million” is just cheap talk.
Money can buy a lot. It can solve problems, open doors, and make life comfortable. But it can’t buy back trust once it’s broken. It can’t recreate decades of history. It can’t replace the way it feels to know someone would walk through fire for you without asking questions.
When I think about it like this, I don’t just want one billion-dollar relationship. I want a life full of them. I want to be surrounded by people who are worth more than any check I could cash.... and I want to be that person for them.
So, take the challenge. Think about $50 million. Think about what that really means. Then look at the people in your life and ask yourself, who would I still say no for? If the list is short, that’s ok. Just make sure it exists. And make sure they know it.
The only thing sadder than not having billion-dollar relationships… is realizing too late that you did, and you didn’t treat them like it.
Today’s Forced Challenge: I want you to FORCE yourself to attack at least one of these challenges:
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Live It Out: Start working to be that kind of billion dollar person to those you love.
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Tell Them: If you have at least one person in your life that makes the list...explain this theory and tell them they are that person for you.
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Spend Time: Cancel one non-essential task this week and replace it with intentional, quality time with someone that matters to you.
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Rebuild a Bridge: Call or message someone you haven’t spoken to in over a year but still value. Reconnect before you need to.
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Resolve It: If there’s tension or an unresolved conflict with someone of great value to you, be the one to initiate the conversation to fix it.
In the end, the people worth that much to you aren’t measured in days spent together or pictures on a wall...they’re measured in the way their absence would hollow you out and their presence makes you whole.
Money will always have a number. True relationships don’t. So live like the ones you have are rare, because they are. When the world waves its biggest check in your face, you’ll smile, turn it down, and walk back to the people who make you more wealthy than you could ever spend.
“Some people are so poor, all they have is money.” — Patrick Meagher
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