When I say "equity," what comes to mind? Probably most people think "home," or "home equity" or even "home equity loan." Equity is the value difference between what you owe on something, and what that something is worth.

It can be anything.

There is also negative equity. That’s when you owe more for something than it’s worth. This happens most often involving cars. Some are also finding it to be the case in real estate. It’s called being "upside down."

How about "net worth?" What words come to mind? Most people still think "capital" or "money."

I doubt that most people think about their net worth. They just work, spend, invest, or save. Adding it all up only occurs when someone asks for a financial statement or you’re about to retire and want to see if there’s enough.

To me the easiest way to think of the difference between net worth and equity is that you have equity in individual items or things. Add them all up, subtracting all debt, and then you have your net worth.

But we do ourselves a disservice to think of equity and net worth just in terms money - even though a lot of people, especially accountants and bankers, do.

You have equity in lots of things but the net worth of your life’s experiences can be measured in value far exceeding money. And I admit money is always nice.

So what is your net worth? Not enough? If you say so, it’s because you are only measuring money. What is the equity you have built? This is also about personal worth and personal equity.

The more personal equity you build, the better your finances will be.

Here are a few equity areas for you to look at and question:

• Relationship equity. Who are you building equity with? What principles are they built on? What is the value of these relationships if they are lost? Are you building relationship equity with the customers you need in business and the family and friends you love?

• Business equity. What are you doing besides making profit that leads to success? How about your good will and your career in charity and the community?

• Brand equity. I’m talking you, not just your products or your business. Create brand "you" with your personal website, your blog, your weekly value-driven e-mail magazine delivered to every customer and prospect.

• Lifelong learning equity. How much of a personal time investment are you making in learning to become better at what you do?

• Sales knowledge equity. Are you better than the rest? Or are you just making your numbers (or maybe even less than that)? If knowledge is strength, then diverting your time away from building knowledge equity is weakness.

• Library equity. What books are you thinking about getting and reading? Why are they still on someone else’s shelf? How much time do you devote to reading every day? As much as you should?

• Travel equity. Do you travel for fun, knowledge, business and to "get away?" What have you learned? How has travel helped you grow?

• Creative equity. Do you know you can learn to be more creative? Do you know every one of your customers and they would love it if you had an idea for them?

• Reputation equity. How are you spoken about? And who speaks about you?

• Sweat equity. Usually this is applied to entrepreneurs; it’s the time put in building the business at little or no pay. But it really means anything you work hard for.

• Sweet equity. Spend time doing what you love, with the people you love. It reduces tension, stress, and worry and increases fame, fortune, and fulfillment.

All of that equity adds up to your personal net worth – not measured in dollars, but in who you have become. And the value can be measured in your success, your relationships, your happiness, and your fulfillment. Hard to put a dollar value on that.

Do you want equity information as to where you can put a dollar value? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the words "banker equity" in the GitBit box.

Contact Jeffrey Gitomer at salesman@gitomer.com or (704) 333-1112. Gitomer is president of Buy Gitomer in Charlotte, N.C., and the author of "The Little Red Book of Selling." He gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. Sales Moves appears weekly.