How Do You Value Your Time & Money? Does One Supersede The Other…

Let’s face it. The most difficult question you ever had to ask yourself was: What is life? There is no easy way to answer this controversial query, and some might say there aren’t any answers to this strange question. No matter what life may be, the fact remains that we experience it every day, and sometimes in a never-ending loop.

The feeling of repetitiveness gets to us sometimes, and in the end, we end up questioning exactly what it is we live for. While many may say ‘money’ is the deciding factor for all effort in life, many may say we are simply passing ‘time’.

This connection between ‘time’ and ‘money’ leads to an interesting balance, with which we seldom struggle with. The relativity of time and money is a strange topic to ponder upon, but may be the answer to your life’s biggest questions.

The Length of Time is Relative

Before understanding the relativity theory of time and money, we must come to terms with some undeniable facts. The first of which is that time, much like everything else in life, is a very relative aspect. Everyone experiences time in their own individual manners, so there is no clear cut way to define how long or how short a period of time may be on a universal scale.

Think about it. When you were a baby, you had no idea time even existed, yet you passed every day crying, eating or laughing. When you were a child, you had so much to do and so much to explore, yet you feel like time is running slowly. It isn’t possible to endure even an hour of boredom at such an active age. Every second must be spent in amusement.

Growing up to near adulthood, you would feel like the world is your oyster, and you have all the time in the world to do anything you want. However, that idea comes crashing down at middle-ages, when you realise half of your life was spent chasing after what you presumed was a plausible goal. As you grow older and the body starts giving up, you realise how you could have spent your life doing bigger and better things.

Time never really seems to be stagnant at any given point. It is as unpredictable as summer rain and as wild as an upstream river.

The Value of Money is Relative

Haven’t you come across people who say “Without money, life is nothing”? Perhaps you believe in such an assumption too. Sadly, the need for money stems from the basic foundation of the human mind. The greed in us keeps wanting more, even when we have adequate. Because of this, an income of 1k seems minuscule to an income of 5k, even if the quantity or quality of work might not be the same.

We want a house bigger than the one we have now, hence we want 20k when we have 10k in our hands. Nothing would beat a fancier car, so let’s go for a wage of 100k per month even when 50k is doing just fine. This constant need implies that no matter how much money we may have, it is never enough.

My friend Aaron Tang, a blog writer, states that this need can be combatted by careful calculations of monthly incomes and aiming for financial stability instead of the simple ‘want for money’. Even then, the inarguable fact remains: Money is relative, and it is never enough.

Time and Money

As unobvious, it may seem, both these relative factors are quite inversely proportional to each other. When you are old, you realise that you have acquired a lot of money, but don’t have the time to spend it all.

Conversely, a young person will have a lot of time to spare, but won’t have enough money to do everything his curious mind wants. Striking a balance between time and money is quite difficult, but is certainly possible.

An obvious approach would be spending less to save up for the future. Even at an old age, no one is stopping you from enjoying your hard-earned wealth with beloved family members. Another option to consider can be to “under-promise, but over-deliver”.

Instead of making grand vows about what you want to achieve, just put in maximum effort into the work you are doing now. The climb to success is definitely a steep one, but as long as you are saving carefully for ‘long term growth’, you will realise how well you are utilising both time and money. Keep in mind that simplicity is never a bad path to take. Sometimes, it’s even the best.

Achieving Happiness

At the end of the day, happiness is what truly matters in life, and it occurs when we make use of the two most important resources at our disposal: time and money. Instead of wanting more, be satisfied with yourself when you reach a decent economic status, where you have a good house, a good car and plenty of savings for the future. You don’t need to be richer than your neighbour to be happy. You just need to find the balance between the time you have left and the money you have earned to find true meaning in life.

Even if your income is increased, spend no more than what you need. Yes, you may splurge on occasions, but always ask yourself: How do I reach the next level of happiness?

The answer varies between individuals, but a general consensus would agree that happiness is whenever you have used your time without regret. Financial prosperity and landing promotions are always great but don’t get lost in your own success.

Spend some time to look at those who may be inferior in economic status and lend a helping hand. That way, you will be spending both your time and money in a much better way. In the end, there is no easy way to strike a balance between time and money since they are so relative. But a bit of moderation can go a long way.

Stay honest and keep working hard, and you will find that balance sooner than you think.