Lifestyle Design Decisions: What is more valuable Money or Time?

The best way that I know how to honor my most valuable asset is to be Present and Aware now.

What are you doing with your time?

Having been a paramedic for so many years and seeing death at my doorstep so often, I have a different appreciation of time. So when I approach people and talk about time, I do it in a very deliberate way. I ask, "What is your most cherished memory?"
Most people do not respond with "Getting a paycheck every other week." It usually has to do with how they shared an experience with someone, learned a new skill, received an award, etc... I am not discounting the importance of making money, because I think it is an important tool for an enriched life.

Simple Truths I've Learned about Money and Time

Can Money make you Happy?

While some may think I am completely insane about this, there has been research that shows once basic human needs are met (food, shelter, clothing etc...) which equates to about $40,000 (okay maybe $50,000 in California) the additional income does NOT significantly increase one's happiness levels.

More money does not equate to more happiness.

Trust me, I've known many people with a lot of money that are more miserable now than before. (Added stress, added possessions, added risk etc)

Can Money Buy Time?

While you can argue that money can allow one to work more efficiently, hire help to do tasks that one doesn't have time to do, money, in it's purest form is really just a mechanism for trade.

It is no different than when the farmers used bales of grain to trade for a cow. You cannot physically buy time, it is not tangible.

You TRADE money for TIME. This is what most employees do, or if you are hiring help, this is what you are doing by hiring a house cleaner, personal assistant etc...
But let me be very clear here, you cannot BUY TIME. You cannot "own" time and you certainly cannot make more of it. You can just enjoy each minute as it comes!

A New Goal This Year

So as I am sitting here, and reflecting on my past, I cannot change it, only appreciate the lessons that the past has taught me. I cannot change the experiences that time has already delivered, I cannot pay to get that time back. I can only be present in the NOW time. (Oh, and that's a free activity by the way!)

The best way that I know how to honor my most valuable asset is to be Present and Aware now. For me this sometimes means turning my brain off, and sitting in the stress, the emptiness, the anxiety of the now.

Is it hard for you to "shut it off" like me? Yes! I get anxious like I should be doing something. That something is just stuff to fill up my time, it's not my conscious decision about how I want to spend my time.

After some practice, that anxiety passes, and soon your time will be spent in relaxation, enjoyment, and happiness.

My second goal is to either be spending my time in one of two states:

1. Relaxation/Enjoyment or
2. Productivity.

The in-between states are just clutter that fill your life, add stress and don't honor your time. See my "To-Do" list for a short list of things that bring relaxation and enjoyment!

Productivity is important to an Entrepreneur. I need an Area and Time where I can create and be productive. Often times one mistakes productivity for sending emails, doing bills, answering others emergencies, Twittering, Face-booking etc..

Productivity is about the time that you set aside to create your goals, create your life... putting aside the trees for the forest. Productivity requires unmatched focus, uninterrupted time.
As a successful Entrepreneur and Lifestyle Designer and Personal Life Coach, I am putting these mechanisms in place to protect my most valuable asset. I am securing my currency of time.

How are you honoring your time?

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Resource: Lifestyle Design Decisions: What is more valuable Money or Time? ~ Makenzie Kelly

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