It has been almost 18 months since I started swimming regularly each day. It’s become a daily ritual I can’t skip. The 40-odd minutes in the pool put me into a zen-like state, leaving me feeling amazing; almost like a “swimmer’s high.” The public pool is open to all, but only a small group swims regularly: mostly retirees keeping fit, some youth focused on fitness, and professionals who swim quickly before heading out. I believe many people would love to swim, but it’s the lack of time that prevents them from embracing such a therapeutic activity. Or at least, there’s a perception that pursuing income is more valuable than spending time on leisure.
This daily ritual has made me reflect deeply on how we value time. None of us truly knows how much time we have left on this beautiful planet. And yet, we often take the time we do have for granted. I’ve already lived 47 years. I don’t know how much remains. That thought weighs heavier on me now, at this stage of life. Is this what they call a midlife crisis? At this very moment, part of me is vanishing. Sometimes, I get this sense that I have traded my most precious resource for material artifacts and experiences that do not even matter now. What a profound waste of my own being!
Time, just like money, is a currency. But unlike money, it’s a finite resource. To live a fulfilling life, you need time. Just like money fuels the economy, time fuels existence. Yet, we’ve been conditioned to value money more. We’re taught to use our time to make money, and the familiar saying “time is money” reinforces this mindset–if you have more time, you can generate more wealth. But I’ve come to realize: time isn’t just like money; it’s far more valuable. Time is the non renewable resource that can never be regenerated! I can never go back!
In our hustle culture, we’re often led to believe that every waking hour should be spent chasing income. We’re taught to trade time for money, optimizing and monetizing every second for some grand treasure in the future. A future that, ironically, is shaped by time, our most limited resource.
I am not denying that life requires some hustling and grinding. It has its own space and season. But what I’m trying to say is this: we don’t need to stay in that mode forever. We don’t need to glorify hustling and grinding as the reason for our existence. Hustle has its time and place, but so does rest, reflection and simply being. Let us not make hustling and grinding a badge of honour ; it is the surest way to ensure disillusion with life.
By commodifying our time, we’ve created a toxic cycle, trading away our most precious resource for something that can be printed, transferred, or multiplied. Money flows in and out, but time is gone for good once it’s passed. So why do we keep treating time like it’s infinite and money like it’s scarce?
But what if we flipped the perspective? Shift the default mindset! Re-evaluate what is truly scarce: time or money? What if, instead of only using time to make money, we used money to buy back time? Buy back an hour. A day. A week. A month. A year…..or the rest of your life. Think of the possibilities!
Time is a non-renewable resource: on average, we get about 80 years (approximate). Again, no one knows how much time one has. So what if, instead of endlessly hustle, we invested our surplus money to reclaim time for ourselves? Time to relax, reflect, explore, or simply do what we love. Invest in rest and joy. Create space for things that matter most- our health, our relationships, and our passions.
In this new mindset, money becomes more than just a tool for survival or status; it becomes a means to freedom; the freedom to experience life on our own terms. And then, time for leisure becomes the greatest signal of true wealth.
