When I talk to some of my friends and colleagues or even while I browse my Instagram feed, it is pretty obvious that many people are very materialistic. They talk about how much money they have in their bank account as if it is the only thing that matters in life. Im not saying that it is bad, but why do people work so much? It’s true that money is important to cover your day-to-day expenses, but beyond the basics, people want to get their hands on luxury.

And no, I’m not just talking about material things—luxury can also include things such as travel or art. I’m not saying that it is wrong to want these things, but what is wrong is to spend your whole lifetime working for these. What you should be yearning for is the luxury of your free time to do whatever you want during your time here on earth.

Time Freedom is More Important than Material Things

Sometimes I wonder: do people look at their time the same way they look at money? Many people tend to waste this very important resource. It seems they forget that you can use your time to earn more money, but you can’t use your money to buy more time.

So keep in mind that only until you’ve unlocked a good amount of free time do material things become worth pursuing. For instance, you love fancy cars and travelling, so you spend a ridiculous amount of time working in order to afford to buy a new car, or book that one month carribean cruise you have always dreamed of. However, because you had to work multiple jobs to sustain this, you wouldn’t have the spare time to actually enjoy it. In other words, you need time to be able to spend money and enjoy these possessions.

Spending Time Taking Action to Reach Your Goals

When you see a person who was able to accomplish great things in life, you can be pretty sure that person has spent substantial amounts of time learning the necessary skills and making the right decisions to get to where he is right now. There are some people who would say: “I thought about doing that years ago…”. Don’t be that person! Don’t be that person who just “thought” about doing something and later on regret that he didn’t.

If you plan on doing something that you feel could potentially improve your life, go for it. Invest your time to work towards these goals and don’t just let them stay merely as empty ambitions. However, as you take action towards your aspirations, also keep in mind that it is better to work smart than to work harder.

If you want to achieve time freedom to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, you have to explore other ways to generate income. You can invest in the financial markets or establish your own business, rather than working long hours to be able to afford luxuries in life (which you can’t truly enjoy because of your limited free time).

Final Thoughts

Time can indeed serve as an equalizer. Regardless of your financial condition, each person only has 24 hours in a day—every minute spent can never be regained. This is the reason time is ultimately more valuable than money.

I’m not preaching that money isn’t important at all, but people should acknowledge that there’s more to life than money and it is up to you to use your time more wisely to have a fulfilling life. The clock is ticking what will be your next move?