The Value of Time, Health, and Money (And How To Have An Abundance of All 3)

When asked what surprised him about humanity the most, the Dalai Lama replied:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

What is the real cost of time?

What is the real cost of money?

What is the real cost of health?

The truth is, in today's society, we tend to value the most important things least, and the least important things most.

Think about it.  Between time, money, and health, where do your priorities lie?

Here are mine:
1. Time
2. Health
3. Money

Now maybe some of you might be thinking "well health is more important than time" in which I would argue that while you can always regain your health, you can never get back lost time.  But on the flip side, a person who has their health can add time to their life.  So in essence they are one in the same, but not many people can argue that money is more important than time or health.  (And the ones that do typically have plenty of money but neither the health nor time to enjoy it.) 

The sad truth is, while you're reading this right now agreeing that time and health are more important than money, are you really living that out in your actions each day?  Or are is the majority of your time and health being sacrificed to make money?

I tend to write and speak out to the 20 and 30-something year olds because we can see what past generations have done with their time and money.  They worked hard all their life sacrificing time and health for money so they can retire wealthy and secure, only to get crushed by the recession of 2008 and realize they were out of time, money, and health.

As a younger generation, we want to be smarter than that.  But the question is, how?

How do we align ourselves in a way where we can have an abundance of time, health, and money, and get to enjoy all 3 today?

Here are a few ways (5 to be exact):

1. Live and Enjoy Being In The Moment.  We live in a fast-paced technology-filled world today.  But I know one thing for sure.  That when I'm on my death bed, I'm not going to say "I wish I spent more time on social media" or "I wish I made more money". No.  I want to breathe my last dying breaths knowing that when someone was talking to me in person, I had my phone/tablet put away and gave them 100% of my undivided attention.  I want to live knowing that I was happy along the journey, not racing through the journey to find happiness.  Happiness is a choice.  It's a choice that can only be decided one moment at a time.  The day you decide to be happy in the moment regardless of circumstances, is the day you stop chasing happiness and realize it was there all along.

2. Invest Your Time, Health, and Money.  If there's one thing we didn't learn as kids growing up, it was how to invest.  Investing is simply putting in resources that add value and growth over time.  So how do you invest in your time, health, and money? By doing activities that will eventually give you more of it (and spending less on things that take away from them).  Thankfully, I have a business I invest in that gives me all three.  The products offer solutions to improve my health, and the larger my business grows, the more cash flow comes into the business on autopilot, thus giving me more time to enjoy life.  Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad" calls it "escaping the rat race".  When you build a business that generates cash flow each month whether you work or not, and it reaches a point that the monthly cash flow exceeds your monthly expenses, you've escaped the rat race of trading time for dollars.  That's why I advocate that everyone, no matter how much you love your job, or how much money you make, starts a passive or residual income business part time. (E-mail me at thatninjamark@yahoo.com for more information).

3. Stop Living Vicariously Through Others.  Lifestyles of the rich and the famous.  We as a society are addicted to it.  We tell ourselves "that'll never be me" or even "I don't want all that fortune and fame", yet we are always glued to the latest hearsay on which celebrity did this, or which sports player did that.  The truth is, while the world is stuck on the television watching people they secretly wish they could be like, those people on the TV are out there being themselves!  It's no secret, if all we did was focus on living out our own lives 100% to the max, it wouldn't take long for others to secretly wish they were you.  Stop spending so much time watching people you admire, and start focusing on being someone worth admiring.

4. Grow.  There's a saying, more like a universal truth that goes: If you're not growing, you're dying.  #truthbomb.  Did you catch that? If you're not growing, you're dying.  So what are you doing?  Are you growing each day, personally, mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially?  Or are have you just "settled".  Because guess what...there's no such thing as "settling".  Settling equals death.  Settling means staying right where you are while the rest of the world keeps moving forward.  That means you're getting left behind. 

5. Where You Are Now Is Perfect.  Realize that you are exactly where you are in life today based on the choices you've made for yourself, and the choices you've allowed others to make for you.  I know, this blog post is probably punching you in the gut right now.  But for real, it's time to be honest with yourself.  You don't have to be perfect.  Just understand, where you are right now is perfect.  Because it's exactly where the universe intended you to be.  The only thing left now is to realize it, understand it, appreciate it, and take the next step forward.  Get a workout in.  Pick up a non-fiction book.  Spend some much needed time with your spouse or kids (and put down the phone!).

Remember, if you want an abundance (read: more than enough) of time, health, and money in your life, you've got to rearrange your life based on your priorities.  If money is more important to you than time and health, by all means keep chugging away trading your time and health for the all-mighty dollar.  But if you understand that time and health are your ultimate assets, and you'll always have time to make more money as long as your health is in order, then follow those 5 steps outlined above.

Until next time...

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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills.  As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead life by their own design.  To learn more about Mark, follow him on Facebook
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