We all know the traditional way in which these three things are connected – most of us give our time to go to work to earn money to live…it’s possible that at times these will be in perfect balance and union but most often we find ourselves struggling with the sense and reality that they won’t be.
Many of us can often be heard bemoaning the lack of time or money, or both, and the overload of work and, allied to that, the poorer quality of our lives. If we think about it more deeply though it’s an interesting triangle and one where money is often the dominant force as we give into the fear of ‘not having enough’ for whatever quality of life or personal achievement we seek.
How about seeing them all as forms of energy that we can choose to ‘spend’ or exchange in a certain way/to varying degrees etc. We often hear about people who have lots of money but ‘no time’, caught up in the treadmill of career/work but not thinking about their own and their family’s ‘well-being economy’ in the round. And then there are others who have given deep thought to this energy flow and consciously considered the value of all three in relationship with each other, seeking a more balanced economy between them. Sometimes we might label such people as having ‘sold out’ or ‘settled’, though this wouldn’t be my view.
For most, the first glimpse of a more conscious choice-making between time, money and work, might come in mid-life as they realise that the striving lacks some meaning.
For most, the first glimpse of a more conscious choice-making between time, money and work, might come in mid-life as they realise that the striving lacks some meaning. The proverbial mid-life crisis when we can’t cope with the equation in its familiar form any longer but haven’t yet discovered a new meaning for ourselves. This is often because of fear – fear of change or being rejected by the world we no longer resonate with. Retirement can also be the place where people find ‘a better balance’ between their work endeavours (often now in the form of volunteering or the like) and the time and money they have available.
For me, each of these three is sacred – imbued with a deeper quality than we tend to give them day to day. There’s the joy of undertaking work (paid or otherwise) that fully utilises our talents and which is connected to achieving a greater good for the planet and humanity. Finding and committing ourselves to such work takes courage as it can often mean leaving the relative security of the corporate machine.
And the majesty of being really connected with the space/time continuum where the dance of energy between the linear nature of time and the eternal expanse of space feels graceful, effortless and magnificent. Where instead of seeing time as a scarce resource, we know we have used every precious drop in a conscious, beneficial, and joyful way.
Or the deep feeling of abundance that returns when money is in its rightful place, as something which facilitates the respectful exchange of value between human beings in an eternal flow. Where no one hoards or saves or protects their pile of money – but gives it freely and openly and consciously in exchange for something they really place a value on. Moving beyond relentless and often mindless consumption and into a place of respectful abundance and sharing.
Am I achieving this seemingly heady state of balance in and between all three areas in my life? For sure not yet. But I am increasingly seeing the route to achieving it – perhaps that’s my mid-life crisis beckoning?
