Time is currency

Are you investing your time, or simply spending your time? When I think about time this way, as currency, or money, and whether or not you spend it, or save it, it reframes the way in which I think about wealth.

Freedom of mind

I know for myself personally, mental freedom is much more important to me than anything else in the world. Having the mental freedom to think, to read, to write, and to spend time alone, it’s like the ultimate modern-day privilege in the world right now. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with advertisements, notifications, emails, Zoom meetings, deadlines, etc., simply having the freedom of mind, the freedom of thought itself, to think for yourself, is the ultimate freedom.

Are you on the frontlines of life or the sidelines of life?

The other day, I went paintballing for the first time with my friend. What was incredible about the rush in the beginning of the match was how low to the ground you get, ducking, bobbing, and weaving your way to the cover, as you fire towards the enemy at the other side. It seems like the goal is to rush as close to the front lines as possible, while putting pressure on the other team so that they cannot advance any further. Those first 30 seconds, the first rush in the beginning of the match, basically determines the outcome of the game. If you simply sit back on the sidelines camping, you’re not gonna have a clear sight of the enemy, and the distance will be too far for you to attack. But when you muster up the courage to rush as close as possible to the enemy, without the fear of the pain that the paintball provides from getting hit, you can position yourself on the front lines, as close to the enemy as possible, and strike fear in the opponents.

I think about how I can relate this in the context of photography, where in order to create a strong photograph with impact, one must have zero hesitations. If you wanna get close to the subject and make the shot, you simply have to do it, in that fraction of a second, without overanalyzing or overthinking things. I remind myself of the time I photographed on the frontlines of conflict in Jericho, and how I simply had to go out there with courage, without using the rational side of my mind. I think there’s an irrational side that you have to tap into while practicing photography or participating in anything in life that requires courage. I think the older we get, the less risks we take, as the brain fully develops at around 25. But as time goes on, maybe it’s most wise for us to be a bit more reckless, take more risks, and then think about it through the rational lens later down the line.

We all die, so why waste your time?

At the end of the day, we all die, it’s simply a matter of time. And so with this thought in mind, perhaps it’s most wise for us to not waste time. I think wasting time, spending time doing anything that you simply do not want to do, is extremely foolish at best. Why sacrifice 10 years of your life doing something you hate, when inevitably you’re going to die anyway? It could happen today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or within that 10-year timeframe, as life is unpredictable. And so because of this, I simply treat every day like it is my last. When I go to bed, I assume I will not wake up in the morning. So that way, when I wake up in the morning, I’m simply filled with abundance and gratitude for the day itself, for another chance to take another breath.

Why does everybody ask what you do for work?

In between matches, a super nice young man that was on my team during the paintball match kept asking about what our jobs were, how we make money, etc. I think it’s kind of amusing to me. Of course it’s something that we should all be curious about, as money is power and blah blah blah. But ultimately, if you simply look at money as a tool—something that we utilize that provides us the ability to acquire food, shelter, plane tickets, camera equipment, etc.—it’s much more simple. Money is a tool, but time is the true currency. Let’s say you work in an office, from 9 to 5, and are stuck within a cubicle for the entirety of the day—would you say that this is a wise way to spend your time? If you’re working in finance, but you’re stuck inside, working for money itself, it doesn’t seem like a very good return on investment. Why?

I love the scene from the movie 300, when King Leonidas asks the Spartans what their profession is, and they simply chant back “AOOH AOOH AOOH”—whereas the Persians are all tied down to their identities, whether they are blacksmith, a potter, an architect, etc. One side of the battlefield are slaves to their professions, whereas the other side—the Spartans—are free men, simply due to their physical power. The declaration is that you should simply increase your physical power first, and then everything becomes effortless. If you’re full of an abundance of power, in your body, your bones, your muscles, your mind will be strong, and anything that comes your way—you have complete control over. Where everything becomes play, everything becomes easy, and nothing can break your spirit.

Health is wealth

If you’re spending eight hours of your day seated, under fluorescent lights, inside, with unclean air, ruining your back, your posture, your spine, and degrading your physiology for the pursuit of money—all of the wealth in the world is not worth spending your time living this way. My theory is that we’re kind of living in this dystopian world, where we’ve perfectly enslaved ourselves like zoo animals in controlled systems—soon to be automated systems—a perfectly comfortable prison. However, man is designed to move, as we have two legs, a tall spine, a head on a neck that allows us to swivel, to look around, and to move, to think, and to build. We are creator beings, and in order to create, one must have strong health. I know for myself, if I’m stuck in a Zoom call, or if I’m stuck in a meeting all day and I’m becoming mentally drained, I will not have any physical power within my body. But if I’m physically active throughout the entirety of the day—lifting weights, walking, moving, creating, building—I have a sharper mind, I become stronger, and I actually increase my power. Everything about the modern world simply wants to zap you of your power, both physically and mentally. But if you embrace your physiology, your physical self, your body—at the forefront of your life—and view health as the ultimate sign of wealth, then this to me is all that truly matters.

The days feel long when you move your body along

To be inside is where souls go to die, but when I’m outside, I exist outside the passage of time. I find that through movement, walking, photographing, and doing things physically in the real world, time does not necessarily exist. I personally feel as though the days feel abundantly long, almost like a lifetime, when I’m moving my body along. But when I’m living on standby, sitting down inside, the day just passes you by. Most wise for us to not squander our time indoors, sitting down, taking orders, but to rise up with physical power and simply move. I personally don’t understand this idea where people think that the day goes by faster when they’re in the flow state of doing work or making things, because for myself, personally, it’s the complete opposite—where the flow state removes the illusion of time itself.

Everyone is just curious about how everyone else makes money?

To me, this is the old question I seem to stumble across when socializing these days. People are simply interested in how you make money, what your job is, etc. I don’t know why but it’s just so funny to me. Money is just a tool. We all need a place to sleep, food in our fridge, clothes on our back, but then everything else is the purple is. Why are people so obsessed with how they make money, when money is merely a tool—but time is the true investment? If you’re spending your time doing something hateful to generate that tool, that money, that provides you with the things that you need in life—well, then you’re simply living your life like a donkey, following a carrot on a stick, into your inevitable grave at the end of your life. Wanting more, desiring more, but for the sake of what?

Time is currency because you spend it

There’s a reason why we call it “spending time.” It’s the ultimate currency in the universe. Your time, your intention, where your mind is focused—ultimately determines your perception of reality. If you’re spending your time watching the news, on the sidelines of life, consuming social media—your reality, your attention is towards intangible things that aren’t necessarily affecting your everyday life. However, if you’re spending your time outside, surrounded by beautiful trees, plants, natural things, creating, moving, thinking, reading, writing—you are evolving, you are investing your time, you are conserving your mental and physical power for the sake of creation.

I think the problem with a lot of modern life is that through our work, our entertainment, and even the way that we play—it leads to stagnation. But humans are meant to evolve, to transform, both physically, mentally, and spiritually. In order to become free, one must invest their time towards things that will shape a reality of abundance, rather than scarcity—chasing, desiring, and wanting things. In order to feel alive, one must have connection to their spirit—the essence of who they are—that reminds them that they are a creator being, through investing time wisely. I think ultimately, we all have a divine spark within us, and can strive to ascend to new heights, but the modern world wants you down—low, consuming, stagnant—the perfect docile worker bee. When you have freedom of the mind and body, only then can you truly embrace your purpose: to create.