Time - Is there a more valuable commodity?

The World's Most Valuable Resource?

One of Merriam Webster's definitions of a commodity is "something useful or valued".  If you watch CNBC or read any financial publications you quickly realize just about anything can be bought and sold as a commodity. The value of the commodity is going to be based on things like the level of demand for the good and its availability.

Coincidentally what might be the most valuable commodity on the planet cannot be traded on Wall Street.  That commodity is time.

What makes time so valuable?  For one, it isn't sustainable.  Once a moment has passed it's gone.  It cannot be replaced.  Cannot be recycled.  And you cannot go to a store (or Amazon) and purchase more of it.  And almost everyone wishes they could accumulate more of it.  

The first track, and possibly the most popular song from Dream Theater's 'Images and Words' album, which was released in 1992, is titled 'Pull Me Under'.  The last line of the chorus really drives home the idea that once a moment is gone; it's gone forever: "Every breath leaves me one less to my last".

Realizing the Value of Time:

When I was young I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about how valuable time is.  For one thing, I naively thought I had plenty of it.

Once I reached my thirties and was fully consumed in the rat race, I started to really focus on the value of time.  More importantly trying to come up with ways to seem as though I have more of it.  It's an ongoing process.

If I'm being honest, it is a source of anxiety in my life.  I'm in my early 40s.  According to my grandmother, both of my maternal great-grandfathers died in their early 60s.  My grandfathers both passed in their 70s.  If I retire at the traditional age of 65 (assuming I live that long) how many years do I have to truly enjoy life?  And depending on my health, what will my quality of life be?  Although  this is a source of stress for which I have to deal, it has also been motivating to be better at valuing the time I do have now.  

One change I made that seems to make a difference is getting out of bed early every day (yes, even on weekends and other days off).  I go to bed early to make sure I get enough sleep, so I'm technically not adding any hours to my day.  But, I get out of bed when most people (not just those under my roof) are still asleep.  Therefore, I'm able to get things done with little to no distraction.  It's something I recommend.  But be warned, establishing a routine is exponentially more difficult if you don't do it seven days a week.  

"No such thing as spare time.  No such thing as free time.

All you got is life time. GO!"

-Henry Rollins

-'Shine' from the album 'Weight' (1994)

Living in a Dave Matthews Band Song

'How did I get here?' 

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately.

I have given much thought to where I am in life since I turned forty.  On the surface things look great.  And it's easy to take a high-level view, tell yourself 'everything is good' and move on.  However the more I think about this lately the more I feel I am doing myself a disservice.  It's a disservice because the deeper I dive into where my life has ended up to this point - my 'how did I get here?' - the more I feel like this is not exactly where I want to be.  And only looking at the bird's-eye view, telling myself everything is fine, and then trying to forget about it isn't provoking any meaningful change.  

Living in a Dave Matthews Band Song

One of the songs that launched the Dave Matthews Band is 'Ants Marching' from the 'Under the Table and Dreaming' album that came out in 1994.  I was a freshman in high school when the album came out and remember 'Ants Marching' and 'What Would You Say' being all over the radio and MTV.  

'Ants Marching' is a catchy song that sounds upbeat, and as a teenager I didn't put any real thought into what it was about.  Now I can't listen to it because I am who that song is talking about.

For those who aren't familiar with the song, or just enjoy the upbeat nature of the sound and have never given the meaning of the lyrics any thought, here is what it is about:  Dave is singing about the millions of adults who mindlessly perform the routine of their monotonous lives day in and day out.  My interpretation is that it's about people who are having their lives live them instead of them living their lives.

The first lines of the song are:

He wakes up in the morning

Does his teeth bite to eat and he's rolling

Never changes a thing

The week ends, the week begins

And again for those who aren't familiar, or just haven't given it a listen in a while:

What Does Success Look Like?

 Like I mentioned before if you're on the outside looking in things look great. And I acknowledge there are things to be grateful for.  

1. I make a good living and am able to contribute to a 401(k)
2. I own a nice home
3. I have a healthy family
4. I have hobbies and interests

There are many people, especially from older generations that would argue that is all I need.  And that I have nothing to complain about.  It would be easy to listen to them and continue along with the routine of marching like an ant.  Perhaps even feel a little guilty for any feelings that it's not enough.  Not acknowledging the cost of the lifestyle I've created.

1. I make a good living, but I work 50+hours a week and am often on-call.  It's not at all rare to get calls on nights and weekends.  From a purely psychological standpoint it feels like I am quite literally always at work.  It can be very difficult to maintain any sort of work/life balance.
2. I own a nice home, but I feel like I spend more time maintaining it than I do enjoying it.  And I haven't even mentioned the cost of some of that maintenance.  Is everything I have what I need or what I want? 

 To put it succinctly, lifestyle costs time and money and like so many others the rat race pulled me in and is eating me up. 

The DMB Song I Would Rather Live In

In 2002 the Dave Matthews Band released an album called 'Busted Stuff' which is full of great songs, but the one that really speaks to me is 'You Never Know'.  This song is almost the antithesis to 'Ants Marching' in that it is about chasing your dreams and living in the moment.  

A lyric that really catches my attention is:

But rushing around seems what's wrong with the world
Don't lose the dreams inside your head
They'll only be there til you're dead

 

But the one line that really expresses how life should be lived is:

But everyday should be a good day to die

Give it a listen if you're not familiar:

Time to Cut a New Path:

The time has come to continue to re-evaluate life and map out a new course to where I want to be.  And to where I want to be going.