Do you know the saying “Time is money”? I have come to believe that a slightly different version is much closer to the truth: “Time is life.” Because everything you do takes away from your lifetime account.
In this context, I recently came across a thought-provoking quote:
“In 20 years, the only people who will remember that you worked long hours are your children.”
Sahil Bloom writes in his book “The 5 Types of Wealth”:
“By the time your child turns 18, you will have already spent about 95% of the total time you will ever spend with them in your life. For the first ten years, you are the most important person in their world. After that, children find other favorite people – best friends, partners, and eventually their own children. But in those first ten years, you are everything to them.”
How do you spend your time?
This is not about right or wrong—it’s about awareness. Every activity costs us lifetime. At the end of your life, how do you want to have distributed your time? Who and what should get the lion’s share of it?
After 24 years in a corporate job and my transition to self-employment, I can tell you one thing for sure: The only ones who remember my overtime are not my former colleagues, bosses, or clients. They didn’t care then, and they certainly don’t care now—especially ten years after I left. But my loved ones still remember.
In 2019, Anke once said to me:
“For the past four years, you were never really here. Your body was present, but your mind was always on your project.”
How many beautiful moments could have been even more beautiful if I had just been there?
Can you be 100% present in the moment you are in? Whether it’s overtime, a trip with your kids, or a dinner with your loved one—just be fully in that moment. And if you also experience joy in what you do, you will have no regrets at the end of your life.
Many people say: “I work hard so I can build a house.”
And then they do that for 20 years—maybe losing their relationships along the way—only to end up with a house that doesn’t mean much without the people they love.
Do you really need everything you think you need? Or are some of those things just excuses to avoid something else?
Why is it difficult for you to spend time on certain things or with certain people? Do you truly work towards a goal—or are you just avoiding pain?
Take a quiet moment and reflect on it.
