Why Time is the real currency instead of money

Why time is the real currency instead of money

Note:- This article is based on a true story, hero of this story is me, but it has a lot of learning for others.

With access to available information through the internet in today’s world, current youth has ample time to “ be the change” this society needs. 

I am a 33-year-old perfect example now and the best person to comment on this matter. 

Nature gave me multiple hints when I was in my youth, but all I missed was guidance and mentorship.

I wish someone could’ve routed me along the right paths with information or knowledge that I have earned because of tons of my bad experiences.

When I was 10th, my entrepreneurship journey started in the smallest possible way;

I had a modest family background in finances; 

I always had to convince my parents or perform some “Jugaad” like the arrangement to make things happen.

 During that year, I earned money by creating biology charts for my fellow schoolmates and a Solar cooker through thermocol for the science project; needless to say, the currency I used for my project submission was “Time”, and for me, as far as money is concerned spent exactly “zero” rupees from my pocket or my parents pocket. 

I was not able to recognize it at the point in time. Still, now I certainly approve that it was the starting point of my entrepreneurship journey and where I used the real currency called “Time” and was able to save some odd 20-30 rupees, which I remember spending on Maggi noodles and sugarcane juice for next two Sundays with my sister.

Money is just the value for getting what you want; I got what I want by using my time, and money followed automatically.

Later from the 11th till the end of my engineering, I was involved in home tuitions, event management for colleges, running a college newspaper, working for an insurance company which surely helped me get to some valuable items and money. 

But things changed the shape for me when I entered the corporate world, or people call it the real world; I got involved in the same cycle which all people are trying so hard to get out of it.

 With a job that pays makes you blind, you were living your lives thus far on a fraction of the money you earned from your job and still could save better.

During my job, my first salary for 8000 INR and my last drawn salary was nearly 80,000 INR; I applied for the lowest level position, say L1, but got hired for a position up to L2, during next 46 months, I worked in Tech operation, Learning and Development, Quality, sales and human resources department within the same company for different profile, I was getting great salary hikes, 

I was getting timely promotions; needless to say, I was a Golden boy, atleast that’s what I thought of myself. 

For the first 34 months, I never applied for long leaves, sometimes worked on my week off, the average time in office was around 12 -14 hours, riding high on my luck and with great energy levels. 

Infact I was among those lucky ones who became senior in job profile to the seniors in the company when I initially joined. 

I was the “go-to” and “know it all” guy to my peers and management.

If you look at the paragraph above, you can clearly say it’s a dream job profile story, and infact it truly was if I recall my perspective of that time.

I was not aware that all this superficial thing is making me weaker from within.

 I was making series of bad decisions with my life, with my money and with my body. for eg

• I never enrolled myself to any higher studies, nor I prepared for any certification.
• Since my salary was high and hence the income tax, I subscribed myself to endowment insurance plans without understanding the income tax because some random senior informed me “ LIC better hai”, and to be very honest; I am still paying some of the EMI’s till date. ,
• I was working night shifts, so my body clock was at the toss,
• I joined a fancy gym, paid up a one-year advance fee and did exercise only twice in total,
• I was eating butter chicken regularly and consuming Red Bull drink twice a day daily and on irregular times,
• Either I was sitting, or I was sitting and eating. In just three years, I went from 58 kgs to 85 kgs,
• Gave loans to friends, some came back, and some disappeared, and I am talking about both loans and friends.
• But despite everything in front of me, I was blinded by my fake success in a small group of people that created my world. I remember some people did try to give some advice, but I disrespected their opinions.
• During this period, I never gave any time to my family, never appeared at anyone’s wedding and never considered tours and travel.
• I never created any assets for myself nor invested in experiences.

Then I got hit by my first bike accident; I fell from my bike at a speed of 20km and broke my collar bone.

 My recovery process was super slow.

 It took me almost two months to join back the office. During my treatment, I was diagnosed with a higher heart rate called techy cardio and higher blood pressure, which sometimes resulted in nose bleeding. 

When I joined back the office, it was very much clear to me that something has changed. I was no more a golden boy, I was asked to give my team to someone else, and I was almost invisible. 

The first few days were eye-opening to my self-image. 

In a few weeks, I realized that I no longer have the same energy and charisma; I was no longer a self-motivated guy; 

I was going through all this, then I got hit by another accident. However, it was minor but strong enough to disorient me further. 

For the next four months, I left the organization I considered a world for me and trusted me.

It never bothered anyone except me. It broke my first misconception that I am not irreplaceable and work never stops with or without you. 

But this was not the single misconception I had, many of which got shattered gradually in later years for me.

For the next six years, 

I joined an organization that was the replica of my first organization in the business model. 

Still, I joined an organization as a business partner who was a replica to my first business model in the smallest possible size.

 I created a single personal organization which was again a replica of the first organization.

 I got introduced to digital marketing, did some business through web and app development, did some online marketing consultancy for a few, then created a startup of an affiliate website, then went on to change the city and tried my hands as a partner to an industrial catering company, a taxi cab aggregator where I developed the app, website and did the digital marketing, was involved with tourism company and then in last year completed a full circle by joining an organization which was a replica of my first organization, the only difference was that my first organization was not in business any more.

In these six years, I got introduced to debts, credit card outages. As a result, I lost my father, got married, and became a father; I missed being there for my father when he was ill; since I made a poor decision, I made another poor decision of not subscribing to medical insurance. 

Post marriage, I got so much involved in chasing money I even ended up not going for my honeymoon. But, since I never learnt anything beyond my first organization, I was keep coming back to it. Until recently, when I realized that I checked out all my old emails by going back to my old stuff in my hometown. 

I recently met my old friends, checked out some old archived conversations, and that’s when something clicked. 

I realized that I am stuck in a loop; all my life patterns are the same. The degree and magnitude of circumstances have changed, but the result is more or less is same. 

What I lost Is time because I was stuck at the same time. 

I outgrew from it; I never let it go. I was living in the past and chasing past, so truly, I have never earned time for myself. Hence finances were left behind, and hence the debt piled up. 

I was unsuccessful at earning value, and I was chasing a time which passed. 

I am late to the party; when I realized it and accepted it, I successfully decoded the experience and connected the dots backwards.

The lessons learned are summarized in points below, which were always there, and it was circulated almost everywhere.

• Time and fitness are irrecoverable currency; once spent, you can never be the same.
• Those who are not enjoying the present will never be happy in future and let go of the past.
• If you want to help someone, do it never expect a return or a favour back, and it applies to money as well, then only you will realize the value and limit of giving.
• You are the only person you are responsible for; if you don’t value yourself, don’t expect it from someone else.
• Never Settle; get out of your comfort zone.
• Live a minimalistic lifestyle, stay humble at all times and invest only in experiences and learning.
• Never get into the traps of loans and credit cards.
• Work is less important compared to “Network.”
• Relationships and Families are more important than your organization.
• ———————————————————————————–\

Left point number 10 blank for you all to write your story, identify your point, and learn from mine.

However, another truth is, despite realizing everything, I still have a lot of catching up to do, I am still writing my story, but surely I am hunting a different path now. 

Because I now know the value of time and whatever time I left within this world, I will make the best out of it.