Current Currency: Time
A Lesson from the Psychology of Money
Being adult is not as easy as I thought it will be. Taking care of bills, taxes, other bills, rents, inflation, oh you name it. It was not as beautiful as sipping coconut on the beach with the wind breeze, it was more bloody then benign.
While I agree to always have our mind sharped til the end of our time, imagining myself had to deal with this adulting bs til the age 65 scares me.
Now with this haunt me at the back of my mind, I had the courage to take on some books talking about money (Oh, I love money but managing it is a whole lot of diff thing) and that’s how I come across to Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.
About the book.
I really like how Housel put Psychology as the title because I believe money carries a deep emotional weight. From the elation of a windfall to the anxiety of financial instability, our emotional responses to money are powerful influencers.
“The Psychology of Money” delves into how these emotional undertones, often rooted in personal experiences and cultural influences, that can drive financial decisions. More about the book you could just directly read it or by looking at someone’s video on YouTube.
My personal take out.
Taken from the insightful pages of “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel, a revelation unfolds — money is not tethered to our intellectual acumen but more to our behaviors. This revelation redefines the narrative around money and investments, emphasizing that it’s not merely about how intelligent we are but, rather, about how we behave in the realm of finances.
One such quote stands out as a word of wisdom:
The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, “I can do whatever I want today.” — Morgan Housel
In this succinct yet profound statement, Housel encapsulates the true essence of wealth — not as just an accumulation of assets, but as the liberation to live life on one’s own terms.
This statement becomes a catalyst for introspection. It nudges us to reevaluate our perceptions of wealth and success. It challenges the idea of financial prosperity is solely about the size of our bank accounts or the assets we accumulate.
Time is indeed Money.
Morgan Housel’s exploration in “The Psychology of Money” intricately weaves a narrative that transcends the mere accumulation of riches. The main line lies not in becoming rich but in attaining wealth that buys us the most invaluable commodity of all — time.
Housel’s insights challenge the conventional narrative that equates financial success solely with monetary abundance. The real gem, he argues, lies in recognizing that the end goal isn’t just to be rich, but to be wealthy in a way that affords us the luxury of time.
Close your eyes for a sec and imagine what wealth looks like. We often envision luxurious lifestyles, grand estates, and the freedom to indulge in every desire. Yet, Housel prompts us to reevaluate this vision. He contends that true wealth is the ability to control one’s time, to escape the shackles of a relentless clock dictating our days.
In this paradigm, the purpose of saving and investing transcends the traditional narrative of amassing fortunes. It becomes a deliberate act of buying back moments otherwise lost in the hustle for survival. It is a strategic maneuver to negotiate with time, securing for us the luxury to savor the richness of experience, relationships, and personal growth.
The dollars we save and the investments we nurture are not just financial instruments; they are the keys to unlock the door to a life where time is our most treasured possession.
As we navigate the complexities of wealth-building, let us heed the wisdom found in the psychology of money. Let us aspire not just to be rich, but to be wealthy — to possess the means to reclaim our time and, in doing so, to truly live.
