The Speed of Time

Every person on Earth plan’s their lives around the passing of time. We measure it precisely. But time has an odd feature. Despite its consistency, we experience time at different speeds.

Some examples of the variable experience of time:

• A game-winning touchdown or buzzer beater
• Watching a vase or glass fall to the ground
• the year 2020
• The drive/flight to your vacation destination
• The drive/flight back home
• Watching your kids grow up
• The time between birthdays

What makes these events feel so different? FOCUS

Hyper-focused moments can feel like forever.        

Young kids may appear distracted. I view them as being hyper-focused. They fully immerse themselves in the moment, without thinking about the past or to the future. Adults are the distracted ones. So, in this way (and in many others) we can learn from the kids.

On the Benefits of Distraction

Wealth-building, done poorly, seems like it takes forever.

A common approach: Save money. Make an investment. Check on your investment. Recheck your investment. Switch any investment that isn’t making money fast enough. Sift through news and keep an ear out for investment tips and tax strategies that other people are using. Pursue them. Constantly monitor, watch, adjust.

Paradoxically, hyper-focusing on the individual aspects of building wealth will distract you from the things that are important to you (enjoying wealth).

Wealth-building, done properly, can quickly surprise you.

An alternate approach: Take stock of your values around money. Align your financial design with those values. Construct goals that further those values. Execute a plan to maximize your chances of reaching those goals. Live your life and enjoy the important moments.

Wealth is different for everyone, but most people's definition probably boils down to this ?? from Morgan Housel's "Psychology of Money":

Wealth is the ability to do what you want, where you want, 
when you want, and with whomever you want, for as long as you want.        

The US Bureau of Labor statistics measures (among many things) who American's spend their time with, by age. Time spent with children, family and friends all peak relatively early in life then decline over time.

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day noise. I encourage you to take stock of what and who are truly important to you. Start with why.

A Wealth Mindset is giving yourself the time to enjoy what's important to you.