I went to buy a Coke at a convenience store this week and the clerk accidentally said “good morning” when it was already pushing 1pm. When she realized her mistake, she happily said, “I guess time is going by fast … which is good for me!”
Such is the nature of selling your time to your employer (or your clients). Time going by fast should never be a good thing. It is the most precious commodity of our lives, yet we are happy to let it race by if we aren’t in direct control of it.
When it comes to retiring early, I often say to people that TIME – not more STUFF – is the ultimate luxury. No amount of money will buy you more time, and controlling your time is one of the richest sources of happiness. Yes, you have to have enough $$$ for life’s necessities, but the value of freedom & autonomy is huge.
It was a small exchange with the convenience store clerk. Maybe only a few seconds. Still her observation on time struck me in a funny way and reminded me how much I want my time to be my own! Always.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
Image Credit: Pixabay
MrFireStation 
Very good point! I never thought about it like that, but I will now, because you are totally right. If we are just wishing for time to pass, it’s probably an indication that we should be changing something. Thanks for sharing!
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Very well put!
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Yes, this exactly! Just before I retired I recognized that I was complaining all the time… about everything. I was wishing and waiting for the end of the day, for the weekend, for the next vacation. I made it my theme for the next year to be grateful and to minimize our stuff that distracted me from what is important. One of those things was my job; I retired in December a few months after my epiphany. Now that I have stopped complaining, I notice that I no longer focus on the bad or annoying things, I value the experience regardless of what it brings me.
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That’s great! I find that retirement has changed my relationship with time overall. Instead of squeezing time for productivity or wishing I was doing something else, now I can savor time and live more in the moment- doing what I want.
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I’ve always been funny about my time. I have had to put up with things for various jobs, but dont like being roped into long days or situations due to someone elses poor planning skills etc. I like being able to leave promptly when Im done if I want to. Thats one of the important things about FIRE is being able to buy your freedom and control what you want to do. Im not against working, but my threshold is now much lower for what I am willing to tolerate.
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