MONEY MAY SEEM important—and it is. But it isn’t nearly as important as we imagine. Want a little perspective on your money? First, think about your net worth or how much you earn. Then ask yourself these eight questions. How much would you give:
- To have your current life, but be 10 years younger?
- To have a deceased friend or family member back in your life?
- To avoid the parts of your job you dislike?
- To spare your spouse, partner or children from an incurable disease?
- To have your most embarrassing or hurtful behavior excised from everybody’s memory?
- To have your children, grandchildren or friends live closer?
- To halve the time you spend each day feeling worried or angry?
- To relive the weeks when you first met your spouse or partner?
When you ponder these questions, you realize that there are two things that are far more important than money: time and people. This is—when you say it out loud—pretty obvious.
And yet we regularly waste time on nonsense and lose our focus on the people we care about. Looking to make a belated New Year’s resolution? Perhaps making the most of your time—and making time for the people you love—should be on the list.
Jonathan Clements is the founder and editor of HumbleDollar.
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