So, you are 20 something, at the peak of your life. There are so much waiting for you in the future- so many dreams to pursue, so many adventures to experience. It seems like time passes too quickly and before you notice, one year has already passed.
Time is the greatest currency of all because of its scarcity. Remember this: something is valuable when it is limited. Time is. You can always earn money back, but lost time is lost forever.
Some people may think that, since time is a limited resource, it is best to live at the present by enjoying life to the fullest. I mean, splurging on every thing or every experience. YOLO, you only live once!
But do you know that there are cycles in people's thinking and decisions?
Yes, cycle that could go up and down. It's volatile but one thing is predictable, the current state of the cycle is the effect of the previous cycle that occurred. In short, there is a cause for every effect.
Hence, if thinking is a seesaw, where are you at?
Enjoy your life as long as you are single. Travel, drink, party, date, shop etc.
Once you get married and have your own family, you cannot do that anymore.
- This kind of thinking shows that the present must borrow value from the future in order to experience the fulfillment of
singlehood - It also shows that the future must pay for what the present has enjoyed
- It gives an impression that marriage and having a family is an unlikely condition, that there's not so much fun associated with
it and also, it is a robber of freedom.
You just received your salary today. Let's go out and party since you have money.
Five days after receiving the salary, you're broke and looking for someone who can lend you some cash
- It shows that "fun now" sounds more enticing than avoiding pain in the future
You're on a diet but the food looks so tasty and irresistible. Go and eat.
You can just go on a super strict crash diet on the next day just to compensate on what you eat today
- It illustrates how people are willing to sacrifice twice as much in the future just to gain a momentary pleasure
You have a job interview invitation today but you don't feel like going out. It's too early and all you want to do is to sleep.
You called the employer and ask for another schedule
- It shows that the immediate need of the body to sleep is more important than the possibility of landing a job
You are working as a typical employee. You decided to save 30% of your salary regularly to buy your own house in the future
- It displays that the discipline of saving money can be practiced for the reward of having your dream house in the future.
There is a power in delayed gratification. The "value" that you sacrifice today can bear a bigger return in the future because there is a compounding element which is TIME. On the other hand, the "value" that you cannot set aside today can result in a bigger debt, again due to the compounding of time.
TIME is the greatest currency, not only because of its scarcity, but also in its multiplying effect.
Are you willing to sacrifice the present for a future gain or sacrifice the future for the future gain? Remember that either way, you will still sacrifice. The only difference is the amount and weight of pain.
In the end, people inherently underestimate the pains of the future and overestimate the pleasures of the present.