As adults, we spend much of our lives working and developing our careers in order to build wealth and financial security. I am definitely all for working hard and making a lot of money but at the same time, I don’t think money is everything. Yes, money can buy many material goods and is needed to pay the bills but over time, I have discovered that quality time is much more valuable in the long run. Quality time to me means having the luxury to do the things that you enjoy such as pursuing your favorite hobbies and spending time with the people you care about most. The way in which we choose to spend our quality time really is personal to all of us and can also vary throughout the course of our lifetime. (Hey, it is never too late to pick up a new hobby!)

However, I will admit that the catch 22 of the situation is that you sort of need to have financial security (money) to buy you more quality time. By that I mean, in order to have more freedom and time, one must really have the money in the bank to be able to do what you want without having to constantly be working in order to make the money. That is why I cannot stress the importance of striking the right balance between work while also setting up free time for yourself. Working a crazy amount of hours might mean extra money in the bank but if you do not have the free time to enjoy it, is it really worth it? On the other hand, utilizing more of your free time without bringing money in is also not the way to live as it’s an added stress when you cannot make enough money to pay your monthly expenses.

When you’re much younger, sometimes it is necessary to really put in the extra work while you have the energy and are more dependent on working towards financial security which means less quality time to dedicate towards your passions; however, I can tell you from my personal experience, it is actually worth it (later)! That is not to say I was not having fun in my youth, I still think I managed to find a balance but I definitely made many sacrifices in order to comfortably build financial independence which now has paid off in giving me the opportunity to have more free time where I can afford to work less than I did before and allot more free time for myself. Working will always be very important to me as I look at it more for providing me a sense of purpose in which I will continue to be dedicated to my profession; however, I am not in a position where I am working incessantly in order to get by. It is wise to strive towards both financial security AND putting time aside for yourself but it’s good knowing that financial security will often provide you the quality time you deserve. Nowadays, I can take a step back and relax a bit to enjoy more quality time that is separate from my work life thanks to all the times I put in the extra work previously. Often you might find that you need to work harder in the beginning in order to earn quality time in the future. Trust me, it’s worth it! 🙂