Trading Time for Money
In this life, there are essentially 3 ways to earn a living:
1. run a business or sell something and reap profits
2. own assets that appreciate in value (real estate, land, bonds, fixed income or stocks)
3. become employed, trade your time for money
Trading your time for money is part of the human experience. Since the dawn of modern civilization, humans have collaborated in an economy of goods and services. The industries and technologies deployed have changed, but employment is still a trade of human time or assets for money in the capitalist world.
We should be selective of when we trade our time. It is probably our most valuable asset, more valuable than large sums of money. A lot of money without time is less than some money with time to enjoy it.
Employment is the application of your time resource. When searching for your next trade, taking more time to consider different options is worth it. We don't always have the luxury to pass on a job offer. The best outcome is a job that fits you better, challenges you, provides new opportunities, improves your skills and sets you up for success. Be selective but as the saying goes, "don't let great get in the way of good". Sometimes a mediocre or undesirable job can give you momentum, new contacts, short term cash flow, skills or a resume booster.
If you're getting paid well but not challenged by the work or demotivated and burnt out from it, is that a good trade? Is the job also draining a lot of your energy? With a job, extra stresses and baggage tend to pile up over time. Is the trade worth the mental strain of holding the job? There could be a better opportunity that accelerates you in the direction you want rather than stagnating it.
Your labor is an exchange of your time for money or other resources. You have a set of skills and competencies to deliver outcomes to a company. Your "career" is the trades you'll make with businesses or directly with people over the course of your lifetime. Some trades will work out really well and last many years. Others will only be shorter stints that merely set you up for the next gig or keep you afloat for awhile. A good trade returns stability, opportunities, education and money at a lower cost to your hours worked and sanity. Make good trades and go smoothly in life.