The Luxury of Time: Why True Wealth Isn’t Money, But Freedom

Published by Ryan Gollan / 5 March 2025

I used to think wealth meant success: the more you earned, the more accomplished you were.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve started to question that definition.

Because if wealth is measured in money, then why do so many rich people feel trapped?
Why do those who have “made it” talk about burnout, exhaustion, or feeling lost?

And why is it that the most successful people I know aren’t the ones with the most money, but the ones who own their time?

I’m starting to see it more clearly now:
True wealth isn’t money. It’s freedom.

And the most valuable currency in the world isn’t dollars - it’s time.

The One Thing Money Can’t Buy Back

Money can do a lot of things.
It can give you a better life, security, and opportunity.
But there’s one thing money will never buy back: time.

Every day, we spend time like it’s unlimited, chasing success, building businesses, saying “I’ll do that later.”
Until one day, we look back and realise how much we lost along the way.

Because time doesn’t pause for anyone.
And no matter how rich you are, you can’t pay to rewind life.

I’ve met people who built empires, made fortunes, gained influence, but they missed their children growing up, lost relationships, and sacrificed their health.
They thought they could "buy back time later" - but later never came.

And then I’ve met people who make less money, but live fully.
They choose their hours, they wake up with no pressure, and they do what excites them every day.
They own their time, and that’s what makes them truly rich.

So it makes me wonder: Are we chasing the right kind of wealth?

The Shift: Why People Are Choosing Freedom Over Fortune

I’ve noticed something lately.
The people I once saw chasing bigger deals, bigger houses, bigger status symbols, some of them are stepping away from that.

✔ They are choosing slow living over high pressure.
✔ They are disappearing from social circles, not because they are lost, but because they are finally free.
✔ They are learning that real success isn’t about being busy, it’s about having control over how you spend your time.

Maybe we’ve been taught the wrong idea of wealth.
Maybe real success isn’t about how much you can earn, but how much time you control.

The True Cost of Success: What Are You Trading Your Time For?

I once read a question that hit me hard: "If someone offered you 10 billion dollars, but you had to die tomorrow or in a year, would you take it?"

Of course not.
Because without time, money means nothing.

And yet, so many of us trade our time away for money every single day,
Sacrificing our health, relationships, and joy for a future that may never come.

I’ve seen people work themselves to exhaustion, chasing goals that, once they reach them, feel empty.
I’ve seen people build businesses, retire, and then realise they never learned how to enjoy life.

So here’s a question I ask myself now (I think I am also a workaholic too):
Are we making money to buy freedom, or are we making money at the cost of it?

Because if success costs you your time, your peace, and your life - is it really success?

Redefining Wealth: What If We Measured It in Freedom Instead?

What if wealth wasn’t measured in bank accounts but in:
✔ How much of your time is truly yours.
✔ How often you wake up excited for your day.
✔ How many moments you get to spend with the people you love.
✔ How much peace, space, and energy you have for the things that matter.

Because money is just a tool, but time is the real gift.

And one day, when life slows down, when we look back,
We won’t care about the titles, awards, or numbers.
We’ll care about the memories we made, the moments we lived, and the time we didn’t waste.

So maybe the question isn’t: "How much money do I want to make?"
Maybe it’s: "How do I want to spend my time?"

Because in the end, time is the only luxury that truly matters. Right? x