It’s another one of my abstract, super-high-level conceptualization, but bear with me, here’s a lesson I’m learning.

Traditionally, we think of money as something we trade with our time.  If we develop expertise, then our time becomes more valuable (assuming that expertise is valuable to the society) so we make more money.

But still, the fundamental equation remains.  Trade time for money.

Now, I feel that I’m becoming more aware of other ways for this to happen.

Money is a flow of energy in our society.  As our economy indicates, our current capitalist societies work by money exchanging hands.  When the flow becomes stagnant, the economy stops growing.

So how do you get money flowing?  By providing value, that’s how.  The above time-money exchange works, because your time/labor provides value.  That’s why traditional wisdom advises a lot about hard work, and about how if you’re lazy, you don’t make money.  I don’t disagree that laziness really doesn’t promote growth or production — but I sense a limit, I feel that the concept of having to strain more to make more money is ultimately confining.  Because time is a finite resource and unrenewable.  You can make your time more valuable and offer it efficiently, but still, there’s a ceiling to that kind of production.

As I start to think of money as a flow of energy, I feel like my whole notion of what money is and how to wield more is evolving.

We want more money because money is power, it’s a capacity for production, for making things happen.  And we earn that power by providing value.  But because it is also a flow, you don’t expect the incoming stream to grow by becoming a dam — you also have to let it flow out. If money is power, you don’t learn how to wield it by just storing it —  you have to use it.   I’m not saying, of course, that we shouldn’t save.  On the contrary, the more you have available, the greater your power.  So the key is in moderation.  You use your power, you do spend it, but you also build up your reserve, so your potential/capacity for production also increases.

I haven’t unlocked the key to a magic golden chest or anything, but I am interested in learning how to provide value, but also outgrowing the notion of exchanging my time and labor with it.  Sure, my time is valuable, but I also feel like I have something more potentially valuable to offer.  I can’t quite put a finger on it, yet, and I will gladly exchange my time/labor for the good money I make for the time being….

But I’m on the lookout.  I want to make a difference, I want to create a bigger impact.  I want to wield more power, because I want to provide a great value.

What can it possibly be?  I don’t know yet, but I’m gonna enjoy this hunt.