Three interdependent variables

Scientists like to find relationships between key entities that encapsulate the true essence of a subject area. Like Einstein’s equation that explains the relationship between energy and mass. Like the Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle that explains why it is impossible to measure, with absolute precision, both the position and momentum of a particle. Like Darwin’s idea that selection of variant organisms within a population gives rise to the bewildering diversity of all life forms, past and present. Like the notion that phenotype is determined by complex interactions between its genotype and its environment.

So here is a proposal. That there are three aspects of life that we have control over. Time, energy, and money. We can not control how other people act. We can not control the weather or other natural events. But we can control how we utilize our time, our energy, and our money.

Time is a straightforward concept. We only have 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week. Everybody has the same amount of time. How we choose to use our time will have a major impact on our life story.

Energy, broadly speaking, is our health - physical, mental and spiritual. Everyone has some level of energy, although there are significant variations among people in both the specific types of energy and in their total energy level. Even so, we choose to utilize our energy in different ways and our choices will have a major impact on our life story.

Money is a more diffuse concept. In a fundamental sense, money represents physical possessions - whether it is a zucchini that we have grown in our garden, a McMansion that we call home or the size of our bank account. How we choose to use our money is a major component of our life story.

These variables are interdependent. We can spend our time and energy to increase our financial resources. We can use our financial resources to increase the amount of free time or to increase our energy.

The story of our life is built, bit by bit, through each and every choice that we make in terms of how we use our time, energy and money. We can choose to spend our time and/or energy and/or money meeting our own needs and desires. We can expend our resources in the service of others, using our time, energy and money to meet their needs. Depending on the choices we make, our life story will be quite different.

Daily question for self - are the choices that I make consistent with how I want the story of my life to read?