Among all, time is the most dominant thing on earth. Nothing can beat it. Time has a value always. Once it is lost, we cannot gain it back. We have the so-called opportunity cost, which means if we fail to do an important project at a certain point in time, it has a cost that we lose.
In life, we calculate how much we spend for the month, and we calculate how much we earn. To reach the breakeven point, earnings must be equal to expenses. If you need AED5K per month to sustain yourself and your family, but you earn AED3K, what will you do? OK, you save on some costs, say AED2K, how far can you go down? Financial gurus always tell it us, "Save money!" But what will you save if other items are really required for the family to survive? So it is always "Increase your sources of income/revenue" thing.
We cannot add more days, nor hours, nor even a second to our time so earnings will cover the deficit. Time makes all stand on equal footing -- an equalizer; no rich nor poor when it comes to time.
In old times, our ancestors had land to till where they grew their own trees and vegetables and built their own houses. There were simple needs to meet. These days, with the advent of technology, there is increased mobility. People want to be on the move, going from place to place, renting spaces to stay and work, buying foods and beverages and other consumer items and paying for services, mostly not actually needed.
If you are in a foreign country governed by rules on an extra job, part-time job, sideline or side hustle, whatever you call it, you must be very careful or else you will end up in jail. You want to cook and sell your foods but it is not allowed. You want to do a part-time job for a different company but your visa is under another company -- that is not allowed unless you follow the right procedures. You are creative and you want to do some social media jobs, but you should get a separate license for that. It sounds simple but there are certain rules to follow.
This is a challenging period. Everyone must capitalize on time and talents to generate resources that will attract more and more resources to survive, thrive and help fuel the economy of the host country (residence) and country of origin.
What can we do to put our productivity capacity at 100% considering those limitations?
How will the government, communities and families be more friendly so most of us can be productive at our best maximum capacity to monetize our time?
We do Google-search on how to 'monetize time'. The internet provides a fair playing field. There is no time gap, no distance, no border, in the digital world. You put up an online store and it operates in real-time, 24/7. It helped make Jeff Bezos the richest man in the world. The unicorns are on top of their games not because of a single move, but because of many hours spent wisely on a focused money-generating activity. It requires smart choices and hard work to monetize time.
The 'search engine' business is always the best business, that's why Google is the King of Search Engines. So it is this search functionality that serves as a key to unlock opportunities.
The government must be in constant search of how to discover, unleash and maximize the use of the potential of the local residents. The private sector and communities must likewise collaborate to be enablers to more talents as we explore higher and higher in the Knowledge Economy.
How do we help ourselves and other people in spotting talents that need to be unleashed, developed and monetized?
When I was active in the manpower business, I felt an indescribable joy when I matched jobseekers' portfolio of qualifications versus a company's staffing requirements. I knew that for every applicant I helped find gainful employment, a family of 3-5 members would have foods on the table.
There are people who may want to abuse you, use your talents and time for nothing as if you were their paid employee. Don't they know that you spend a lot of time to develop your talents, hone your skills, (get certified at some points) and that you have to pay for your daily food consumption and bills at the end of the month? If it is voluntary as you feel like doing it, it is OK, but if not, ignore them. Better do something else that can be monetized.
My friends know how to cook delicious foods but they do not have the money to start a restaurant business. They cannot also supply foods to any running restaurant because F&B (foods and beverages) industry is strictly regulated here. Like many of those in 50's, they worry about their future as they have not saved for their retirement and even day-to-day survival is really a challenge. They are in sales and the market is tough.
They started their side vlogging activity last week. The stories of successful vloggers who made a lot of money inspired them. They focused on cooking tutorials. It's both fun and therapeutic. They enjoy what they do from the preparation of ingredients to serving of cooked foods. Their friends get happy eating what they cook. They giggle a lot as they watch the uploaded edited videos. During free time, they self-study more about video creation, honing their creativity skills.
The top vloggers who earned some fortunes as of December 2019 are --
- Ryan Kaji - $26 million
- Dude Perfect - $20 million
- Anastasia Radzinskaya - $18 million
- Rhett and Link - $17.5 million
- Jeffree Star - $17 million
- Preston - $14 million
- PewDiePie tied with Markiplier - $13 million
- DanTDM - $12 million
- VanossGaming - $11.5 million
"Project Monetize Time" is worth considering. We look at ourselves. We find opportunities (not, never opportunists), and if we cannot, we create or help create them. We find our friends in need of opportunities, and we match them to monetize their time. We write stories that convert idle time to productive time. We inspire old ones, mothers/wives at home, unemployed graduates and undergraduates, people of determination, and depressed ones, to go and use their talents and skills to monetize their time. Whatever they earn, they spend on products and services available locally, that keep the wheel of the economy rolling. They save and pay for insurance for rainy days and for retirement, so it will be less burden for the rest of the family and the government.
Passionately monetizing time will make us feel good because we are of use and we feel dignified because we spend our own hard-earned money.
---
Photo credits: Pixabay
Comments
Post a Comment