Time Freedom vs. Material Wealth

Welcome to Wisdom Wednesdays: your weekly dose of clarity.

Each week, enjoy a quick guided reflection, fresh insights, and a simple exercise to help you unlock what’s next—all in one powerful email. 

Let's dive in!

Intentional Pause - Your guided reflection

12 minutes to more clarity

The Choice That Changes Everything

In 2016, Phil walked through the door of our small urban condo with a look that said more than words ever could.

“I’m going to leave my job,” he announced.

He wasn’t just leaving any job. He was a partner and equity owner at a thriving digital agency, serving as the Creative Director and Head of HR.

On paper, he had it all - a clear path to financial success, excellent healthcare, retirement plans, and the stability most people dream of.

And we were newly pregnant with our first child.

Without hesitation, I replied, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

No fear. No second-guessing. Just an unshakeable knowing.

Phil had just returned from a business trip where, during a meeting filled with executives discussing a website design he had poured his heart into, he realized something profound: no one in the room actually cared.

Sure, they knew they had to do their job and cared about getting the project done. But it was just a project with no true impact on any of them. They were physically present but emotionally absent. They were just ticking boxes while missing baseball games, and forfeiting moments with their families for another meeting on the calendar.

In that split second, time stood still. He had his “Zach Morris” moment, as he calls it.

 

And with absolute clarity, he knew he didn’t want that same life for himself or his new family.

The Nudge You Can’t Ignore

Our adventure started with that small, quiet nudge.

Maybe you’ve felt it, too. A tug to change careers, pursue a creative passion, or reclaim your health. Maybe it's the ache to slow down, to breathe, to be instead of constantly doing.

Whatever it is, don’t brush it off. That nudge is the starting point of a life that actually feels like yours.

The Trap We All Fall Into

Here’s where most of us get stuck: we choose the safe, logical path because it promises security. We’re told that financial freedom will buy us the time freedom we crave if we just work long, hard and smart enough.

But that’s a lie.

I’ve watched far too many people retire with anticipation of time freedom only to have it snatched away by an early death just a couple years after their last day of work.

Society promotes: Money over values. Retirement over presence. The promise of ‘someday’ over the gift of right now.

We trade our time, health, and relationships for “financial freedom,” not realizing that the cost is far greater than the paycheck.

The Truth That Sets Us Free

The real unlock? You don’t need financial freedom to have time freedom.

We realized this the day Phil left his job.

Since then, we’ve built a life centered on presence, not paychecks.

We’re not millionaires in the traditional sense, but we became time millionaires years ago.

And here’s what’s wild - when you prioritize time, the money often follows. Usually not millions but certainly enough.

We’ve personally:

• Built multiple six-figure businesses that support our lifestyle

• Shared equal roles in raising our two boys

• Designed and built a custom home that reflects our values

• Traveled, adventured, and created memories we’ll cherish forever

• Strengthened our relationship through both triumphs and trials

Was it easy? No. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

This way of life doesn’t mean you won’t get re-stuck in the old programming. We often do.

But it does mean that you’ll have the awareness to make choices with every step that prioritize both financial stability AND wellbeing.

This Is Bigger Than Us

This isn’t just about our story. It’s about a cultural crisis that is loudly unfolding all around us.

This week’s National Report Card shows a sobering truth: as incomes rise, our well-being is plummeting.

• “Our rising incomes are not translating into greater perceived well-being and social connection.”

• “We see declines in relationships, increases in social isolation, and eroding mental health.”

Haunting charts like this paint a grim picture for our future if we continue on this path.

 

It’s not the money that’s the problem. It’s the belief that money is the solution.

Our society is running on a dangerous assumption: that success equals wealth, and wealth equals happiness. But the data tells a different story.

People are lonelier than ever. Anxiety and depression are skyrocketing. Families are disconnected. And despite having more wealth than ever before, we feel less fulfilled.

The Shift We Need

This isn’t just a personal wake-up call. It’s a collective one.

We need to rewrite the narrative. Not just for ourselves but for our communities, our children, and the generations that follow.

Imagine if more of us prioritized time over titles, presence over productivity, connection over consumption.

Imagine the ripple effect if we all made small, intentional shifts toward what truly matters.

I don’t know about you, but I am personally invested in making that shift for myself, my family and our collective community.

An Invitation

You don’t have to quit your job. You don’t have to overhaul your life. Sometimes, the biggest shifts start with the smallest changes.

But you do have to choose. Choose what matters. Choose presence. Choose now.

And just watch the ripple effects. Observe how your intentional daily choices to prioritize your health over emails or an evening with a loved one over a networking event or in my case this week, intuition over over-analyzing will drastically change not only your life experience but the lives of those around you.

When you look back, I promise with all my heart that you’ll be glad you made those small and big changes.

Your Turn to Reflect

I invite you to reflect on where this is happening in your own life. Use the audio above and then reflect on the questions below.

• Where are you trading time for things that don’t truly matter?

• What nudges have you been ignoring?

• What small step could you take today to reclaim your time?

Choose ONE thing

When you’re finished, choose just one thing you’ll do today or this week to prioritize your life and time RIGHT NOW. Not someday. And then make note of the ripple effect you noticed. Do it once and then do it again and again.

Making a Collective Change

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

This African Proverb serves as a foundation for how we can actually make a change. To shift future charts, we need to individually do our part to make collective differences. Choosing intentional actions, aligned with our values, one step at a time, ultimately leading to drastic differences.

If you want to shift your life to live now and not someday, to unravel from the money-first lifestyle and pursue what matters most, join us and many others over at Owl & Key. We’re a community of intentional leaders changing our own lives and those that we care for and lead.

With gratitude for your presence here,

Krista