A few weeks ago, I came across a line from Bill Perkins’ book Die With Zero that got me thinking: “The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end, that’s all there is.” It made me think about how most of us, especially working adults, live like we’re in a holding pattern. We work long hours, save what we can, and tell ourselves that one day we’ll travel, rest, or finally enjoy what we’ve earned. But that one day keeps moving further away.
The Work-Wealth Loop
My colleagues and I talk about this often.
We work in consulting – long hours, endless deadlines, the kind of job that quietly consumes your weeks.
And sometimes, we catch ourselves asking:
“What’s all this for?”
Because even as the paychecks grow, so does the pace.
There’s always another project, another target, another “next step.”
It’s easy to measure life by salary slips and forget that the point of money isn’t just accumulation – it’s experience.
The ability to buy time, not just things.
What the Book Taught Me
Die With Zero isn’t about spending recklessly.
It’s about spending deliberately, aligning your money with the timeline of your life.
Perkins talks about the “time buckets”, different phases of life where certain experiences matter more. For example:
- In your 20s and 30s, your energy is high – travel, explore, try things.
- In your 40s and 50s, relationships and balance matter more.
- In your later years, it’s about meaning and memory, not milestones.
The idea is simple but radical:
Don’t save all your living for the end.
What That Means for Us
For me, it means taking a small portion of what I earn and using it now, not for luxury, but for living.
A short trip. A class I’ve been curious about. A good meal shared without guilt.
For others, it may be time – closing the laptop earlier, saying yes to small joys that don’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet.
Money, we realised, is just a translation of time.
And if we’re not careful, we end up trading the best years of our lives for a future version of ourselves that may never arrive.
A Quiet Reframe
Lately, when I catch myself spiralling about work, saving, or “what’s next,” I ask a simple question:
“If I had less time, would I live today differently?”
The answer is usually yes.
And that’s my cue to pause, to step outside, to spend that small bit of time or money on something that feels alive.
Because at the end of it, as Die With Zero reminds us:
the goal isn’t to die rich.
The goal is to live richly.
With clarity,
— Elian Sage 🌿
theslowedit.org