Quick. What is the most valuable commodity on Earth right now?

Is it gold, now skyrocketing thanks to Donald Trump?

Is it rhodium, the most expensive mineral on a per gram basis?

Is it red diamond which can sell for over $1 million per carat?

In the final analysis, wouldn’t you agree with me that it’s time?

Strictly speaking, time is not a commodity. However, in an economics sense, time functions like a commodity. If you doubt this, just ask your lawyer.

In the broad metaphorical sense, it’s the most valuable resource of all, a conundrum, an enigma, difficult to unravel.

Almost everyone wants more of it, especially the Silicon Valley tech billionaires, who have invested heavily in anti-aging research. Their ultimate goal: living longer and staying younger at the same time.

What’s your ambition in life? Whatever it is, time is needed for it to reach its logical conclusion: either success or failure. There’s no shortcut around it.

Time: The Precious Currency of Life

We’ve all heard it before: There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.

This is even more so if you’re stuck in a 9-to-5 job and have to spend more than an hour commuting every day.

Most of us have a long list of things to do every day. Time to exercise to maintain health. Time spent on your professional pursuits. Time for your hobbies. Time for loved ones and friends. Time for relaxation.

Things get way more complicated now in the age of social media. In this era, news and feeds don’t just arrive—they chase us. Every scroll, ping, or push notification pulls at our attention.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of us struggle to keep an even keel in the face of constant negative media headlines and the divisive churn of endless social-media scrolling. In the meantime, the pressure from work, family, and other health issues are just as relentless as ever.

How many times in your life have you heard this refrain: “Life is short”? Perhaps that cliche springs from an awakening when people lose parents, friends, or colleagues to death. In the 40s, aging is no longer an abstract issue: The bodies take on weight and the skin starts to sag.

By the time they are in their 50s, people are hit with more chronic and mysterious ailments (cancer, arthritis, diabetes, high-blood pressure, etc) than ever. The decline in vitality reminds them of their own mortality — just as time for them appears to speed up considerably.

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Success Is in the Journey

Recently I came across a piece of sage advice. It reads: “The purpose of life isn’t to get it all done but to enjoy each step along the way and live a life filled with love.”

Given the fact that a chronically fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle can accelerate biological aging, and eventually kill you, isn’t it better to slow down? You’ll never get it all done, especially if you’re ambitious and purpose-driven.

Because when you achieve one goal, a new one will pop up. And it’s likely to be bigger and more challenging.

The true reward lies in the journey itself— in the simple act of attempting, of moving forward one step at a time. When we become obsessed with cramming every task into the present, with forcing life to yield all its fruits at once, we risk not only burnout but also the loss of life’s quiet pleasures. By slowing down, by releasing the need to conquer time, we open ourselves to the richness that is already here.

(Hai Van Le is the author of Into the Unknown: A Survival Thriller. The revised and illustrated 2025 edition is now available for pre-order on Amazon. More information can be found at haivanle.com.)