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Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
I was reminded this week of the concept of trade through an incident that occurred at a coffee bar at an airport where I was staring at the menu knowing that I only had $3 in my pocket.
The rest of my hard earned cash had been exhausted on goods in my suitcase and the overweight fee you had to pay at departure. Blurry eyed and jet-lagged I tried to make the decision between a latte that would have given me some energy via a jolting caffeine boost and the tempting pastry that would stave off the hunger pains until the airline snack arrives in six hours’ time.

I could only afford one, somewhere in the decision making process I had to make a trade off. So I had to make a trade off.
This incident reminded me of trade not as it just applies to the exchange of goods and services but as the medium through which we conduct our lives.

At a basic level of understanding trade is an exchange; we trade our time for money, our money for goods and services.
You buy that cup of coffee at the airport then you have traded a steaming pot of java for a few dollars that represent value.

But if you look deeper at the story you have also made a trade between the coffee and the croissant.
You will have traded thirst for hunger. Our choices between items and activities are themselves often a trade.
Each of us start the day with a finite amount of time. How you leverage that time to get things done determines what you trade your time for.

You can spend time at work or you can spend time with your family. You are trading one for the other.
The impact and value of that trade depends entirely on your circumstance and the possible outcome of your choices in the future. You can be a successful (on the surface anyway) businessman who misses his son’s rugby game and then one wonders why he would rather spend time smoking cigarettes with his mates than talking to his son.

Now there is a time and a season for everything and it takes a little discernment to work out what the best exchange of your time may be.
The way you trade your time reflects your inner values. The way you exchange your money (as for many of us money represents our time) will show where your “heart” lies.
Here is a great question to ask yourself; what would I exchange 24 hours of my life for?

The reverse of the question is “How much of my life would I be willing to exchange for this item?”
For example would you be willing to swap a year of your life for perfect physical looks, to live one year shorter but be a demigod in the eyes of the opposite sex for what you have left?
What about that car you want, or a million dollars for dinner with Jennifer Aniston, or reconciliation with your daughter, for a happier work environment, for a better marriage.
Chances are you are already living out the answer to the question.

Moral trade occurs when we exchange our integrity and our conscience.
Every time you engage in a crooked deal or pay a bribe you are trading part of your soul for a quick fix. Sooner or later it will catch up with you; sure no one may see your inner loathing of yourself but give away enough of your conscience and you will be an empty shell of a man with a pile of regret. You get to choose the level you trade at.

Relationships are built and broken down by trade; trade of words, of ideas, of memories shared, of time spent sowing into each other’s lives.
The term “to exchange words” is an apt term for an angry trade.
Words once spoken are hard to trade back, erasing the memory of such a negative emotional transaction can take years of counsel and walking through healing.

My challenge to you this week is that for an entire week ask yourself “What am I really trading?” each time you are faced with a choice.
For every activity that you do ask “What am I exchanging this for — financially, morally, in terms of relationships, in terms of other areas I could be investing my time in?”
And finally, ask “What may be the long term returns, positive or negative, on this trade?”

It is a sobering exercise, but a revealing one.
Have fun with it.

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