The Wealth of Time

Hello, fellow thinker!

Been a while! It’s actually been a year since my last trip to Cyprus—and I just came back from going again. I came back with rejuvenated creative energy and wanted to put it back into my letters to you!

Hope you’re well and I hope you enjoy my letter on the wealth of Time

I took three full weeks off. No emails. No meetings. Just me, my family, and a reset I didn’t know I needed. We swam in the vast Mediterranean Sea. We ate grilled meats and fresh vegetables from roadside taverns. We explored the island’s ancient ruins and tangled politics. We reunited with relatives. And more than anything, we rested—deeply.

Here’s what I learned: when you unplug long enough, your brain starts to rewire itself.

In our daily grind, we live like mice in a wheel—always spinning, rarely asking why. But after a certain number of days away, something shifts. The stress drops. The background noise quiets. And something inside you, long buried, begins to stir. You sleep better. You laugh easier. You go to bed satisfied. You wake up light.

It reminded me of the science of fasting—how the body, given time without food, enters a regenerative state. Vacation works the same way for the mind. But it doesn’t happen in a weekend. You can’t reset your soul in three days.

It takes real time.

During those weeks, I noticed things I usually don’t. My curiosity came back. I was more patient. More playful. I had the energy to read, to be present with my kids, to think—not just react. Conversations flowed more freely. My mind wasn’t preoccupied with deadlines or deals; it had space to roam.

One night, I found myself sitting at a poker table with strangers—guys from Iran, Russia, China, Israel, Turkey… and me, the lone American. For the first few hands, no one said where they were from. We were all careful, cautious, as if politics might leak onto the felt. But then, slowly, names and stories came out. And just like that, it felt like the United Nations… playing poker.

It struck me how fragile and beautiful that moment was. In a world full of borders, walls, and wars, here we were—laughing, bluffing, passing chips back and forth. You realize that beyond the headlines and flags, people are just people. They want safety. Freedom. Fun. A chance to win. A moment of peace.

There’s something about being far from home that forces perspective. You meet people living entirely different lives, with entirely different assumptions about what’s “normal.” You start to wonder what you’ve accepted as truth just because it’s familiar. You remember that the world is huge. That there are a thousand ways to live, love, and make a living.

Someone once told me: true wealth isn’t measured in money—it’s measured in time. When you have control over your hours, when you get to choose what your day looks like, that’s real freedom.

Most of us don’t feel rich with time. We’re budgeting it down to the minute, trying to squeeze life into the cracks between Zoom calls and obligations. But a long vacation gives you a taste of something else. It’s not just rest—it’s reclamation. You take back your day. Your thoughts. Yourself.

I used to wonder why Europeans take month-long vacations or why my friends from India shut everything down for festivals. Now I get it. It’s not indulgent. It’s wise. It’s human. Life isn’t just about producing—it’s about being.

Coming back was hard. The calendar filled up fast. The inbox exploded. But something in me had shifted. And I don’t want to lose that.

I don’t think the answer is always three weeks in another country. But I do think we need to mix it up more. Take shorter breaks more often. Be more intentional about unplugging. Carve out even small slices of time that belong to us.

If there’s one message I want to leave you with, it’s this:

Never give up on time for yourself.

If life offers you even a brief window to breathe, take it. Let your mind stretch. Let your spirit roam. Let your body remember what it feels like to just exist, without performing, producing, or rushing.

Because the truth is: you’re alive. Right now. On this planet. And this is your life.

There’s so much more of it to experience than you’ve probably allowed yourself to feel.

Don’t wait for retirement. Don’t wait for permission.

Take the time. You deserve it.

—Amir
@TheSoberThinker

Check out my new website: amirilyasov.com

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Keep thinking, my friends!

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