Life as a Business: Managing Energy, Assets, and Satisfaction

how igor ticks , productivity , energy , strategy , balance

Businesses exist to generate profit. But what about life? Can we manage our lives with the same intentionality and clarity businesses use to thrive? Viewing life through this lens helps prioritize what truly matters, sustain energy, and deepen relationships. Just as businesses carefully manage resources, we can intentionally allocate our energy, nurture meaningful assets, and measure success beyond mere productivity. Life operates on two intertwined currencies—Life Value (the true worth of our existence) and energy (the operational fuel). These currencies are generated and sustained by carefully nurturing life assets such as relationships, health, skills, and character.

However, while this model provides structure, approach it with flexibility and wisdom. Remember:

  • Life transcends optimization or efficiency—it involves presence, principles, and connection.
  • Measuring everything risks attachment and overlooks true fulfillment.
  • Relationships and purpose grow organically, not transactionally.
  • Life Value encompasses legacy, service, and contribution, not just personal gain.
  • Effectiveness, not efficiency, builds relationships—love, trust, and connections require patience and time.

With these insights, ensure this model serves rather than controls how we live.

The Two Currencies of Life

Traditional businesses deal in a single currency: money. But in life, we operate with two:

  1. Life Value (The True Worth of Life) – A placeholder for a concept that includes both short-term satisfaction and enjoyment (immediate gratification, joy) and long-term fulfillment (purpose, service to others, living your values). Life Value represents the ultimate return on life’s investments. However, true Life Value should not be mistaken for pleasure-seeking—it is found through integrity, contribution, and living in alignment with principles.

  2. Energy (Operational Fuel) – The fuel that powers daily activities. Like cash flow, energy must be managed well, but unlike Life Value, energy does not directly generate fulfillment—it is only through building and maintaining assets that deep Life Value can be achieved. Covey’s Sharpen the Saw principle reminds us that energy is not infinite and must be replenished through renewal and balance.

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The Life Balance Sheet & Income Statement

Instead of treating life as a business that maximizes efficiency, we need a mission-driven system that prioritizes long-term well-being, relationships, and integrity.

Life Balance Sheet (Snapshot of assets & liabilities)

Category Examples
Assets Relationships, Health, Skills, Knowledge, Purpose, Character
Liabilities Stress, Bad Habits, Toxic Relationships, Anxiety, Ego-driven goals
Owner’s Equity Life Value (Includes both short-term satisfaction and joy and long-term fulfillment, such as purpose, service to others, and living your values)

A well-managed balance sheet is not about accumulating the most assets but ensuring that our investments align with our values and purpose.

Life Income Statement (Tracking energy flows)

Category Examples
Energy Inflows Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise, Learning, Positive Social Interactions, Mindfulness
Energy Outflows Work, Relationships, Service, Creative Expression
Energy Drains (Taxes) Stress, Regret, Wasted Time, Unhealthy Habits, Emotional Attachments
Net Life Profit Life Value (Derived not just from personal success, but also from meaningful contribution and inner peace)

Life Assets: Building, Maintaining, and Growing

Just as businesses invest in assets that generate returns over time, we must strategically build life assets that create energy and satisfaction. However, unlike business assets, life assets require a different approach to building, maintaining, and measuring their value.

Building Assets: Effectiveness Over Efficiency

It’s critical to remember that we must remove the transactional mindset around building assets. Life should not be optimized like a financial portfolio but cultivated like a garden. Some investments yield quick results, while others take years to mature. Most importantly, you cannot be efficient with people—only effective.

Remember to focus on small, frequent investments (like relationships and health), instead of on a precise endpoint. For health, this means showing up every day with discipline, and for human interactions, showing up with understanding, kindness, and compassion. The true value of our assets grows not through grand gestures but through consistent, intentional presence.

Ways to wisely convert energy into assets:

  • Investing in Relationships – Not as “leverage” but as genuine connections based on service, trust, and understanding. Relationships require patience, time, and presence.
  • Developing Character & Wisdom – Instead of just accumulating knowledge or skills, growing in integrity and principle-centered living.
  • Balancing Health & Energy – A sustainable approach to well-being, ensuring rest, play, and reflection are as valued as productivity.

Instead of merely tracking and maximizing assets, we should ask: Are these assets helping us live in alignment with our values?

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How Assets Generate Energy & Deep Satisfaction

Unlike money, energy can be regenerated. The assets we build can, in turn, create more energy and fulfillment—but only when aligned with purpose and contribution.

  • Relationships – Healthy relationships provide emotional strength, reduce stress (energy drain), and create deep satisfaction.
  • Character & Purpose – Living with clarity of values prevents unnecessary energy drains caused by regret, guilt, or ego-driven pursuits.
  • Health & Mindfulness – The Dalai Lama reminds us that inner peace is the greatest energy generator—more valuable than external achievement.

Asset Depreciation: The Cost of Neglect

In business accounting, assets depreciate over time without proper maintenance and reinvestment. The same principle applies to our life assets, though in more complex and sometimes irreversible ways:

Business Asset Depreciation Life Asset Depreciation
Equipment wears out without maintenance Relationships wither without attention and care
Technology becomes obsolete Skills become outdated without continuous learning
Buildings deteriorate Health declines without consistent investment
Intellectual property loses relevance Knowledge becomes stale without application

It’s essential to recognize that unlike business assets that can often be replaced, some life assets—once significantly depreciated—may be difficult or impossible to restore:

  • Relationships – Trust, once broken, requires exponentially more energy to rebuild than to maintain.
  • Health – Some aspects of physical health, once lost, cannot be fully recovered.
  • Reputation – Character and integrity, once compromised, may leave permanent shadows.

The wisdom in managing asset depreciation lies in:

  • Preventative maintenance – Regular, small investments prevent major depreciation
  • Recognizing early warning signs – Addressing small issues before they become critical
  • Prioritizing irreplaceable assets – Some assets (like deep relationships) deserve disproportionate attention
  • Accepting natural lifecycles – Some assets naturally evolve or conclude, requiring graceful transitions

Just as a business must account for depreciation in its financial planning, we must build renewal and maintenance into our life systems—not as an afterthought, but as a core practice.

Reframing “Cost” and “ROI” in Life

In business, ROI (Return on Investment) measures efficiency. In life, ROI is about alignment and contribution.

Type of Life ROI Examples
High ROI Acts of kindness, mentorship, deep relationships, personal growth
Low ROI Shallow entertainment, ego-driven achievements, toxic relationships
Compounding ROI Wisdom, gratitude, love—things that grow exponentially over time

It’s essential to recognize that not all investments in life have an immediate or measurable return. Some of the best uses of energy appear “unproductive” but are essential for fulfillment:

  • Rest and Play – These are vital energy investments, not liabilities.
  • Acts of Kindness – Serving others may seem costly in the short term, but compounds in ways we cannot measure.
  • Mindful Living – The Dalai Lama warns that measuring everything can create attachment and dissatisfaction. Life is to be lived, not just optimized.

To live well, invest energy in what compounds over time—not just what provides instant satisfaction.

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Life Positioning: Strategic Choices in How We Live

Just as businesses adopt different strategic positions in the market, we make fundamental choices about how we position our lives. These choices reflect our values and determine how we allocate our limited energy and attention.

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Business Positioning Life Positioning Parallel Characteristics Potential Tradeoffs
Low-Cost Provider Immediate Gratification Focus • Prioritizes short-term pleasure and convenience
• Minimal investment in long-term assets
• High volume of experiences
• Low barrier to entry		 • Limited depth in relationships
• Minimal compound growth
• Vulnerability to “market” changes
• Potential for burnout
Premium/Luxury Brand Deep Investment Strategy • Focuses on quality over quantity
• Significant investment in fewer, deeper relationships
• Cultivates expertise and mastery
• Prioritizes meaning over convenience		 • Slower initial “returns”
• Requires patience and discipline
• May appear less exciting initially
• Fewer but deeper connections
Innovative Disruptor Authentic Self-Expression • Creates unique path rather than following norms
• Willing to take calculated risks
• Values creativity and originality
• Challenges conventional wisdom		 • May face social resistance
• Requires courage and resilience
• Less predictable outcomes
• Potential for greater impact
Customer Service Leader Relationship-Centered Living • Prioritizes service to others
• Invests heavily in relationship quality
• Focuses on empathy and understanding
• Values consistency and reliability		 • May neglect self-care
• Requires emotional energy
• Slower path to visible “success”
• Deeper fulfillment over time

The wisdom in life positioning comes from making conscious choices rather than defaulting to what society rewards most visibly. Just as a business cannot excel in every positioning strategy simultaneously, we must make intentional tradeoffs in how we live:

  • Depth vs. Breadth – Do you cultivate fewer, deeper relationships or maintain a wider network of connections?
  • Immediate vs. Delayed Returns – Are you willing to invest in assets that take years to mature?
  • Conventional vs. Authentic – Do you follow established paths or create your own, even when it’s challenging?
  • Self-Focus vs. Service – How do you balance personal growth with contribution to others?

Unlike businesses, however, our positioning isn’t fixed. We can evolve our approach as we grow and learn. The key is consciousness—recognizing that how we position our lives reflects deeper values and priorities, not just preferences.

The most successful life positioning strategies share one trait: alignment between stated values and actual energy allocation. Just as a business cannot claim to be customer-focused while cutting service quality, we cannot claim to value relationships while consistently prioritizing work over people.

Conclusion: Running Life as a Mission, Not Just a Business

With these insights, the Life as a Business model transforms into a Life as a Mission framework:

  • Measure Success by Purpose – The goal is not to accumulate assets but to live with integrity, service, and love.
  • Think Abundance – Life is not a zero-sum game. We can all grow without competing.
  • Prioritize Inner Peace & Relationships – If your “balance sheet” looks strong but your relationships suffer, you are failing in the long run.
  • Value Contribution – True wealth is not what we have but what we give.

Final Thought: If business success is measured by profit, then life success is measured by legacy, love, and how well we aligned with our deepest values.

Appendix

Beware the Stock Market

In the stock market, Benjamin Graham famously distinguished between the market as a voting machine (short-term popularity contest) versus a weighing machine (long-term measure of true value). This distinction offers a powerful parallel for life:

Business Concept Life Parallel
Market Cap/Stock Price External validation, social media likes, status symbols, comparison to others
Voting Machine Short-term reactions based on appearance, trends, and external perception rather than substance
Weighing Machine Long-term assessment of true value based on consistent character, contribution, and alignment with deeper values

The trap of extrinsic measurement is mistaking the market’s daily vote (others’ opinions, social comparison, external validation) for your true worth. When we optimize for external metrics—like pursuing status symbols or social validation—we’re chasing a volatile stock price rather than building intrinsic value.

The wisdom lies in:

  • Noticing but not being controlled by how others perceive your life
  • Building intrinsic value that will eventually be recognized by the “weighing machine” of time
  • Focusing on what matters when the external “market” is volatile or irrational
  • Remembering that true Life Value comes from within, not from external validation

Just as the wisest investors focus on intrinsic business value rather than daily stock fluctuations, the wisest life investors focus on building genuine assets rather than chasing external validation.

Final Lessons from Timeless Thinkers

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
“Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey
“Love is at the root of everything.” – Fred Rogers
→ A meaningful life is not about maximizing time but aligning with purpose and principle.

If you found this post helpful, here are other resources on my blog that explore different aspects of life management, energy, and balance:

Energy Management

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Balance and Effectiveness

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Building Sustainable Habits

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Recovery and Renewal

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Personal Operating Manual

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These posts complement each other to form a comprehensive framework for managing your life with purpose, energy, and satisfaction.