WHAT TIME IS IT?

A number of years ago while making a sales call, the administrator I was seeing invited me for a cup of coffee. During our brief time together he said something that stuck like glue. He said “Joe, you can always make more money, but you can never make more time”. It’s true, time is our most valued commodity. As hard as we try we just can’t squeeze an extra hour, day, month, or year into a lifetime. Our time is a most valuable asset, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. When I look back on my life, I see so much wasted time. I see too many detours where I allowed myself to be side tracked on really unimportant things. So how can one avoid such squandering ? I want to offer three points that are by no means exhaustive.

First, clarify your values. Begin by making a list of the what you value. Simply look at your life and list the values that rise naturally out of its context. This is foundational, and values should not be negotiable. So if being with family is something you value, and that new job offer with that great salary requires travel 85% of the time, that’s not a good fit.

Second, clarify your goals. What do you want, where do you want to go? This almost sounds stupid, but it’s not. Please be aware broad strokes won’t work here, you need to be specific. You can’t get to where you want to be if you don’t know where you’re going. I was taken by this quote from Ray Edwards, “I used to be afraid of failing at something that really matters. Now I’m more afraid of succeeding at something that doesn’t.”

Third, plan and take action. A vision without action remains just a vision. Inaction can become an excuse, likely driven by fear but reasoned under the guise of planning. Look at this quote from Andy Stanley, “When a plan or strategy fails, people are tempted to assume it was the wrong vision. Plans and strategies can always be changed and improved. But vision doesn’t change. Visions are simply refined with time.” But in order for that to be discovered one must act.

So these three points are my offering. I hope they will help maximize your time to achieve your dream. I will leave you with some very healthy advice from Earl Nightingale.
“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”