Today was a reflection of the value of time. It occurred to
me that time is much like money, but with greater restrictions. With money we
can charge, take out loans, borrow, etc. There are ways to spend more money
than we have. But also there comes interest, debt, charges, etc. Consequences
come with any action.
Time is a
given. No matter who, no matter where, there are the same 24 hours in every
single day. It does not judge based on race, ethnicity, sex, age, anything. It
is completely unbiased. Now with that in mind, that we each have the same
amount of time in our ‘bank’, so what makes the difference between the next guy
and me?
As I pondered
that question, it came down to priorities. It came to my goals and my actions
now toward those goals. The only difference is what I do in the moment for what
I want in the future. I went through a couple examples.
I was
sitting in my living room watching a TV show with the family. We enjoy the show;
we record every showing and watch it together when we can. It’s a great time
for us as a family. Now I look back at what else I could have done. I could
have been writing my book, studying in my classes, working my job. But I was here
with my family. I spent my time, a real valuable resource, on these things,
because I valued them. I have planned activities throughout the week based on
what I want to happen in the future. By what I value, by what I spend my time
on you can see what I think is important.
The next
guy values different things, places greater priorities on sports, or great
food, quality time with coworkers, whatever. What we spend our time on
determines who we are.
I really
started to think about time like money, an investment. And that changed
everything.
I spend
time studying not to get a good grade, but to learn about a certain subject. If
I’m not proficient in that or the best in that subject and I want it to be part
of who I am, then I will spend more time to understand that class. I spend time
studying to apply the knowledge later. I spend my time with family and friends,
fostering great relationships.
Who I want
to be, is the product of how I spend my time. To be known as a family guy, a
hard worker, involved, whatever it is, how I spend my time is a reflection of
who I am, and it becomes another way to portray value. I guess what I’ve found
in the last couple days with this thought, is time is our greatest commodity,
our greatest investment. It really begins to shape your thoughts when you look
at what you spend time on and what you get out of that time spent.
@MishReflections
@kenttbates
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