What is time?
Is it infinite or finite? Is it real or created? How should it be invested or spent?
time [ tīm ]
1. system of distinguishing events: a dimension that enables two identical events occurring at the same point in space to be distinguished, measured by the interval between the events.
2. period with limits: a limited period during which an action, process, or condition exists or takes place
3. method of measuring intervals: a system for measuring intervals of time
Time is a space gifted to us by _________ (your spiritual source) to experience life as it is. Similar to a leased home, apartment, or vehicle, time has a “term” limit—in that way it is finite. However, time only ends for the individual. It never ends in the mind of _________ (your spiritual source)—in that way it is infinite.
The only scarce resource that really exist is our time, thus making it our most valuable resource. We choose how to spend and invest it, not our company, not our parents, not our family or friends. Anyone not in control of their own time is a __________________ (I’ll let you fill in the blank). We probably know exactly what’s in our bank accounts right now, but nobody knows how much time is in their time account. Whoever said time is money was all wrong. Time IS LIKE money in that we can spend it, lose it, waste it, invest it, and run out of it, but Time IS NOT LIKE money in that we can’t get it back or make more of it, or measure how much we have left. Even Bill Gates can’t buy another second of time.
“I don’t have time” is not a true statement. In fact, time is all we have…until we don’t have it anymore. We may have competing priorities and have to make compromises, but we have time and have just chosen to spend it in another way. Time well spent is time that aligns with our definition and desire of success. To summarize my non-traditional definition of success, it is being who you want to be, doing what you want to do, having what you want have. Oftentimes we think we have to make tradeoffs in time now so that we can be, do, and have other things later and that’s the path many people take by working for 40 years with their eyes on retirement every second they’re at their desk.
An alternative way to approach your time is start investing it in ways that align with our values. Though every waking hour may not be aligned with our values right now because of things we have to do and things you think we have to do, we can start by allocating as much as we can to the things that are most important to us. This is time leadership as opposed to time management. Time management is the practice of allocating how we spend we time to get things that other people want done. Time leadership is the practice of choosing how we spend our time to get things that we want done. With time management other people are primarily directing our time. With time leadership we take full responsibility for the direction of our time.
It’s your time!
