There’s a lot of talk these days about different classes: the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots, the privileged and the underprivileged. It’s been said that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer—perhaps they’re right.
But I think there have always been differences. And as troubled and challenged as the middle class is today, history has shown us that the disparity between rich and poor is less now than in centuries past.
And no matter how much more advantage any class has over another, there is one thing every single person has in equal amounts—time.
We all have 24 hours a day. And with few exceptions, we have freedom of choice as to how we invest the 1,440 minutes every one of us is given each and every day.
The richest person who ever lived is unable to buy more time. They might leverage it and hire things done but they cannot bargain for more time.
Ben Franklin wrote, “Do not squander time, for that is what life is made of.”
I think we can agree with Ben. Our life IS made up of time. And, of course, it’s not the time we put in, but rather what we put in to the time. We decide how to spend it. We decide how we live our lives.
Are you satisfied with how you invest your time? Do you respect and value it to the degree you should?
Are you effective as well as efficient? Are you living in accordance with your core values? Do you take actions and get things done that further your highest objectives?
I challenge you to take a hard look at your stewardship of your most precious asset.
I encourage you to look for ways to become more efficient AND effective? How can you leverage yourself with tools, services and technology? How can you get more of the right things done in less time?
Best Life Truth: Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.
This article was originally published on SuccessNet.org in 2013.
