“You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything you want.” -Michael Hyatt
The Fable of Time
There is a fable about a young boy named Peter. While contemplating the fact that life is a pain, and time seems to drag on, he meets an old lady. She gives him a silver ball of string and explains that each time you pull on the string, minutes will turn to seconds,and days will turn to hours. Essentially, Peter can simply skip undesired portions of his life by giving the string a tug.
Well, Peter is delighted and subsequently begins pulling the string anytime he has to do anything undesirable, such as chores. Soon he finds he is an adult and just wants to be married, so he pulls the string. Then his kids are annoying so he pulls the string. Before long, Peter finds himself aged with an aching back and tired legs—so he pulls the string. Before long Peter is on his deathbed. He finds himself wondering about his life, and wishing he had enjoyed it more; both the good and the bad.
Suddenly the old lady appears again, and Peter sadly describes how he had mistakenly used the silver string far too liberally. He wished beyond anything that he could relive his life. The old lady granted his wish. Peter wakes to find his mother calling his name to get out of bed and prepare for school. He was delighted, and proceeded to enjoy his life to the fullest.
What did Peter learn? He did not value his time. Only after his time expired did he realize it’s true value.
Excuses
“If only I had more time, then I would read more books.” “Once I finish this project at work, then I’ll have more free time to start working out again.” “I’m too busy, I’ll start a business later, when I have more time.”
I hear time related excuses every day. Just yesterday I was talking with someone who told me that they were going to start their new workout schedule…“tomorrow”. Jokingly I rebuked him, saying that tomorrow means never. There is truth to that statement. Later equals never.
As humans, we simply cannot do everything we would like to do. Michael Hyatt has said, “You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything you want.”
Time is a valid excuse not to do something. It comes down to value.
Time is Finite
Time is a resource that cannot be replenished. Whether it is used or not, it passes.
Think about how you used your time one year ago, do you wish you had spent more time exercising, studying, reading, or saving?
In many ways, time is power to be harnessed. With compound interest, $100 per month can turn into $1M in 40 years. Farmers devote months of work into a crop before seeing any fruits of their labor. Building a profitable company does not happen overnight. Most businesses take years of diligent work with minimal success before breaking through.
One thing I have learned this year is that investing time into reading books and listening to podcasts does not always have an immediate return on investment. Only after many months and years does the cumulative building of knowledge reap tangible results.
Respect your time by choosing your actions carefully. Many people tend to over-commit themselves to opportunities and goals. Everytime we say yes to one thing, we are saying no to everything else. The choice to read an article about the “10 Financial Moves You Should Make Before You Turn 35”, while potentially helpful, comes at the expense of going for a run, or setting up goals and systems for the year.
While we must respect time, there is something to be said for growth. We cannot expect to suddenly perform at an expert level. If you are the same today as you were one year ago, that means you haven’t grown. I hope I am better today than a year ago. If I don’t allow for growing pains and at times seemingly wasted effort with no results, I will become discouraged.
Conclusion
Where do you want to be? How does future you spend your time? That is what you should be doing now.
Think about the value of your time throughout the day. How does the future successful you live? I make far better decisions with my time when I think in terms of the future. Leisure time is important, but must be taken in moderation and with purpose.
Live your life on purpose.
References
- https://jamesclear.com/value-of-time
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-value-of-time-1
- Fable first published in William Bennett’s The Book of Virtues
