Well, here we are a few weeks into the New Year and my thoughts on how quickly things pass have to rest solely on what many regard as the most valuable asset we all possess in equal quantities, regret not “spending” it properly but can’t even buy it in the first place. Our time. I had fully intended to get this blog out on the 2nd of January. Pretty much had it written in my head but as you may have already guessed, I haven’t had the …time… to do so. Yet. Been too busy with end of year clean up, new year set up, immediate priorities and unforgivably, no time to get it done. Once the moment is passed, it’s gone and becomes history as I look into the future. Well, finally, the time is now. I’ve been prompted. No, motivated to get it done before a new year comment on time becomes irrelevant and dated. Ha, that’s another thing that happens with time. It’s fleeting. Only so much in a given day, week, month. No extensions. You can borrow some but the payback is a bitch. However you look at it, it’s a precious commodity, of greater value than anything material and how we choose to use it speaks volumes.
I mentioned motivation to act. It comes after dinner with some dear friends, one of whom has been going through treatment for cancer and the reality of mortality. Mortality, ugly word when used in conjunction with time. We’re not kids but that doesn’t diminish the value of “our” time. Nor does it increase it. The value is perceived both personally and impersonally. So who’s time is it anyway? Just ask somebody who may feel they’ve only got a little bit of it left. “I don’t have much time so…”
Or the opposite: “I’ve got nothing but time…”. Think about it. Take a minute, or two. Or three. See. Depends on your perception of how much you have and how you want to spend it. Interesting perspective isn’t it?
Here’s the deal; we don’t get to control it as it continues regardless of what we want to do with it. Can’t stop it, can’t slow it and we usually don’t want to speed it up. (Hint: don’t even wish that. You can’t get it back if you waste it.) What’s telling about time is that thinking about it can create a necessity for action. Any activity could be considered an investment in what time you have. That amount of time is relative to each individual. With only so much of it one would likely prefer to use it wisely since we don’t really know when it’s going to run out. Remember there’s only one time it stands still. But things do happen to remind us of the value of our time if we pay attention. A severe injury, illness or loss of a loved one tend to trigger best uses of time for some period. Usually too short a period at that.
Time is spoken about as if it’s an object but go ahead and try to get your arms around it or grab it, squeeze it or throw it. Not gonna happen. Yet it can be l-o-n-g or short. And if you want to know more about what time is simply ask “when”. When? One word that’s a full blown question. There’s something to ponder. Think to yourself a few time oriented statements to see how real it becomes when you follow that question with “when”. I’m going to get rich…, I’m getting married… We’re having a baby… I’m going to die. The last one is inevitable but had to address it. I think if most of us knew when, we would act differently wouldn’t we?
That brings me back to the motivation to get this done. It’s time-bound. Addressing mortality, looking around at the things that are important vs not so important, you see things a little differently. You move a little faster to reach out to somebody you care about, spend a little less time at the office to get home to the kids or significant other.
Look at life a little differently. What you do with your time speaks to your character and becomes your mark on the planet. Your legacy is the result of your time and how the world perceives your use of it. Yeah, I agree it sucks that others get to judge how you spent your time but isn’t it really others that give your time it’s value? I guess that’s the point of this blog. Make something of your time. Hurry up and take advantage of every single bit of it using it the way you think best. If you’re reading this, you’re still here spending your time so no judgement on what that all means just now. But knowing how you’re going to use it every day, week, month or year, depending on what you’ve got left, speaks volumes to who you are, what you’re about and what’s important to you. Don’t wait for something to happen to you or someone close to you to make you realize the significance of your time. It’s the most valuable thing you’ll ever get that you have no idea of how long it will last or when it runs out. Make the most it and do something with it.
At MultiPoint Content Strategies, one thing I can promise you is we recognize the value of your time… and ours.
