Ask any young man what he thinks he needs to have to make it in life and he will probably list money as the number one thing. However, this same young man will spend hours chatting with friends, or sitting in front of the Television, not realising that he is spending the greatest resource he has – his time.
Your Greatest Resource
While we may be different in many ways, one thing which we all have in equal portion is time. All have the same equal amount of time: whether great and small, rich and poor. In fact, the only thing we posses when we come into the world is time.
Your success today is dependent on well you have spent your time in the past. Every advancement or achievement is the result of time well spent. The student who passes his exam has spent his time studying; the professional who gets acclaimed has spent his time honing his skills; the woman who has a happy home has spent her time taking care of her family; the farmer who has a good harvest has spent his time planting, weeding and harvesting. Time is the greatest resource you have and how you spend your time today determines where you will be tomorrow. Unfortunately, we can’t store time or hoard it up somewhere. Whether we like it or not, we must spend it.
Use Your Time Well
Discipline is the key to proper time usage. Naturally, we love to loaf around and idle away. This is the surest path to poverty. As it is written:
“How long will you lie there doing nothing at all? When are you going to get up and stop seeping? Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs. Suddenly, everything is gone, as though it had been taken by an armed robber” – Proverbs 6:9-11
If you are going to make your life count, then you have to make your time count.
“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time” – Jim Rohn
How Do You Make It Count?
Time is like every other resource. You can spend it on “assets” or “liabilities.”
“Assets” are those things you do that add to you, either directly or indirectly. They help you to grow, develop, or move ahead. Examples include attending lectures, studying, going for higher learning, praying, and the list goes on – we all know them. Anything that will move you in the direction of your goals is an asset. “Liabilities” are those things that do not add to you, or take from you, directly or indirectly. An example is spending time watching TV while you should be preparing for your exam, gossiping, cheating, etc.
If you are going to make significant advancement, then you should spend more of your time on “assets” instead of “liabilities.” To do this, you will be required to set your goals and priorities. The reason why a lot of people end up as failures is because they do not have clear cut goals and they end up spending their time on every activity that comes by, instead of focusing on “assets.” Set your goals and make sure you are working towards your goal all the time. That way you make excellent use of your time.
