subject: Time- Your Most Valuable Possession [print this page] Time- Your Most Valuable Possession Time- Your Most Valuable Possession
The entire reason I write comes down to one all encompassing belief I have- That time is your most precious resource. To me, time is life itself, as important as the air you breathe. Without your time, you have nothing. And time, in the world we live in, is directly affected by money. I don't think money can buy youhappiness, but it does buy you time, and there is nothing more valuable. People sometimes think I have an obsession with money,and thatisn't true at all. What I have is an immense gratitude for life and I hate seeing it wasted.
Watching people throw money away on poor decisions makes me cringe. For some reason, the direct correlation between money and time has been lost by mostpeople. If you have a job you needto get it through your head that every dollar you spend is directly subtracting time from your life, time that you will be forced to spend in the office working instead of doing what you want. I like to pretend there is aguy in the sky with a giant chalkboard keeping track of how much time I get in my life- Every time I spend money, he subtracts time. I might as well be smoking a pack of cigarettes a day; Both smoking and wasting money cost you life in equal amounts- Smoking subtracts from the end of your life, spending subtracts from the middle.
I'm not saying you shouldn't spend money at all. What I am saying is that when you do spend money you better make damn sure that you are spending it on things you highly value. Money is a great tool that can be used to make your time adventurous and wonderful, but wasting money is the worst mistake you can make. You literally throw part of your life away.
Instead of cutting spending cold turkey, which will never work and is counter productive,simply takeextra time thinking about every purchase you make before you hand over your hard earned cash. For example, I'm comfortable wearing $250 designer jeans by brands like Seven and True Religion because by spending a little extra time looking around I can buy them brand new for $30 ($220 difference = 17 hours saved from working my job). I can easily live with a $65 cell phone plan instead of a $110 plan ($45 = 3.5 hours saved each month). Instead of spending $35 on a steak at a restaurant, I can buy the same steak AND cook it better at home for $5!
I honestly ask myself before eating out at a restaurant and flushing an extra $30 down the toilet whether or notthe experiencewill bring me enough joy to justify eliminating 2 hours of my life. Once in a blue moon it really IS worth it; There's nothing wrong with splurging from time to time. But I know people who eat out like this every single day, and I can't help but wonder if, in the end, it will really bring them the happiness they seek. Stop looking at a dollar like it's just a piece of paper. Instead, focus on what you had to sacrifice to earn it- Your time, your life, your very being.
