Monday, March 22, 2010

Time Is Money

Time is Money. How many times have you heard that?

It is usually used to make people move faster, rush more, get more done.
On our way to the Bali camp, we talked about it again, especially in light of some things Sensei Scott told us in Singapore Saturday about "coloring our days".

Time really IS money. Far more similar than you probably thought. Time and money can both be spent and used, even wasted. How many people do you know who waste their time? I bet those same people waste their money too.

Many smart people believe money is a tool. A powerful tool that can be used to help you achieve freedom to do the things you want. By that same rationale, time can be used to help you achieve freedom to do the things you want. By removing excess such as television, you may find you have much more time than you thought you did to engage in things you enjoy.

Far more importantly, money can be invested. I did my master's degree in Finance, and we spent long hours learning how to invest money to achieve wealth and financial freedom. I contend that you invest time the same way, and often achieve the same quality of results. It is important to make conscious decisions in how you spend both time and money if you want to increase your quality of life.

Many people squander both their money and their time. Then, when they need some, it isn't there. None left. Money can be saved in a bank and withdrawn later - there are no bank accounts for storing time, but by making poor life decisions which shorten your life (such as smoking, excessive drinking) you can be certain you aren't adding time to your life.

Financially, we have a certain finite period during which we can labor to earn money. By carefully managing how we use those earnings, we can achieve a lifestyle balance we want. Temporally, we have a certain lifetime in order to do the activities we want and make our mark on the world. When it is gone, it is gone. Our loved ones die as part of the lesson that we must treat the time in our lives as precious.

It is useful to be frugal with both time and money, and to use them really for the things which are important to you.

Think about it.

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