The most valuable asset in life is time.
In reality, it cannot be purchased, which places its premium above that of money. It can, however, be saved, conserved, and protected.
We don’t often think about the real cost of things in life; rather we mostly think in terms of financial cost. The real, “hidden” cost of life is how we use our time. And the cost of making money is spending your hours, which you cannot repurchase.
Long nights at the office come at the sacrifice of being with family and friends and pursuing our passions.
It’s not that we all need to be entrepreneurs or working remotely to “live life on our own terms”. Everyone, regardless of what kind of job you work exchanges time for something.
The question you should be asking yourself is, “Am I protecting my time?”
This is the real conversation we should be having instead of one centered around the obsolete concept of work-life balance. It’s not a contrast of work and life. It’s a division of time between ALL aspects of the things you need and want (those are different) to accomplish.
Sometimes, the “needs” outweigh the “wants,” which will require short term sacrifices. There is a balance of how you want to spend your time to get the things done that are required to live the life (in the future) you want to live.
What we require is better planning, which allows us to dictate how we spend our own time. Especially, if all we have is a small amount of precious free time. Do not squander it mindlessly staring at screens, complaining or gossiping, or lying idle when motion is needed.
When it comes down to it, if you do not protect your time, someone else will dictate what your schedule looks like. If you allow this to happen for long enough, you’ll soon forget what it was you even wanted to accomplish in the first place.
And finally, if you’re thinking, “Well, I feel like it’s too late to start,” rethink it. You’re not too old. Certainly, you’re not in too deep to start over. And you’re not incapable of learning, changing your state, or changing your mindset. It’s never too late to get started on your dreams. It starts with protecting the time necessary to do so.
Today is the best day ever because we used our time to make it that way.
