If you know me personally, you already know that I was a computer games addict. I played almost all day for 16 hours straight. I cut classes and spent all the time I had playing DOTA. What happened afterwards? Well… Nothing.
So what’s the point?
Well why did I spend all my time then playing DOTA? Now I’ve realized the root of the reason behind why you spend your time on things where you think it’s worth it.
This post was inspired by John Maxwell’s book ‘The 360 degree Leader’
How you value yourself is how you will value your time
I thought that temporal happiness was worth it. I thought that glory through being the best in computer games is worth it. Then I realized I was dead-wrong. I valued myself as someone who’s time can be thrown away to temporary happiness and glory. I valued myself too low.
Now when I think about where to spend my time – I think hard and give it away sparingly. Why? Well I run an SEO and Internet Marketing service business, I work in an IT company, I blog in two blogs, I establish relationships and take care of the most important ones in my life, I pray, I read the Bible and make time for my God… All in all, my time has become VERY VALUABLE.
And all that is because I now value myself differently.
I value myself as an SEO specialist and as an internet marketer and businessman
I value myself as a professional in my line of work and expertise
I value myself as a writer and blogger wherein I touch the lives of people
I value myself as a discipler and leader for the youth and singles in my local church
I value myself as the first born son and eldest brother and therefore the leader in our family
I value myself as a child of God – a prince of His Kingdom
I value my relationship with my heavenly Father
And so my time is EXTREMELY PRECIOUS to me. I will not give it away for anything less than how I value myself. I encourage you to do the same.
“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” – Psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck
Money is only the personification of time spent in work
Maybe you’re asking. But how about money? I spend my time earning money, that’s a good thing, right?
I encourage you to change the way you view money. Say for example, you want to buy a house and you say “By five years I would have put away enough money to buy the house I’ve always wanted.” It’s the same as saying “I’ll be buying that house with five years of my life.” By the way, Five years is already one-twelfth of your adult life.
Getting the gist of what I’m trying to say?
People don’t pay for things with money. They pay for it with their time. And as Benjamin Franklin once said: “Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff that life is made of.” So before you go ahead and buy or do something, think of it in terms of “Is this worth spending some of my life on?”
“The phrase spending your time is not a metaphor,” Says Charles Spezzano, “it’s how life works.”
And indeed it is.
So to answer the question:
What’s the worst thing you can do with your time?
Spend it on things that hold no value to you.
How will you know the things you should value?
Read the Word of God. Value your relationships, value your faith, value your mission in life! Unless you know what things in your life holds value to you, you’ll only be wasting your time until you realize them.