Stop Worrying About Money, Start Worrying About Time

I know, hypocritical. I write about money all the time.

Don’t get me wrong, money is awesome. I think most people would agree. But sometimes people, myself included, are far too concerned with money. There’s a far more important resource out there.

Time.

Sounds dumb.

It’s not.

Take a look at the clock and guess how many hours you’ve spent being productive today. I would imagine time as a valuable resource seems a lot less dumb now.

The problem is, people don’t view time as their most valuable resource. The difference between time and money is the finite nature of time. While money, for most of us is finite, it’s not as finite as time.

But how much money you make is technically infinite. It’s just a matter of how you use your time to get there. Ah. Now you see the connection. Hopefully you are just interested enough to continue reading how time is far more important than money.

Time Is Money

Time makes money, money rarely makes time. I’ll admit that if you are extremely well off, money can buy you a lot of time.

But I’d imagine most of you reading this can’t afford a private helicopter to avoid traffic. If you can, feel free to add me on LinkedIn.

Time is our greatest resource. Time is either your best friend or worst enemy. The most successful people on this planet view time the same way.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life”. — Steve Jobs

Every minute you waste is a minute you could’ve spent doing something of value. And I don’t mean only money. Use time to spend with your loved ones, pursuing a passion project, trying a new hobby.

There are an infinite number of ways we can use time. There are also an infinite number of ways we can waste it.

I encourage you to think of how you can use time to your advantage. For me, this means writing this blog. For you, it could mean something else entirely.

The more time you devote to something, the greater the odds you see success. The rigor and time required to start a business or pursue and entrepreneurial dream is immense. But we’ve all heard the stories.

The payout for time well spent is fantastic.

Learn to use time to your advantage. Don’t waste time on people or things you don’t like.

Time to Fail

Failure is arguably the greatest catalyzer in life.

You will likely not get very far in life if you avoid failure. Even the brightest people throughout history failed. They probably failed more times than anyone else.

Thomas Edison reportedly failed in over 1,000 variations while trying to invent the lightbulb. Now, just look up. Thomas Edison is everywhere, and we need Thomas Edison to do almost everything in life.

The sun is cool too. But so are lightbulbs.

But don’t take it from, take it from the master of failure himself…

“I’ve not failed 10,000 times — I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” — Thomas Edison

This is the mentality that separates people like Thomas Edison from the herd. Persistent failure takes an incredible amount of willpower over time.

Knowing that time is always working against you should motivate you to try new things. Use your time to fail at things you’ve never tried. If you had to fail 9,999 times but that 10,000 attempt fulfilled your dreams in life, would you do it?

If you don’t answer yes then you probably shouldn’t be reading my content. Use your very precious and limited time to fail and fail and fail. One day, something will stick, or many things will stick, and you will be utterly grateful you used your time to your advantage.

Lost Time is Regret

Think of wasting time as wasting any precious resource in your life. Food, water, shelter, or anything you value.

What if every time you wasted your time, you lost one part of your house. Initially, not a whole lot would change. But over a long period, you would be severely impacted.

And no, your “30,000 square foot mansion” does not work as a counter example.

Either way, time wasted compounds on itself. It becomes a very difficult habit to break.

Our tiny little screen drugs called phones are the perfect example. I mean seriously, how easy is it to watch the hours go by as you mindlessly scroll through social media?

I’m not saying do away with social media. If you can, absolutely. But I’m realistic.

Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media and other wasteful activities. Use that newfound time to chisel away at a dream or goal of yours.

It could be as small as going to bed 10 minutes earlier, or as large as starting and selling a business. Again, you might not see the instant impact of wasting your time. But extend this to all the time you waste over your life. The last thing you want when you grow older is to regret things.

I can certainly promise you that wasted time will lead to regret. Live your life using the precious time you have available to prevent regret.

Pursue your dreams, do what others doubt you can do. Use your valuable time to get yourself there. Time may be limited, but not what you do with it.