Time to Consider, What Is Your Most Valuable Asset?
When I began my career, I was unaware of my most valuable asset. I was in a very traditional form of employment where I traded my time for money. Jim Rohn famously quoted, "Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time."
We all have the same amount of time; it is the one resource that every human being has been given equally. The question of how we see it, spend it, and plan to use it makes all the difference. My mentor Bob Harrison shared this lesson in the analogy of a train with 168 boxcars. If you had to fill that train with valuable goods, you would be intentional with your choice of contents. However, far too often those boxcars are filled with whatever is available. We don't have boxcars, but we all have 168 hours in a week—how do you fill yours?
The implications of viewing time as your most valuable asset will cause you to examine your life with a greater level of intentionality. As I get older, this has become even more in the forefront of my mind.
As opposed to the beginning of my career, I am entering a new season where I consider how I can trade my money for time. This can be simply applied by getting a carwash when I fill up rather than doing it myself at home. It can also be used to a greater extent by hiring other professionals to help me save time so that I can concentrate on the areas of work and life that only I am responsible for and have the best return on investment.
Getting a Better Exchange Rate
15 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time..." Ephesians 5:15-16a ESV
There is a lot of competition for our attention, so what is the "best use of time?" The greatest investments you can make regarding time are:
- 1. Time spent with Jesus
- 2. Time spent mentoring or discipling another person
Both activities multiply the effectiveness of the time you have.
When you spend time with Jesus in prayer, worship, or reading the Bible, you are responding to the invitation to know Him better. This relationship is the source of everything good in life. Jesus promised to send His Spirit as a helper. A single idea, a thought, or direction from the Spirit of God could revolutionize the way you approach life. All my biggest breakthroughs in business and in life have come this way.
Time spent mentoring another person may require an initial investment, but it quickly multiplies your effectiveness. Mentoring, teaching, and discipling people was the way that Jesus chose to spread His gospel message—a message that has been heard in every nation of the world that originated with twelve hand-picked apprentices. The principle rings true in business too. If you can replicate the way you would do things in another person or, even better, a team of people, that allows you to experience a new level of freedom and focus in your role.
Great stewards of time find ways to multiply their effectiveness. A simple exchange of time for money brings with it a finite capacity. Ask yourself some important questions about how you spend your time:
- Are there areas of life that greatly consume your time? - Can you approach them differently?
- Do you need to complete that task, or are you fortunate enough to hire someone else to tackle it?
- What areas or tasks slow you down? - Is there a faster way to do it?