Making Time For What You Truly Value

We all know that regardless of how much or how little money you have, the one thing that you can never put a price tag on or buy is more time! Experts like Jimmy John Shark says that old cliché that “time is money” or “money is time” is true!…..in a business sense for the most part, but what about the things we should put a higher value on such as family, friends and enjoying life away from the office?

The things that truly matter and what people will remember you for? Yeah, your legacy!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my work tribe! I mean, I spend practically half of my life with them and I have worked in the credit and debt help business for over 15 years!

My work philosophy is that if we’re going to spend half of our time together, then why not make the best of it! It just makes going to work each day that much more enjoyable when you work with people you get along with!

I have been fortunate enough to have established great friendships with some of my colleagues over the years, but I would still rather be spending more time with my family, watching my kids grow up, cheering them on at their sporting events and investing in to see them become better people and contributors to our society than I could ever be! I’d like to take my wife on more ‘date nights’ instead of being so tired after a long work week and tapping out to chill on the couch.

My kids need to see me investing into my marriage so they understand the value of it when they get older. Kids watch your every move!

What I am getting at here? Don’t worry, there is a point and I’ll get to it in a moment.

For my entire working career, I have always lived in the suburbs and worked in the city. My average travel time each day was anywhere between 2-3 hours. That’s a lot of time!

When you are in management in any capacity, there is no such thing as working 9am-5pm! I’ve been in some form of management since I was 22 years old and so that meant that after sleeping for 6 hours, travelling for 3 hours and working for 10 hours that didn’t leave a heck of a lot of time to do anything else of much value without being completely exhausted!

One of the mentors in my life always calls me out when I make excuses about certain things I would tell him that I wanted to do but couldn’t because I didn’t have the time. He always responded with this one liner and it always hit home with me, he says “bro, you make time for whatever you truly value in life!”

Every time I hear it, it rocks me right to the core. Why? Because it’s true!

I had a friend named Chris. One of the funniest guys I’ve ever known! He was a work-a-holic and loved what he did, but it consumed all of his time. He made really good money in corporate accounting. His kids were grown up and he made enough money so his wife didn’t have to work. She is a lovely lady by the way and uses some of her free time to help build my garden which is something she is passionate about! Chris promised his wife that one day he would take her on her dream vacation. He kept putting it off thinking he had lots of time.

Almost 3yrs ago now, Chris was walking to catch the train after work, had a massive heart attack and died suddenly. His wife will never get to go on that dream vacation with her husband.

If you talk to her today, she would tell you straight in the face that Chris robbed her of that dream. He made his work the higher value. He put it above everything else thinking that if he made enough money and built enough security that he would have more time down the road.

At his funeral, almost everyone shared a similar story about how hard working Chris was and how funny he was. Not a bad thing by any means, but surely there had to be more! The plan was that there was going to be more, but his time ran out!

Any time someone passes away that you know, it always causes you to reflect on your life, how you spend and use your time and of course what really matters in life. Usually, for a period of time you make some adjustments but then after a while it’s easy to get back into your ‘old’ routine where you go about life like you’ve all of the time in the world

Recently, I’ve been brought back to reflect on my life. No, no one else has passed way, however one thing that has happened is that I now only work 10min away from home. Sure, I’m making quite a bit less money than I was making before, but I’ve gained that ‘thing’ I mentioned earlier that you can’t put a price tag on or buy whether you have the money or not! I’ve got time!

I’ve been able to make some adjustment that still allow me to get the kids ready and off to school every day, but now I get into the office almost an hour earlier each day which gives me the flexibility to leave at more reasonable hour. Now, I will be able to play basketball which I love to do, I can make everyone of my kids sports practices and games and actually show up on time. I can make some more commitments to the volunteer work I do in our community to try and make it a better place to live.

I leave work early on Friday’s to pick up my kids from school and every other week take my wife out for a date without it feeling like I’d rather be at home chilling on the couch trying not to crash and giving her what she deserves for all of the work she puts in to take care of the house and kids during the week

No more excuses! I’ve got the chance to prioritize what I truly value….My kids, my family and my closest friends who I really consider family any way and my community. When I pass on and it’s time for people to reflect and celebrate my life, I want them to remember me for the things I’ve listed above, the things that mattered, the things I valued! I want my family and friends to remember me for being there for and with them. That’s what I want to me remembered for! That’s what I want my legacy to be!

What will your legacy be? What are the things you want to do that you say you can’t because there “isn’t enough time?”

Remember, you make time for whatever you truly value in life!