TIME WEALTH

Ultimately, the wealthiest among us have a plethora of time remaining on this planet—or at least, that’s what we like to think. Time is often referred to as our greatest resource. If you've reached sixty years of age like I have, statistics suggest we may have about twenty years left. That’s a sobering thought.

Good thing I recently declared on my sixtieth birthday that I’m only halfway through my journey—sixty more to go. Whew!  A very close call.

There’s a powerful visual you may have seen: a graphic where each week of an estimated eighty-year life is represented by a single dot. When you see the filled-in dots and what remains, it really makes you consider how you’re spending your time.

Back in 1981, the band Styx sang that we have “too much time on our hands.” While we shouldn’t spend each day worrying about running out of time, we would do well to be more mindful of how we spend our time—and more importantly, who we choose to spend it with.

What are you doing when you feel the most “filled up?”

Who are you with when you feel the most “joyful?”

One thing that’s diminished our quality of time is the belief that being busy is a badge of courage. I used to talk the same way when I was an athletic director. Those sixty-hour weeks brought a certain amount of admiration from others. But looking back, I regret buying into that belief system. We’ve been sold the idea that the only path to success is to outwork everyone—put in your time, and you’ll succeed. But at what cost?

Seneca observed long ago: “We are not given a short life, but we make it short. We are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.” That ancient wisdom rings true. When I think of how many hours I’ve wasted in a week, it really makes me reflect on how I’m spending my time.

Imagine someone taking $100 from you every single week of your life. If you had to “pay” for each week, would you value it more? Would I really want to give away my $100 for a wasted week? Maybe that’s a new way to measure the quality of our time.

What if you could get $25 back from your daily $100 expense simply by focusing on others? That would add 25% more value and length to your life. Maybe that’s how we should measure a quality day: Did we brighten someone’s life? Did we choose compassion over anger when someone cut us off in traffic? If good deeds could earn us more time, would we change our ways?

I truly believe that the more we invest in others, the more life gives back. Research shows that people who practice gratitude and help others tend to live longer and happier lives. Do we really need a monetary incentive to make the world a better place?

Here’s one practical tool I learned from Sahil Bloom’s book The 5 Types of Wealth: create what he calls an “energy calendar.” At the end of each day, label the experience— “green” if it filled you with energy, “yellow” if it felt neutral, and “red” if it drained you. Do this for a month, and you’ll quickly see how—and with whom—you should be spending your time.

You may have seen the visual where one dot signifies each week of your life.  Most of us will make it to 80, if we are to believe the current averages.  If you do the math, those 80 years turn into 4,160 weeks.  Unless you are living to 120 like me, those weeks may be starting to run out.

In closing, there are phases in life when making money is important. But as we mature, how—and with whom—we spend our time becomes the truest measure of wealth. Relationships are what matter most in the end.  The richness of our lives will be measured by our impact on others, not the possessions we have accumulated over time.

Will you regret not spending more quality time with your parents, kids, family, or friends?  If time is our most valuable resource, maybe we should spend it more wisely.  Life is always shorter than we imagine.

We all do have the power to choose.  Choose wisely.