Progression in All Things - Aspect: Time
THE SEAT OF TIME
Imagine you're sitting. You have a safety harness securing you to your seat. You lurch forward slowly but steadily and you grip your harness in anticipation. And then you realize you're a baby.
Time starts slowly in the perspective of children. "Are we there yet?" Time can't pass fast enough for them. "Are we there now?" They have no idea about time which makes them some of the most (innocently) impatient people you'll ever know. "How about now?"
Once I grasped the concept of time in my childhood, the world was my oyster. I could go where I wanted if I had time. I could do what I wanted if I had time. I could see what I wanted if I had time. But I didn't have time. I was on my parents' time. Or I was on the Board of Education's time.
I remember the painful wait everyday for recess. And then again everyday for school's end. And then every year for summer. And then every semester for winter/spring break. And then every weekend after the work week.
At that point on your seated harnessed ride, you're not a baby any more. You're an adult. You've had highs and lows. You've had track changes, lane changes, and life changes. Shouldn't the world be your oyster now?
The answer is usually "no". Well, why not? Most likely if money owns you, then time owns you too. Time and money are conjoined twins. Where one flows the other follows. Where one is stopped the other takes the lead. Think about it. They are the Yin and the Yang of the universe, if you'll accept that money can mean any tradable good or resource.
KEEPERS OF TIME
So instead of time keeping you at bay, when will you start keeping time? Use your time wisely...on doing what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it. A good person keeps time. A wise person keeps their commitments. A successful person keeps their commitments on time.
People who don't keep their time are naturally not going to have a retirement these days. One of my biggest worries is that my generation and those after us, and even some before us, will not be able to retire but will have to compete for jobs with the younger generations. Will time be your friend or your foe when it's time to retire?
Here are a few tips for your success:
A) Stop wasting your time. Media recreation is fun but unless you're gaining valuable knowledge (as opposed to trivial knowledge), you're letting time slip through your fingers. Television is a good waste of time that disengages your brain from the real world. It's good at stirring emotions that could be better used elsewhere instead of on your couch. Go read books like The Richest Man in Babylon, or Think and Grow Rich. There are many other mind-enhancing, self-esteem bolstering things to read. Go make yourself a better person instead of watching other (fictional) characters become better people (or worse people).
B) Structure your time. Chaos is another waster of time. How often have you seen an ill-prepared plan take much more time to fix and correct than a well-laid plan with backups A, B, and C? "Winging it" doesn't work as well. Since your day throws chaos at you, structure your morning and structure your evening. Easy in, easy out, right? For example, in the morning exercise, have a personal devotional to Infinite Intelligence, and have a personal devotional to improving yourself. In the evening, keep a journal (you're keeping time, right?), play with family or friends in person, and plan out the next day's chaos as best you can.
C) Make money from your time. Find legal sources of passive income so your money makes your time make money. If you're an artist you can research online t-shirt companies and sell your art on t-shirts. If you find a good online company, you can keep the rights to your art and still make a residual (not a primary) income off of each ware that is sold. Or if you're in the position for some expert investing, learn about getting rental properties and start cashflowing there. There are always lines of income to be found, but you're not going to find them if you're watching the tube while sitting in chaos.
In conclusion, time is a fleeting thing. We all know that. Those who are not prepared will have run out of oil for their lamps when the darkness comes. In my last post I posed this question:
"I can afford my future with my mindset. Can you?"
Afford = money. Future = time. Can you?
Mahalo and best wishes,
Jason K. Rivera
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