As we come to the 100th reflection, I wanted to spend a moment on the notion of time. In the end, the only real resource we have is time. We can use time to make money, to gain favors from other people, but we can’t store it, get it back, slow it down or stop it altogether. Looking at life from this perspective, jobs, children, parents and many other aspects of life, take on a different hue. A job is simply a trade where we sacrifice time for money. Of course, we may get other things, such as meaning and reputation, out of it, but in the end it is the time-money trade. Now that my children have moved out and live on their own, I am even more aware that my time with them is limited. Although it occasionally felt overwhelming when they were young, we only get a few years with our children until they build lives for themselves. And of course life itself is finite and although none of us know when it’s our turn to check out, someday it will be. If we view time as the only true resource, the next question becomes what we agree to spend it on. Many of us spend vast amounts of time on watching TV, spending time on topics we can’t influence anyway or with people that don’t add anything to our lives. We tend to be stingy when we spend money and generous when we spend time. I think it should be exactly the other way around. So, ask yourself what is worth your time?
reflection