The Value of Money Compared with the Value of Time

We all recognize the value of money, so imagine you have a very special kind of bank account. In this account you have an undisclosed amount of money that was deposited there by a generous but anonymous donor. Each day the bank credits your account with an allotment of money from your account balance, but at the end of the day something very strange happens.

Instead of carrying your balance over from one day to the next, any unused portion of the funds is automatically zeroed out. The next day, there is another deposit available to you, but at the close of business, all unused funds are again deleted.

What would you do if you had an account like this?

Would you just use what you needed and let the leftovers disappear, or would you look for a way to invest the extra money in a way that would bring you long term benefits?

Would you feel comfortable throwing away your valuable resources? Or would some part of you feel impelled to make good use of those resources wisely, realizing that you don’t know when the funds will run out? The reason I ask is because…

You actually have an account like that

It’s called the bank of life and the currency in your account is called Time. Every morning you get 86,400 seconds to spend. Every night, whatever part of that day’s allotment you have failed to invest wisely is a write off. No balance is ever carried over from one day to the next and when it’s gone you can’t get it back. It’s gone forever!

Of course, we all plan for the future, but the sobering truth is this, we never really know when our account will run out. All we really have for sure is the present, today’s allotment. So, doesn’t it seem wise to invest this precious “currency of life” in a way that delivers the greatest return in terms of health, happiness, and success?

How are you spending life’s currency?

Time is a mysterious commodity. When you are enjoying yourself, time seems to fly. On the other hand, when life seems tedious or unpleasant, time passes slowly. But time is also the stuff from which our dreams are crafted and only by taking action in the direction of our dreams can they become a reality. Ironically, our actions are also subject to the constraints of time.

Rich or poor, old or young, every day we are each blessed with a fresh 24 hours to spend doing something. If you use your allotment of time wisely, you will eventually turn your dreams into reality. But if you squander this precious resource, you will forever be a dreamer. I’ll leave you with this quote from Carl Sandburg: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”