Time - The Currency of Life

Life may not be too fair in many aspects but there is an aspect that life is fair to all and that is the equal allocation of time. No matter who you are, your background, your status, your disposition, your ethnicity and whatnot, there is something that you have in equal proportion with others - Time. The number of hours that you have in a day is the same with others but what makes the difference is what you do with your own. Opportunity is a product of maximizing time effectively. This is why time itself is the very currency of life.

What differentiates people is their usage of time and opportunity. A time that is unutilized has gone and will not be gotten back again. Just as time goes, so also opportunity goes. So to take advantage of opportunity, you have to learn to maximise time. The truth is that time may be gifted by nature to all, but how you utilise your own time and what you do with the time is your very own gift back to nature. Sometimes, people spend a considerable amount of time waiting for the right time to take some actions but they tend to forget that the right time to take the right actions is now.

If you do not spend your own time well, people may engage you to help them optimise their own. It is when you trade with your time that you will experience profit. I read a story about an old engineer that was called to service a system of engines. Before that the engine failed to start and all attempts to get it fixed seemed abortive. After many weeks of trials; which brought a lot of losses to the company; one of the consultants recommended an experienced engineer to the company.

The company made contact with the old engineer to come and fix the engine. The old man arrived the scene and enquired what the problem was. They explained to him that the engine stopped working and each time they wanted to start it, it would give off a small cracking sound and would not start. The engineer then asked for them to attempt to start it again so that he would hear the sound. The moment he heard the sound, he already knew what went wrong with the engine.

The engineer told them that his charges to fix the engine would be $10,000. Well, the company does not have a choice because they desperately needed to fix it and it was still cheaper than shipping the engine back to the original company for servicing. So they agreed to the engineer's price. The engineer brought out a chalk and circled around a particular spot on the engine and asked for that part to be opened. When the part was opened, he pointed at a hook that was disjointed and told them how to align it. As soon as they did and started the engine, it picked up and they were all amazed.

Still surprised at the charges of the engineer for a seemingly easy work, one of the junior workers asked him why he charged them $10,000. He smiled and told him that $1 is for the chalk, then the rest is for his time. You see, he utilized his time to learn about engines extensively and that was how he made the job look easy. When you use time to develop yourself, you will become better and you will create more value. You will agree with me that it is when you create value that you will make profits.

As the days go by, time is constantly being rolled over. Instead of passing through time doing nothing or waiting for something to change, it is better to use time in your favour. The small step you take today may be what will bring about your breakthrough tomorrow.

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