Time is human beings most valuable resource. We may claim things such as food, water, shelter, money are valuable, but such things only go up in value when there is a limited supply of it. If you were to own a classic car, it may very well go up in value over time, provided it’s been kept in mint condition, but what if that car was limited edition and there were only twenty of them in existence? You can bet your bottom dollar that car is worth a small fortune right now. This is because the item we are speaking of is scarce.
There is so much food, water and money in the world that the value is no where near as high something that is limited. Take for example time, we are all given a certain amount of time to live and we are all given 24 hours a day to make the most it. Time is a non renewable resource with a finite supply, eventually it will run out.
Time has a price as well. For example people pay me for my time. I am offering them a service. People will pay me to spend time with them. Time can also be bought back. At my studio for each trainer I hire I can essentially gain back 30-35 hours of Time back. With this new addition of hours per week I can now choose to use it however I like. I can either squander it and waste it doing hedonistic or dopamine inducing activities or I can invest it to improving myself somehow.
Time can be poorly utilized. A good example would be is opting to watch TV rather then a reading something educational. Or sleeping in another hour to skip that gym class. These behaviours – although a lot easier are by no means serving our goal.
If your goal though is purely to use your time to limit stress or spend more time with your wife and kids then it was a smart investment. If however you made the investment and did nothing with the attained time then it was a waste.
If all humans are fully aware of their limited time it can cause a state of fear and desperation as we try to hold onto it as much as possible. We convince ourselves that we don’t have much more of it, when really we do, we just haven’t seen it yet.
One of the biggest excuses I hear about not starting a new training program is – I don’t have the time. Really? Are you telling me that you have 24 hours in a day or 168 in the week and you can’t commit to just one or two of them to do some exercise. It seems pretty far fetched and sometimes I wonder what sort of crazy lifestyle this person must have not to find the time. World leaders who are running entire nations still find the time to exercise. Remember John Howard, he was famous for going for his morning power walks in his track suits every morning.
If you are clever with your time and how you delegate your day to day duties you can MAKE the time. If you work late nights, get up earlier in the morning. If you need to take care of the kids, ask your spouse to fill in for you for an hour or hire a nanny or babysitter. If you come home from work and you feel like you still need to be working, learn to switch off your phone for an hour. Those calls can wait.
When it all boils down to it, it’s about making exercise a priority. If you can prioritize eating dinner each night, brushing your teeth or sleeping, why can’t you prioritize exercise and just add it to your schedule?
Time on the barbells or the treadmill is not wasted time. It’s time well spent. It’s investing in your physical and mental health. In the long run, you are buying time back. If being fit and healthy can fight off disease and prolong your lifespan, then well done, you have just bought yourself more time.
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