What Are You Trading Your Time For?

This past week, I have spent a lot of time working hard on some plans for the future-some were personal-some were professional, especially with regards to the mentoring program I work with. I have also spent more time reading and listening to some favorite podcasts which I don’t always take the time to do.

I heard something this week that has stayed with me.

In a video that a friend shared with me, commentator Glenn Beck said, “Be careful what you trade your time for because time doesn’t give refunds.” He followed it with another thought: “Time is the only asset that you don’t know the balance.”

That hit me.

We often talk about “spending” time, but the reality is—we’re always trading it. We could be doing one thing, but we “trade” it for something else. And unlike money or other material items, we don’t know how much time we have left to trade.

That idea has been on my mind a lot this week.

A couple of weeks ago, I met with my financial advisor, and one of the strongest recommendations he had was to get our will and estate planning in place—something my wife and I hadn’t done yet and something that is hard to talk about. So we’ve been working through that challenging process and trying to put decisions in place. As much as it might be easier to “trade” this off for another time, it is a consideration that needs to be completed in looking ahead to the future.

Many of you are probably aware that my mom has been in a nursing home for about 3 years and has had a few more health issues lately, especially with her memory. We are so fortunate to still have her with us at almost 93 years of age and overall she is doing pretty well considering everything. I connect with her 2 or 3 times a week on the phone and was back to see her last week for a care team meeting. She is always so excited when someone visits as time sometimes goes by slowly for her and she is appreciative of the moments she gets with those on the outside.

Also this week, I spent a few days outside doing some early prep for my garden. As I worked, I found myself using tools that belonged to my dad, who passed away 10 years ago and made me think back to this time of the year working back on the farm and how simple life was back then. Wasn’t that just a couple of years ago?! Actually, it was more like 40 years ago!

Those quiet moments brought back a lot of memories—and a realization of how quickly time moves. It reminded me of a few important life lessons:

The days don’t wait.

They don’t slow down.

They just keep moving, whether we’re intentional with them or not.

And it made me think: What am I trading my time for? What am I getting in return?

It’s easy to trade time for things or people that don’t give much back—worrying about things we can’t control, holding on to situations that aren’t working, or staying stuck in routines that no longer serve us.

Meanwhile, if we think about it, there are better trades available.

How about more time spent with people we care about and who care about us, and less time with those who don’t? How about more time spent creating something meaningful-even if you are retired! Possibly more time spent trying something new or taking the trip we have been putting off? Finally it might be time spent simply being present and enjoying where we are.

As we get older, regrets often don’t come from what we did—they come from what we didn’t do. The opportunities we didn’t take-the relationships we didn’t take a chance to invest in-the moments we didn’t fully experience.

The good news is—we still have today-and until our life ends, we have tomorrow and more days to come. We still have the ability to choose how we trade our time.

Maybe it means letting go of something or someone that isn’t adding value.
Maybe it means reaching out to someone we’ve lost touch with.
Maybe it means starting something we’ve been putting off that would benefit others.

Whatever it is, it starts with awareness and taking a moment to reflect:

I would ask you the same question I have asked myself often this week: what are you trading your time for right now? Is it giving you the return you truly want?

Because in the end, the goal isn’t just to pass time-it’s to use it well and to make your life more meaningful no matter how old or how young you are. This isn’t just a consideration for people as you get older-I would challenge younger people to consider your time as well.

As I have thought about this, a few goals I have going forward would be the following:

To live life fully and not look back.
To create meaning for myself and for others.
To build positive relationships and end those relationships that aren’t providing positivity.
To move forward without regret.

It goes back to the quote I shared earlier that “time doesn’t give refunds.” How true is that-once we have used time, we don’t get anything back, so we much choose wisely.

But it does give us opportunities—every single day—to make better trades.

And I would say that might be one of the most valuable choices we have. I hope you will look at your time choices and make valuable “trades” this week to better your life!

Have a great week!

Coach K