The Value of Time

We each of us exist in this world under disparate conditions. We wield bodies of varying size, possess forms having differing strength potential, and occupy physical shells suffering strikingly significant discrepancies in comeliness.

But one thing we all share in common:

Each of us regardless how young or old, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly subsides under one unyielding restriction: We each have exactly twenty-four hours in a day. And never can you beg or borrow or steal a second more.

That truth hides something important, for that fact conceals a reality vital.

Spending one of those seconds on any activity means you can NEVER devote that time unto something else.

And each moment of every day you're technically doing something, even if that something is nothing more than lying around. Thus for each moment spent in inaction--you're irrevocably and eternally squandering the possibility to improve at everything else.

Imagine each activity in which you engage plotted on a graph that shows the ultimate heights of your achievement if you dedicated literally the maximum amount of time towards training in that endeavor. Thus each skill you practice now exists at some theoretical peak that showcases the absolute limit of your possible potential.

Now realize that for every second you neglect that training, that line on the graph is perpetually sinking as your apex potential for that particular skill decreases forever.

And for every second you slack, every second you waste, every second you squander doing nothing towards improving any of those skills--the apex lines for EVERY talent you could be developing are simultaneously dwindling towards naught. Thus when you piss away your time you're doing something more criminal than you can possibly imagine:

You're forever crippling your limit potential.

Thus think twice before ever indulging in sloth. Consider heavily before succumbing unto complete inaction.

Even if you're tired, even if you're weary, even if you're exhausted and weak--find a way to still dedicate those moments towards improving at SOMETHING, even if that something is simple as watching a documentary about a subject that interests you or picking up a few words of a foreign language.

Work towards a state where you're always devoting that time towards productive things. Then eventually you'll discover yourself finding new time compacting techniques that enable you to further maximize those twenty-four hours in your day. For me, I write these little pieces as a side project that lets me further hone my writing abilities whilst sharing tips and tricks and perspectives I've found useful over the years. While doing it I'm simultaneously listening to music searching for tracks that inspire my creation of new scenes for my main project--a ten-book fantasy series that I work at for 8+ hours and 4,000+ words a day.

Every day I work towards ensuring my time goes towards growing useful skills so I can reach my apex potential at those crux activities--and I strive towards minimizing time wasted at pointless distractions that never help me improve, like watching mindless sitcoms or surfing sites that have a low-percentage chance of providing any information that'd expand my horizons in helpful directions.

Because I understand well that we've all got that twenty-four hour time limit in common, I work towards wielding that knowledge for my advantage. And I strive towards doing only those things that help me improve along the most important lines.

This is how individuals create works and lives of truly epic worth. They didn't start off substantially different than you, they didn't necessarily enjoy serendipity that you didn't experience... they just understood the value of time, and they wielded their time unto maximum advantage.

So turn off the television and shut off the sports. Watching actors act and athletes perform will never help you reach the apex limits of your potential and manifest the best version of yourself into this world.

Take back that wasted time and devote it unto better use. Wield it towards building skillsets that will create for you the best possible reality in this life.

And devote it always towards reaching the only apex outcome that truly matters: Perfecting yourself. Because only evolving and developing your spirit will sustain you throughout all lives and benefit you regardless what you do.

So now you know the real secret. Now you know the true value of your time.

Right now it slipped away en masses whilst you read my silly little words.

So I hope my effort here gave you something back for your trouble.

And I hope it aids you in reaching the apex of your desires--and helps you create the life you've always imagined in your dreams.

a reply to: Trachel

You can run as fast as you want, but in the end you will end up in the same place as everyone else. I find myself wondering if its better to run around the maze quickly or lazily. I struggle with it, I go through phases. I think, in the end, you should do what you want to do as much as possible. I certainly think if you spend all of your time trying to learn "skills" you will undoubtedly miss out on a lot. Life, it seems to me, revolves around human interaction. It has meaning when others are involved.

V

originally posted by: Variable
a reply to: Trachel

You can run as fast as you want, but in the end you will end up in the same place as everyone else. I find myself wondering if its better to run around the maze quickly or lazily. I struggle with it, I go through phases. I think, in the end, you should do what you want to do as much as possible. I certainly think if you spend all of your time trying to learn "skills" you will undoubtedly miss out on a lot. Life, it seems to me, revolves around human interaction. It has meaning when others are involved.

V

For sure, I never thought that all activities needed be performed solo. You can attain human interaction whilst you and your friends work in tandem towards developing yourself and accomplishing goals.

Also, I don't believe for a moment that after death we all end up in the same place. I believe those with more perfected spirits will achieve higher states/opportunities in the world after, and those who made the most of this life will be offered greater and more meaningful lives going forward.

In other words, if you prove to the universe that you aren't a slacker, the universe will entrust you with more challenging and rewarding lives that slacker-spirits could never complete.

Hope that makes my position a little more clear. Sorry for the vagaries in the OP.

First I am very impressed and inspired to do more of the same each day in my own writing. Music is a great Muse that should be a taught early. Like you call them projects for yourself, setting goals is Half the issue for most of us and we should set Many goals to achieve in life.

While doing it I'm simultaneously listening to music searching for tracks that inspire my creation of new scenes for my main project--a ten-book fantasy series that I work at for 8+ hours and 4,000+ words a day.

Second, I have said this many times, "Slacker Souls", maybe you can incorporate that idea into your series? Love that and agree somewhat.

In other words, if you prove to the universe that you aren't a slacker, the universe will entrust you with more challenging and rewarding lives that slacker-spirits could never complete.

Third, is I have always had a fascination, love hate relationship with Time and have come to terms with it through the I CHING book of changes which if you haven't really looked into deeply I think you should like it. I use it when a 'time' needs more clarity I guess you could say. It defines the flow and movement of time with its pronouncements. Deeper minds than mine have found it invaluable and resolute.
This past week by chance of reading this had me doing what you are saying. I was doing what I love and the time compressed and was more fulfilling to me in many ways. I was actually on 'vacation' which for me was working on my little piece of acreage to make it a sustainable place for me to move very soon. Going Off grid and thoroughly agree about the dumping of TV / Sports and other Time Absorbers as I call them. A nap is one thing, Veg on the Couch another, and I have been guilty as everyone. But I know I am only allotted a few more years at best and life is short. Follow Joseph Campbells thought of FOLLOW YOUR BLISS and time is eternal.

Fourth , Stars and Flags!

You sound exactly like me about 6 months ago. My drive to "do something" all the 'time' rendered me neurotic. I've published books, I've created works of art, etc, with the purpose of helping people release the veil from their eyes... was this "worth my time"? I think so. But also, it is important that you do not subjugate your self to time. Remember, for those who are starting to see the coming Sovereignty, time is only a temporary restraint.

The devil is in a rush. The yolk of true life is light.

I enjoy your threads and think you have a positive, optimistic attitude that many would be envious of.

Nevertheless, there is a problem with your reasoning on this particular topic. Most significantly, even if one believes that time is real (which I don't necessarily believe myself), there are only a finite number of seconds within a day that you can devote to doing any one thing. For example, say I wanted to learn Japanese and Hungarian, how could I master both without stifling my potential in the one activity, even if I improve in the other?

The reality is that any action I take, while strengthening my resolve in that particular activity, comes at the expense of improving my skills in the other activity. The only way to overcome this dilemma, it seems, is through some type of time travel.

ETA:
In The End - Linkin Park:

Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It’s so unreal
Didn’t look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on but didn’t even know
I wasted it all just to watch you go

AZ Lyrics

a reply to: Trachel

we have 24 hrs a day, some of it should be for noble pursuits and some of it may be used on relaxing or not doing anything.

You sure spend a lot of time writing OPs on ATS

I don't think many, if any people have the capacity to even understand what the passage of time actually is yet.

We are conditioned to perceive the passage of time in a certain way with certain things supposedly occurring after our time is expended here.

Nothing ever ends here, nothing ever goes anywhere.

Babbbbbbbbbbbbllllllllleeeeeeeeeellelelelellellelellellelleleing.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: Trachel

we have 24 hrs a day, some of it should be for noble pursuits and some of it may be used on relaxing or not doing anything.

You sure spend a lot of time writing OPs on ATS

These take me, on average, about 20-30 minutes to write.

If in 20-30 minutes I can promulgate an idea that might help another living being, I consider it time well spent.

(I'd also consider it time well-spent if it took several hours. We're here to develop ourselves--but we're also here to help each other.)

Glad you chimed in!

originally posted by: EarthCitizen23

Third, is I have always had a fascination, love hate relationship with Time and have come to terms with it through the I CHING book of changes which if you haven't really looked into deeply I think you should like it. I use it when a 'time' needs more clarity I guess you could say. It defines the flow and movement of time with its pronouncements. Deeper minds than mine have found it invaluable and resolute.
This past week by chance of reading this had me doing what you are saying. I was doing what I love and the time compressed and was more fulfilling to me in many ways. I was actually on 'vacation' which for me was working on my little piece of acreage to make it a sustainable place for me to move very soon. Going Off grid and thoroughly agree about the dumping of TV / Sports and other Time Absorbers as I call them. A nap is one thing, Veg on the Couch another, and I have been guilty as everyone. But I know I am only allotted a few more years at best and life is short. Follow Joseph Campbells thought of FOLLOW YOUR BLISS and time is eternal.

Fourth , Stars and Flags!

Hi!

Thanks for the kind words, and it's always good to hear from a fellow writer/creator!

I'm a Taoist/Buddhist and found my first copy of the I-Ching in my grandparents' basement when I was young. It's a pretty lousy translation so I never really got much from it as I did from other Taoist handbooks like Vitality, Energy, Spirit and Qigong Empowerment, but I agree it's a fascinating read.

A better translation of the I-Ching is The Taoist I-Ching by Thomas Cleary, and that one helped me out quite a bit.

Good luck with your homesteading project(s)! That's one thing I'm jealous of for which I wish I had another few hours in the day. I'd also like to go off-grid at some point in the future.

Cheers!

originally posted by: Dark Ghost
I enjoy your threads and think you have a positive, optimistic attitude that many would be envious of.

Nevertheless, there is a problem with your reasoning on this particular topic. Most significantly, even if one believes that time is real (which I don't necessarily believe myself), there are only a finite number of seconds within a day that you can devote to doing any one thing. For example, say I wanted to learn Japanese and Hungarian, how could I master both without stifling my potential in the one activity, even if I improve in the other?

The reality is that any action I take, while strengthening my resolve in that particular activity, comes at the expense of improving my skills in the other activity. The only way to overcome this dilemma, it seems, is through some type of time travel.

Absolutely right. Thanks for adding that in, and sorry I didn't call it out more pointedly in the OP.

Devoting time into one activity is forever robbing it from all others. So like unlocking a skill tree in a video game you need decide what route you plan on taking in advance to best optimize this "character" you're playing in life.

originally posted by: MyHappyDogShiner
I don't think many, if any people have the capacity to even understand what the passage of time actually is yet.

We are conditioned to perceive the passage of time in a certain way with certain things supposedly occurring after our time is expended here.

Nothing ever ends here, nothing ever goes anywhere.

Babbbbbbbbbbbbllllllllleeeeeeeeeellelelelellellelellellelleleing.

For sure, nothing ever ends here. But unquestionably our time incarnate here ends as our bodies expire.

So although we still can't fathom the nature of time in its essence, we should still seek to maximize its action upon the development of our lives, our talents, our spirits and personas.

originally posted by: cooperton
You sound exactly like me about 6 months ago. My drive to "do something" all the 'time' rendered me neurotic. I've published books, I've created works of art, etc, with the purpose of helping people release the veil from their eyes... was this "worth my time"? I think so. But also, it is important that you do not subjugate your self to time. Remember, for those who are starting to see the coming Sovereignty, time is only a temporary restraint.

The devil is in a rush. The yolk of true life is light.

This is so true. You can't overwork yourself until you go insane, but you can slowly ratchet up the amount of productive work you perform until you're operating at a level light years beyond what you thought was possible.

And agree--love and light are all that matter. Cheers!