Personality Development
Time: The Most Valuable Asset You Can’t Afford to Lose
Why managing your time wisely is the key to living fully- and how every moment is more valuable than you realize.
- Rabbi Eyal Ungar
- פורסם ט' ניסן התשע"ט
(Photo: Shutterstock) #VALUE!
Time is the most valuable asset in our lives, and at the same time, the most elusive. If we try to identify its defining characteristics, two stand out clearly:
- Time is the only asset that cannot be bought with money. The total amount of time available to us is predetermined and unchangeable. No matter how much we’re willing to pay, we are unable to add two more hours to the day or another week to the month. The only way to “increase” our available time is by maximizing how we use it. The better we manage our time, less is wasted, and more remains available for the things that truly matter.
- Time is the only resource that depletes on its own, without us doing anything. If you have money in the bank, it stays there until you spend it. But time doesn’t wait, it simply slips away. The only way to prevent time from being wasted is to use it wisely. The difference between "wasting time" and "using time" is entirely up to us.
These two aspects are the reason our sages taught, “There is no loss like the loss of time.” Every other kind of loss can be repaired, but time, once lost, can never be recovered. Time flows through our fingers before we even realize it’s gone. As the saying goes, “Time is the only wealth a person truly owns, and the only thing he cannot afford to lose.”
If we reflect, we realize that time is the key to accessing all the other strengths and tools we try so hard to acquire. We all desire the qualities of self-control, willpower, motivation, emotional intelligence, and more. And yet, none of these matter without time to use and develop them. These qualities are like precious raw materials, but without time, we are unable to mine anything from them.
Ultimately, time is life. When we discuss time, we are referring to our very lives. When we speak about using time well, this is about living life well. And when we refer to time management, this is about managing our lives. The importance of using time wisely cannot be overstated, because who among us can afford to waste their very life?
