Of all the things often asked of you, what is the first thing you think about before replying?

Is it hard? Will it cost me money? Will it benefit me? How will it help me to help you?

Not that any of those questions in and of themselves are necessarily negative, there is a much more important element. Time.

I have often made the statement that I would rather you waste my money than my time.

Now, I like and need money as much as the next person, but I also know I can make or get more. Sometimes it is more difficult to do than others, but it can be done.

However, if you waste my time, it is gone. Forever. I cannot through any trick, hard work, or any other tactic known to man, get that time back.

I help a lot of people in my life. It is a big part of what I do, who I am, and people often say that I am very generous. Truth is, that I am often more generous with my money in order to be more stingy with my time.

I will, and do, give my time when it is what is needed or called for in a given situation. And, I feel the reward for doing that. Silas Marner was a money miser, but I am no miser with my time. Just careful.

I would hazard a guess that you are, too. Or at least you should be.

Your success, your ability to achieve success, is directly related to your ability to protect your time.

The dangers of time wasters aren’t always from without, eh?

We waste our own time, we kill time, or we’re just waiting around till time to clock out anyway . . .

We set our goals to accomplish certain tasks in our day, our week, or this year, and then we wait, until the last moment to work towards them, or worse, fall back on “Well, I just didn’t have enough time to do that.”

Sad, sad, sad.

Time is our most precious asset. Guard it. Protect it. Use it for good, for yourself, for others.

Invest your time instead of spending it.

There are the same number of hours in my day as yours. How we choose to use that time, divide that time, cherish that time, is up to us, as individuals.

So, be generous with your time when it’s called for, but protect your time like the treasure it is, and you will find success will find the time to find you more quickly, and stay with you.