The value of time

The other day, Baby T2.0 turned 3. It’s a little hard to believe that she has been a part of our lives for 3 years already. 3 years seems so short but at the same time, it feels like she has been with us for an eternity already. It’s really weird to have such contradicting feelings.

When I look back at what we have accomplished financially over the last 3 years, I can’t be more proud of ourselves.

  • Our savings rate grew consistently every year for the past 3 years.
  • Our household income has increased consistently every year.
  • We maxed out our TFSAs for all 3 years.
  • We maxed out our RRSPs for all 3 years.
  • We added money to our taxable accounts for investment for all 3 years.
  • In 2015, we received $10,318.02 in dividend income; in 2018, we received $18,734.29 in dividend income. That’s an increase of 81.57% in 3 years or an average of 27.19% each year.
  • Our net worth grew by 53% over the course of 3 years. That’s an average of 17.67% each year!

Financial accomplishments were great, but we also created a lot of unforgettable memories together in the last 3 years.

If you’re like me, you probably measure 10 years as a very long time. That’s why I’ve previously stated: don’t look back in 10 years and regret that you’ve done nothing with your life. However, we are looking at 10 years from an adult’s point of view. If you are a 3-year-old girl, you probably won’t have a clue what 10 years mean. To a 3-year-old girl, 3 years is an eternity, because that’s all of your life! Similarly, 1 year is also a long time for a 3-year-old because it’s a third of her life.

As we grow older, I think some of us may have forgotten to value and appreciate time. We forget that a second is the same amount of time for you, me, a 3-year-old, a newborn baby, and a 90-year-old. An hour is an hour, a week is a week, and a year is a year, for all of us. Time is the same, regardless of our age.

Therefore, we need to value time. We need to appreciate time.

Rather than wasting away hours each day thinking that you can start something new and challenge yourself tomorrow, start challenging yourself today. Start treating each day as the last day of your life and start making every second of your waking hour count. Make a difference with your time.

Because when you’re lying on your deathbed, you don’t want to look back at your life and regret that you had wasted your precious time instead of using that time for something meaningful.

So don’t forget to take a few seconds to give your loved ones a kiss today when you see them. Don’t forget to take the time to thank people that have helped you. Don’t forget to take a few minutes of your own time so you can be yourself. Put that phone away and take a few minutes to reconnect with people.

And of course, don’t put off those important financial tasks to the next day. Do you not have a will, but have dependents? Schedule an appointment with a lawyer to draft up your will. Overwhelmed in debt? Take the time to figure out how to tackle your debt, perhaps by consulting with someone. Don’t know what the heck you are doing with your investments? Perhaps schedule a meeting with a financial adviser.

I’ll end this short blog post with this question that I typically ask my coaching clients:

What are your short term, medium term, and long-term goals?

For me, my short-term goal is to max out our TFSAs and RRSPs each year and continue to add money to our taxable accounts. My medium-term goal is to have our dividend income covering our annual expenses. My long-term goal is to travel around the world and live in different countries for an extended period of time.

What are your short term, medium term, and long-term goals? Are you setting up your goals so that you are valuing your time?

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8 thoughts on “The value of time”

  1. Time is certainly wasted on the young. My kids have absolutely no concept of time, and it frustrates me to no end sometimes… but my main goal right now is just to spend time with them.

    In 12 years our oldest will (probably) be off to college. That doesn’t feel like a whole lot of time to spend with them, but I’m going to try to make every second count.

    Reply
    • Yea kids don’t value time as much as we old(er) folks do. I certainly didn’t value time as much when I was younger. It’s a life lesson I think.

      Reply
  2. It’s always great to be proud of one’s accomplishments. It’s even better to be humble rather the follow the current narcissistic culture we’re living in and brag.

    Reply

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