Coaches Corner by Ellie West: The Value of Time

I never really overthought time until I became much older. Now, I think about it more but look at time differently. I value time more now than I did in my twenties, perhaps because I realized that the years I may have left are fewer than when I was younger. Looking back on my life, I wonder how those years have flown by so quickly. In my earlier years, I thought I had all the time in the world, which in retrospect, led to some poor decisions.

There will always be distractions in our life that may cause us to lose time. But those distractions should never cause us to procrastinate, as procrastination means putting off something that should be done. Distractions and procrastination are time stealers; if we waste our time, our purpose and calling will never come to fruition.

Many times over my flying career, we would be ready for landing, only to abort our landing and do another fly-by. How often have you been prepared to land and thought you had more time, so you aborted your landing? Has your destiny been missed?

I have been guilty of procrastination and have allowed distractions to steal my time. In contrast, I have missed many opportunities laid right out in front of me—beautiful opportunities that would have allowed me to excel. I have learned that when opportunities arise, take them as they may never come up again.

We have all been given the gift of time - twenty-four hours each day. What you do with that time is up to you. What are you spending your time on, and is it adding or taking away from your life?

Honestly, I had never understood that time was a gift. How do you value the gift of time that was given to you? I love Thomas Edison’s quote: “Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.” Many people think that money will make them more valuable and wise, but the reality is that when you learn to value the time you have been given, you will gain wisdom. In valuing time, you are learning to love your life and those around you.

We are to use our time wisely and productively, but I also believe in savoring the gift of time. Once time is gone, we can never get it back. Be present as a parent, friend, neighbor, and colleague, and use your time to create beautiful memories.

This past Christmas, after conferring with my daughter about getting gifts for our grandchildren, she said, we don’t need any more stuff. I couldn’t have agreed with her more…I made two coupons for each of our granddaughters. One was an overnight and fun activity with me, and the other coupon was an all-day activity with Papa and me. Investing time in the ones you love the most with good and positive intentions and creating memories is a gift. A gift that lasts a lifetime.

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with one of my granddaughters. I had planned dinner, time in the hot springs, and an overnight; the next day was a full day of skiing. During our drive, dinner, and time on the chairlift, she came up with some thought-provoking questions. I loved the questions and the conversations we shared. Investing time one-on-one to show her how much she is loved, valued, and cared for as she and I created memories that would not break or no longer work.

This next weekend, I have the same opportunity to spend quality time with my other granddaughter. I know how much it means to them but at the same token, how much it means to me, as well. I want to instill in them the value of our precious time. Those are the memories they will share and talk about for a long time.

Jim Rohn said, “Time is of more value than money, you can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”

To connect with Ellie FB/IG @coachelliewest