A famous Chinese proverb reads, “An inch of time cannot be bought with an inch of gold.”
Few would argue that “time” is our most valuable commodity. No amount of money can allow us to purchase a 25th hour in a day or even turn the clocks back one minute. That being said, we need to make the most of our time. I guess that’s why people run to and fro, traveling from place to place, faster and faster. They want to jam as much as possible into those 24 hours and increase their chances of financial success. Oftentimes people analyze how they are spending their time to discover their R.O.T. (Return on Time). That’s right – it’s kind of like R.O.I. (Return on Investment.) After all, you have to make every minute count! There’s no time for activities that fail to produce a monetary return.
This weekly business report is usually about things that we can do to improve our performance and create a positive financial impact. Certainly, time management is one of them and we have discussed it before. Yet I would like to present something that does not involve managing our time.
The last thing I want to do is pontificate with a “holier than thou” attitude. Unfortunately, that’s the way this might come off to some, so let me set the record straight right from the start- I am the worst offender.
I know there are many people who are reading this that have given to charities this year. God knows we’ve had plenty of cause to give with hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and floods! I’m talking, however, about a different kind of “giving.” I’m talking about, “giving back.” That is using your talents and abilities to help other to prosper and grow. Now this might fly in the face of the “manage-every-second-jam-as-much-into-a-day-as-possible” mentality yet I have found that an amazing thing happens when we give our time while expecting nothing in return – we literally reap ten times, fifty times or even a hundred times the benefit. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me.
Yet giving back involves a certain amount of giving up. You may give up an hour or two a week, or a Saturday, or perhaps a weekend or even some vacation time. Regardless, when we do this we access some kind of power that creates an eventual, reciprocal benefit for ourselves. Call it karma, the power of God or just a force of natural.
The photo you see is of myself (I’m the OLD GUY!) with the board members of the American Marketing Association at California State University – Long Beach. I spent a few hours with their chapter of about 60 members and practiced some of the Rules of Attraction. Not only was this a very enjoyable and rewarding experience but it was gratifying for me to help these young people learn the practicalities of marketing.
I want to take a moment to encourage you to use the 4th Rule of Attraction: “Give without Selling.” When you do, I guarantee that it will return to you in multiples. You just might find it to be the best investment of time that you make all year!