You protect your car and your home with insurance. In case of theft or damage you become whole again or closer to whole. Your Iphone or Android has insurance for the same reasons. For you homeowners you protect your property. Making sure your neighbors don’t cross over to your side inappropriately or that they start using your property without your permission. You protect your life with life insurance. And you take many measures to protect and monitor your money from theft or identity thieves.
However, you don’t protect the only thing that truly matters. To you. To your life. To your identity. Your time.
“I don’t have time” you say, which is true. Only because you already gave it all away.
If you’re looking for someone to blame, it’s you. By working overtime you gave your time away. So you tell your kids: “I’m tired…Not now…Later…I had a long day…here, watch some Tv.”
You said yes to the events at your kids school and then complained after. You decided to help your friend. Or attend brunch. Or host your family for dinner. When you are already tired. Stretched thin. When you already felt that you didn’t have enough time.
By saying yes to all the school events that want parent participation, you gave your time away.
So you have no time left for the people in your life that matter. You have no time for yourself. Your kids carry the weight. So does your partner and the other people you love.
You think you’re doing all of this for them. The overtime, the second job, the side hustle. So you justify being away from them so much. But is it for them? Spending so much time away from the people you love to do something for them you think they want. And yet, they’re not even involved. It’s for them but you don’t even see them. How do you know what you’re doing for them is even working?
This, a form of identity theft, happens everyday and you allow it to happen. If only you could get an alert, text or email to remind you to stop. Much like when a purchase happens on your credit card you may get a text, asking you if this purchase is you and do you approve?
The same needs to happen with your time. The single most important resource we have. Once it’s gone, that’s it. It’s gone. Time. A non-renewable resource. You protect all your material possessions. You protect your property from intruders. You take great care of your car. Shoes. Watch and clothing. Yet, you make zero attempts to protect or care for your time.
Identity theft.
Unlike with your credit and financial accounts, there is no service you can pay to track down hackers and thieves of your time. This, has to come, from you. How do you ask? By saying no more. By saying yes, less. By putting the things and people that are most important first. It worked for Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O’Connor, both women who served as Supreme Court Justices. Both were wives, mothers, and held powerful positions in our government.
You may have to work overtime sometimes. Or participate in something. However, the choice is yours of when to start and stop. When to say yes or no. You may have to be away from your loved ones for a period of time. Just don’t make it a habit that takes over your identity.
Your kids will remember all you did was work, not the toys or the bike you purchased them. A sober reminder of what’s important. Time.
Thought Provoking Questions : What is taking your time away right now? How will you protect your identity and time?
Dan Roman is a Husband, Father, and writer that releases a daily blog. A quick read on sharing wisdom and asking though-provoking questions.
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