More important than money
Value that cannot be bought, held, stopped or stretched
Vladimir S. Lavrov

© Vladimir S. Lavrov, 2021

ISBN 978-5-0053-3571-5

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Introduction

The vast majority of people think that the main value in this world is money, because for it you can buy, if not everything, then a lot. But this is a mistake. Money is a very powerful resource, it can change the world, you can really buy a lot with it, and, naturally, it has enormous value. But there is something that is more important than money!

People who have gone through illness and hardship often begin to understand that money is not the most important thing in life. Such people often begin to realize that if they could restore their health, they could easily make any amount of money. And health as a value comes out more important than money.

But despite the fact that health is very, very important, there is a value that surpasses even health in its importance and significance. This value is time. The time of your life. Time is your very life. How much is measured for you and how much you have left on this earth is measured by time. And it is not infinite. Therefore, even if you had absolute health, but you would have only a few breaths of time in this life, could you then have time to do something important, to realize your dream? Health is valuable when you have time to get something done. If there is no time, then health, unfortunately, completely loses its meaning.

Therefore, the only truly important basic value is time. It is time that is the foundation on which the building of success can be built. It is time that is the soil on which the tree of happiness can grow. It is time that is the most powerful force in the Universe, and how you use it completely determines what results you achieve in life. All rich and successful people know this and do not waste their time on what other people can do for them.

Time should be treated the same as money. Not because time is money. Time is more important than money because, unlike money, time is limited and non-refundable. Time should be treated the same as money because time, like money, can be measured, divided, planned, invested and, as a result, multiplied!

Therefore, learn:

– appreciate the time

– count the time

– plan time

– invest time

And then you can multiply it.

Of course, there will be 24 hours in your day. But you can increase the value of an hour of your time and thus be able to spend less time on work, and at the same time receive more than before. And you can also hire assistants, and then in your day there will be as much time as the person will work for you.

Don’t let your time slip through your fingers. Take care of it. Learn to manage it effectively. Remember that there are three things that cannot be brought back: time, word, and opportunity. So don’t waste time, waste words, and don’t miss opportunities.

P.S. Initially, the book was written in Russian and only after that it was translated into English. Due to the specific differences between Russian and English, the author could allow minor inaccuracies in the translation. Do not judge strictly, for the English language for the author is not native. If possible, treat indulgently with possible mistakes and wrong words in the text. Remember that only those who do nothing do not make mistakes! Try to understand the essence of what the author wanted to say. Then you will get the most benefit from reading this book.

Chapter 1. Value your time

Learning to value time is the most important thing. Because if you don’t learn to value time, you won’t be able to manage it properly. You will waste it on all sorts of nonsense, because you do not understand its real value.

Meanwhile, the very divide that very clearly separates the poor and the rich, losers and winners, losers and champions – this is the attitude to difficulties and the ability to manage their time.

If poor and impoverished people, losers and losers avoid difficulties and spend time of their lives on entertainment and activities that are of no benefit, then rich and rich people, winners and champions see difficulties as steps to success and invest their life only in, which brings them closer to their goals.

If poor and impoverished people, losers and losers are afraid to make mistakes, so they do nothing and sit in anticipation of ideal conditions, then rich and wealthy people, winners and champions learn from their mistakes, become stronger and continue to act, no matter what.

If poor and poor people, losers and losers do not value their time and are ready to sell it very cheaply, then rich and rich people, winners and champions value their time very much and constantly increase the value of an hour of their time.

If poor and impoverished people, losers and losers give up the struggle for a better life and spend a huge amount of time trying to save some money, then rich and rich people, winners and champions from day to day, persistently (and persistently here is the key word) fight for the life of their dreams, making it a masterpiece and paying more to save themselves a little time.

Health, happiness, luck, success, money and outstanding achievements in various areas of life – all this is the result of the right attitude to difficulties and the right allocation of time. And in order to get it all at your disposal, follow these key recommendations:

– learn to see difficulties as steps to success

– invest time only in what brings you closer to your goals

– learn from your mistakes

– keep acting no matter what

– value your time

– constantly increase the cost of an hour of your time

– persistently sculpt a masterpiece from your life

– pay more if you can save time

So how do you learn to value time? Adjust the focus of your attention! Repeat to yourself daily, over and over again, morning and evening, before bed and after waking up:

– A lost moment is a lost opportunity!

– Wasted time is lost money!

– In front of me every moment are infinitely many new possibilities!

«Why don’t I take the chance right now?

– What useful thing can I do right now?

– How can I turn today into gold?

By repeating these statements and questions within yourself many times, you can build the correct neural connections in your head, thanks to which you will begin to relate to time in the same way as the richest and most successful people. Once you understand what exactly you are wasting time and realize that time is not infinite, you will inevitably begin to appreciate every moment of your life. And your attention will involuntarily begin to focus on how to make the most of every moment of your life.

It is very difficult to consciously build neural connections in the head. This is a struggle with established habits, stereotypes, patterns, this is a struggle with your laziness, with your fears and doubts, with your past negative experience, with your ignorance, with your childhood traumas. But even if it’s hard for you, you still need to force yourself to change your thinking and create new, more effective neural connections in your head. And if it is especially difficult, remember that difficulties are simulators and ask yourself:

– To what extent does this situation bring me closer to my goal?

– What opportunities does this situation open for me?

– How can I turn this difficulty into a step on the way to my goal?

– If I ever write a memoir, what story about my experience of overcoming this difficulty would I like to tell in the future on the pages of my book?

Do not be afraid of difficulties. Adjust the focus of your attention in such a way that difficulties do not frighten you, but help you to relate correctly to every moment of your unique life. Make the most of what you can. Every moment, every minute, every hour, every day – wake yourself up! Remind yourself that time is opportunity and wasted time is wasted opportunity. Remind yourself that right now, this very moment, you can change whatever you want.

You can make any decision right now! You can do anything right now! You can start over right now! All roads are open in front of you right now! You can get started right now! Right now you have time to fashion a masterpiece out of your life!

It is not known how the day will end for you! It is unknown if you will have the same amount of time tomorrow as today! It is not known if tomorrow will come at all! Life is unpredictable! Appreciate the time while you have it.

To appreciate time means not to waste it!

People who value their time will not waste it. The fact is that every minute, hour or day can become a significant contribution to some important cause and benefit society, the world, and people around. People who do not understand this often surround themselves with time wasters and literally kill the time of their lives.

Among time absorbers, the most common are:

– telephone

– TV set

– computer

– car

Many people are confident that the phone and the car save their time. No – they are very serious time wasters if your goals are not directly related to calling customers or delivering goods. To be convinced of this, it is enough to count the time that you directly communicate on the phone or fiddle with the car and add to this the money that you spend on phone maintenance and car maintenance.

Let’s say you have talked a total of 40 minutes today (one call takes on average a few minutes of time, you can make several calls a day – accordingly, you lose 20—30 minutes a day on calls, even if you don’t talk a lot) and spent on this, say, 20 rubles (do not forget to add to this the cost of the most spent time!). To return these 20 rubles, you need, say, another twenty minutes a day to spend on work. It turns out: 40 minutes of communication +20 minutes of working time to return the money spent on the conversation = 1 hour a day. It’s already about 30 hours a month! That is, it turns out that every month you waste a day or more to talk on the phone! It’s worth it?

It’s the same with a car: let’s say that today you have been driving for 2 hours, getting to and from work, or going around the shops of the city. To these two hours, add another hour to pick up the car from the parking lot, start, wash, refuel, etc. How much time per month do you think you spend on a car? It turns out that several days! And if you add to this the cost of gasoline, oil, maintenance, tire change, parking fees, etc., how much time does it take to get that money back? Do you really need a car to spend your life on it?

What to do with time sinks?

If you have the opportunity to completely abandon time absorbers, give up them. Then you will free up a significant amount of free time and vitality. You will get sick less, do more, earn more and enjoy life more.

However, if your life goals are directly related to one or another time absorber (for example, it is difficult for a merchant to do without a phone, a film critic – without a TV, a writer – without a computer, a driver – without a car, since this is their main way of earning), then try to deliberately refuse although would be from one or two time absorbers, which are not critical for your earnings. You will immediately see that you will have more time and energy to achieve your goal.

Practice 1. Get rid of excess

Take a piece of paper and write a list of all the time eaters that exist in your life.

Try to calculate how much time you devote to each of them during the day. Find the most voracious eaters of your time and decide to remove them from your life for at least one day (if this does not affect your income, of course).

To value time means to be the first in something!

One of the most common misconceptions in the field of achieving success is the misconception that all the most valuable, tasty, expensive and necessary in life, including wealth, are received by four categories of people :

– The cleverest

– the most daring

– the strongest

– most beautiful

In fact, all the most valuable things in life are received by the fastest – those who react faster than others to changed circumstances and take advantage of the opportunities that have opened up without wasting time. They are the ones who become the most successful and wealthy.

Of course, the smartest, bravest, strongest and, especially, the most beautiful also have something in common. The smartest are recognized. The most daring – reverence. The strongest are respect. The most beautiful ones are attention. But real victories always go to the fastest. They are the ones who receive wealth, prosperity and success. That is why time is not only the most valuable resource, but also an important competitive advantage.

Time is running out! Don’t miss the opportunity, take action now. Don’t expect perfect conditions. Many people miss out on great opportunities to become richer and more successful every day when:

– sit in front of the TV (or at the computer)

– complain about life, fate or injustice of the social system

– waiting for an opportunity instead of acting right here and now

If you want success – act with lightning speed, do not wait until someone else does what you could do. Remember that the first one does not always come to the finish line, then the first to start, however, it is he who has the most chances to win.

If you have an idea – implement it immediately, do not wait for your neighbor or competitor to implement it. Be careful, do not repeat what someone else is doing. Be a pioneer – only by treading your own path can you find any benefits on it, and following someone along a strange path you can only find scraps and waste products of those who have tread the path before you. Go your own way: on your way you will inevitably be at least the first in something!

Don’t waste your time! A person who hesitates to make a choice will get a choice made by circumstances or by others.

Remember speed is more important than strength. And the one who does not waste time achieves more! Therefore, appreciate your time!

Practice 2. What is your time spent on?

Think about what the time of your life is spent on? Are there any holes through which time is wasted?

What could you spend a little more time on if you were 10 or 20 years younger?

What could you completely give up if your life suddenly came to an end and you had only one month to live?

Key ideas of the chapter

1. The dividing line that very clearly separates poor and rich people, losers and winners, losers and champions is the attitude to difficulties and the ability to manage your time.

2. Time is opportunities, and wasted time is lost opportunities.

3. All the most valuable things in life are received by the fastest – those who react faster to changed circumstances and take advantage of the new opportunities without wasting time.

4. Go your own way: on your way you will inevitably be at least the first in something!

Chapter 2. Count the time

Time is measured not only in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries and millennia. Time is also measured by your inner fulfillment – by the deeds that you manage to do over time, and the results that you get over a given period of time.

Counting the time in the usual hours, days, months and years is very convenient, but not very productive. It is important to learn to count time as deeds, results, achievements. Someone can live 100 years and for all these 100 years not do a single useful thing, while another can bring so much benefit to the world, society, and other people in 1 month that he will write his name in history for many years. It’s a question of what time is filled with.

In order to understand what time is filled with – something useful or useless, value or rubbish – you need to evaluate the results. What are the results? Health, energy, knowledge, connections, relationships, etc. Anything that you spend time on can improve your health or destroy it, increase your energy level or decrease it, make you smarter or dumber, strengthen your connections and relationships with people or destroy them. But how do you calculate it? This is very difficult.

There is only one result that can be easily calculated and that is money. Therefore, the most convenient category for measuring time is its value – how much money you get for your work during a given period of time.

Despite the fact that most people operate on a monthly salary, the most successful and wealthy people operate on another indicator – the cost of an hour of time.

How much is one hour of your life worth?

To determine how much one hour of your life is actually worth, take your monthly income and divide it by the number of hours you spend working. If you are employed by a government agency, this is usually the standard 170—180 hours per month. If you work in a commercial structure and devote more than 8 hours a day to work, then add the required number of hours to the standard number and then calculate the real cost of your time using the formula:

monthly income / hours worked = real cost per hour of your life

For example, if you receive 30,000 rubles a month and spend standard 180 hours on work, then divide 30,000 by 180 to get the real cost of an hour of your time: 30,000 rubles. / 180 hours = 166 p. in hour.

From this example, it turns out that the real cost of one hour of your life is 166 rubles.

Depending on how much the price of one hour of your time approaches the conditional norm of 150—200 rubles, you can understand who you are in terms of income – ’poor’, ’average’ or ’rich’. The poor man is the one whose time is not valued or is valued below average, and the rich man is the one whose time is most valuable from the employer’s point of view, which is always reflected in the value of the time / money ratio.

What can you do to increase the value of your time? If you work in a hired job, then either ask for a raise, or take on additional responsibilities during working hours. If you work for yourself, then you can either focus on those tasks that bring the greatest results, or increase investments in profitable projects, or significantly reduce the work time (by half or at least a third) by delegating a number of tasks to an assistant and focusing on that brings 80% of the results.

Practice 1. Calculate the cost of an hour of your time

Calculate the cost of an hour of your time using the formula above.

If you are a wage earner, take your monthly income and divide it by the number of hours you spend in a month working and commuting from / to work.

If you work as a self-employed or self-employed person, divide the cost of your services by the number of hours you work. If you receive money not for the result, but for the time (for example, you consult or teach with an initial reference to the cost of an hour), then take as a starting point the lowest cost threshold, below which you do not take on work.

If you are an investor (that is, you live on income from capital) or have several sources of income, then calculate the average monthly total income and divide it by the number of hours you spend per month working.

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