Keynote Speaker, Author, Consultant, & Mentalist

Contact

Tag: time

  • Two Thieves Of Time

    Two Thieves Of Time

    Originally published in “[think] Like A Mind Reader” available on Amazon.com

    If you want your time back, you have to face procrastination and indecision. Both are quietly stealing time right from under your nose. You’re missing out on opportunities, experiencing more problems, and getting left behind because you take too long making up your mind. Indecision will paralyze you. I know from experience. My ex-wife told me once, “Indecision is a decision.”

    And she’s right.

    Indecision is refusing to take responsibility for your life. It’s telling yourself that everybody else is better qualified to make your choices than you are. That is not how you go about building the best life. That was a hard lesson for me to learn, but one I’m glad I figured out. I’d rather not have to spend any more time than I have to on that one!

    Indecision usually happens when you don’t see a good way forward. You don’t like any of the options you can see, so you think waiting it out by not choosing any of them is your best bet. But, as she said, “Indecision is a decision.” It’s a decision to let precious time slip through your fingers. I’m here to tell you that making mistakes is a thousand percent better than not making a decision.

    The faster you make the mistake, the more time you’ll have to fix it. But you won’t know what you need to work on until you take action. I don’t care which direction you choose so long as you get started. Only then can you build momentum, and figure out which way you should be moving. 

    I used to spend way too much time on things that didn’t actually make a difference in my life. That’s why one of my New Year’s resolutions was to never match my socks again. Now I just grab two socks in the morning, and whatever they are I wear them. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t go out of my way to unmatch my socks; I just won’t spend time finding their mate. That’s time I could spend reading, learning, or relaxing with someone I love. 

    I’ve talked with a lot of people about how they spend their time, and most folks waste too much time on the stuff that just doesn’t matter. Like, trying to decide on what restaurant to go to. Or whether to take the bus or an Uber. Or buy this one, or the other that’s two dollars more expensive. On down the rabbithole of time-wasting it goes.

    I’ve helped avoid most of that with this simple rule. If it’s a question that doesn’t involve money, I do whatever is easiest for me. That might sound selfish, but there you have it. I’ve now saved hours and hours of time formerly spent hemming and hawing about what I should do. Now I have a general rule to depend on! In the grand scheme of things, the questions I answer with that rule just aren’t worth spending any longer than that on. Make the choice, and move on. Done.

    When money is involved, it only changes a little. If we’re talking very little difference in dollar amounts, I’ll again go with what’s easiest. Larger sums require more consideration, but it has to be worth it. Remember, time is money, right? And if you spend days or weeks thinking about a couple hundred dollars, you’ve been penny smart and a pound foolish. Set your own limits based on your own financial situation; just realize that you can always get more money but you’ll never get more time. This will help you focus your time on things that actually matter.

    Most people who say they’re too busy to do the important things are more interested in feeling busy instead of actually accomplishing things. They prefer to procrastinate by working on projects that don’t get them any closer to their goals. They’re busy, but not productive. That is the most egregious misuse of time I can think of! They’re spending their time wishing for things they could have if they spent their time actively instead. 

    If you want to achieve something, do something about it. There’s never going to be a right time. The best time is now. You’re always going to find a reason not to take action. Don’t believe it! Those excuses will kill your dreams. You have to train yourself not to focus on the urgent things at the expense of the important things. Stop spending your time navel-gazing about whether or not you should do that thing, and focus instead on how you’re going to get it done. Then get it done! 

    I’ve been around too many people in my life who spent countless hours talking about the things they could do, who never spent one minute towards actually doing them. There’s a big difference between the talkers with no results, and people who let their results do all the talking for them. Which one are you?

    Originally Published In:

  • Alchemy Of Time And Money

    Alchemy Of Time And Money

    Too often this falls to the realm of pseudoscience claptrap & purveyors of flim-flam. There is, however, a rational approach to making change in your life by a process I like to call a reasonable unreasonableness.

    This is Life Alchemy.

    But, first, I want to introduce you to this guy. He’s one of the most influential people in all of human history.

    We’ve gotten to the moon because of what he dreamt up. We’re currently looking into how the universe will die based on his thinking.

    He also proudly died a virgin.

    His name? Sir Isaac Newton.

    Father of:

    Laws of Gravity, Law of Thermodynamics, Law of Motion, Understanding Light, Fluid Dynamics, Calculus,

    His work is the bedrock of some of our most valuable achievements as human beings.

    He was also obsessed with Biblical Chronology.

    There’s another area he devoted a significant amount of his time exploring: Alchemy.

    In today’s context, Alchemy is relegated to sorcery, magic, and other fairytale adventures that have no merit. Unfortunately, this is at the detriment of maximizing potential.

    Why did Newton write million+ words about Alchemy? What could have possibly driven one of the greatest scientific minds to folly?

    Surely it was the counterbalance of ignorance and wrong-headedness to someone who achieved so much? Capacity for greatness goes both ways, right?

    Not really.

    Alchemy, as it was back then, was concerned with understanding the nature of reality. The fundamental philosophy was essentially “If you understand exactly how nature works, you’ll be able to shape it to your will.”

    It’s actually pretty spot on.

    Alchemist believed that all matter, and especially metals, were all manifestations of the same spirit or essence.

    Gold was considered to be the highest manifestation of this spiritual achievement whereas something like lead was a ‘base’ metal; as in at the base of the hierarchy.

    Base: Lacking higher qualities of mind, spirit, or value. Degrading. Inferior.

    Debase:To reduce something in value or quality; degrade.

    Abase:Behave in a way so as to belittle or degrade (someone)

    Alchemists sought to understand how to take base materials and create value.

    They believed they would be able to discern the process that was responsible for lead becoming more and more refined until achieving its highest potential; gold.

    The method, process, or force responsible for this happening was referred to as ‘The Philosopher’s Stone.”

    They weren’t searching for an actual, physical stone. They weren’t some kind of sorcerer version of Indiana Jones on a mission to find the Holy Grail.

    The stone was short-hand for ‘the singular process responsible for taking something worthless, and making it valuable.’

    When you understand the historical context, and the time they were operating in, it makes perfect sense that Alchemy was a sensible endeavor. It’s proto-science, in a manner of speaking.

    But to disregard its message today is to dismiss a powerful rational lesson.

    There is an Alchemy that’s alive and well today. To understand its inner workings is to create a life that appears impossible to anyone who doesn’t understand its principles.

    Everyone is a slave to its effects, but few master its causes.

    There’s a base metal, a philosopher’s stone, and a gold if we want to use this as a metaphor.

    The base metal? Time.

    Everyone has exactly the same amount. In fact it’s so plentiful that most people waste it. There’s so much time that they can afford to spend it on Netflix.

    Time is your Lead.

    Useless by itself. Not good for much. Almost anything is better than just having time on your hands. What good is time by itself?

    But! There’s that equation you’re ignoring!

    Time = Money! “Got you!” you cry.

    Not so fast.

    If Time = Money, then we’d all be rich. We’d all drive Ferraris, and spend our vacations on one of our several yachts.

    So why is time so valuable to some, and not at all to others?

    Answer: The Philosopher’s Stone

    There’s one thing that can change worthless, abundant time into something valuable. What is it?

    Your mind.

    That’s it. That’s the philosopher’s stone. Your mind is the miraculous thing that is responsible for all value in the world. All meaning. All worth.

    This is why all the internet gurus (real & fake) explain that it’s mindset that’s so important. This is why.

    Time is the abundant resource, and the quality of your thinking, imagination, and creativity is the Philosopher’s Stone that will transmute that time into value.

    Time = Money is an equation that only holds up if you know how to trade your time for dollars.

    Your job is the best strategy that your mind has figured out how to convert time into dollars. Your pay the measure of how effective that strategy is.

    Why do some people get paid more than you? Why do some people get paid less?

    Your Philosopher’s Stone.

    That’s it.

    Now, you might argue and say, “People get paid millions for being an idiot! That’s proof you’re wrong.”

    No. That’s proof you lack imagination.

    Time is your most fundamental resource.

    All other value is a function of Time multiplied by your Imagination & Creativity.

    Money, relationships, opportunities, etc. EVERYTHING exists solely because of how you spend your time. How you invest it.

    How you transform it.

    Every action your take is your Philosopher’s Stone in action. Action is the crucible that transforms time into whatever value that action has in the universe. To others.

    To you.

    You can never get that time back. But, you can make better choices now to get more time later.

    This is why wealthy people spend money to gain time.

    They’ve figured out how to transmute their time into massive value.

    This is why spending time to save a couple dollars is insane to people who have discovered the secrets of personal Alchemy.

    Why would you spend days on something when a couple dollars could solve it?

    All value is a derivative of time.To put it simply. Personal Alchemy is the process of cultivating your mind to appreciate the incredible value Time already is. It’s ALREADY the most precious resource. It’s just that you haven’t developed the ability to value it.

    So, what’s changing isn’t the value of time. It’s you. You’re changing your relationship & understanding of the nature of time.

    Your Philosopher’s Stone is transmuting YOU into a more valuable steward of the universe’s most precious resource.

    This is the most sane, logical, natural thing in all of existence.

    To deny it, argue with it, or ignore it is to make yourself a slave to the whims of others.

    Be more than that. Transform yourself.

    But act quickly. Time is money afterall.

  • Paying Twice On Time

    Paying Twice On Time

    In my experience talking with individual clients and companies, there’s a common thread I’ve seen when they’re stuck in a problem: they value money more than they value time.

    Too many clients would prefer to spend time on a problem in order to save money, instead of the other way around. They’ll say, “Whoa, that’s a lot of money to fix that problem. I could solve it on my own eventually, so I’ll do that instead.”

    Let’s talk about why this is the exact wrong thing to do.

    It’s Logic

    Before we get into the time & money discussion, let’s try a little logic puzzle. This is a syllogism which should sound plausible to you:

    All X’s are Z’s.
    All Y’s are Z’s.
    Therefore, some X’s are Y’s.

    This logic puzzle seems like it makes sense; both X’s and Y’s are Z’s, so of course some Y’s and X’s are the same! But try this one out:

    All dogs are animals.
    All cats are animals.
    Therefore, some dogs are cats.

    Now it doesn’t make sense, does it?
    (Unless you’re this dog. Probably is a cat, too.)

    What’s the Problem?

    When we are dealing with topics we know a lot about, we can immediately understand if something makes sense or not. When the logic problem I used above talks about dogs & cats, you were able to see, right away, that it makes no sense.

    When we switch to an abstracted unit of measurement, like X’s and Y’s, then it’s more difficult to make an accurate judgement.

    This is what happens when we talk about time and money.

    Time = Money

    In the logic problem, Dogs = X. Cats = Y. And this is the stuff we learn in first year algebra, but it’s frustrating because it’s taking something we understand, and then turns it into an abstraction.

    When we think about Time = Money, it’s the same problem; we lose track of its real value.

    Most people trade their time for dollars in the form of a paycheck or salary. Then, we spend those dollars on goods, services, or experiences.

    When it comes to your business, you’ve worked hard for the cash you earn. You’ve poured your whole life into developing the skills you need to do the best you can for your clients.

    That’s why taking any longer than you have to to solve a problem isn’t in your best interests, nor the interests of your clients.

    When you decide to spend time on a problem instead of money, you’re essentially paying twice to fix it. You’ve already spent time to earn the money, but then are choosing to spend more time on something other than what makes you money.

    This is time you could be spending helping your clients. This is time you could be spending with your family. This is time your could be spending at a conference learning more about what you’re already great at.

    You can always get more money, but you can never get your time back. This is the heart of the problem for folks who would rather save a couple dollars by doing it themselves. As long as the money you make is tied to the time you spend getting it, spending time on a problem instead of dollars is costing you the most precious thing you have: your time.

    Even when you’re broke, you’ll still have to decide how to spend the 86,400 seconds you have every day. Spend them wisely.

    Takeaway

    The next time you think, “I’ll save some money and do it myself” ask yourself if this is the best way to spend your time; not money. Don’t be “penny smart, and a dollar foolish” as the saying goes.

    If you’re still trading time for dollars, this is doubly true for you, too!
    (Eventually you can uncouple your income from the time you’re spending, and that’s a conversation for another day. . .)

  • 3 Things to Invest In

    3 Things to Invest In

    If I were interested in making a quick buck, I might be telling you 3 “hot stocks you absolutely must invest in.” I could tell you to buy a product that gives me a commission.
    Instead, I’m going to tell you the three things I’ve invested my time, money, & effort into that’s responsible for all of my success.
    They might not be what you think of first.

    Knowledge

    “First you do the best you can. Then when you know better, do better.” -David Hira

    Knowledge really is power. Everything I’ve done boils down to having the right information on how to do it.
    Or spend years with trial & error to figure it out for myself. Either way, your choices are only as good as the information you use to make them.
    In a time where information is freely available online, it’s difficult to sift the golden nuggets from all the useless crap. When you find something valuable, however, there’s nobody who can take it from you.
    Whatever treasures you hoard in your mind are yours, and yours forever.
    Knowledge is the best return on the investment you can possibly hope for.

    Assets

    There are things / ideas / strategies / tools that will help you get where you want to go.
    Then there’s everything else.
    The secret to lasting success is owning what you build. I don’t care how many followers you have on Twitter. I don’t care how many likes you have on Facebook. Any platform you build on can change their rules tomorrow and everything you’ve worked so hard to build can disappear instantly.
    Unless you own your platform.

    Coaches

    The quote about knowing better so you can do better was told to me by one of my favorite coaches & personal mentors. He’s an incredible person with an even more incredible story. His insights, suggestions, and advice come from a lifetime of experience, and every single nugget he shares is pure gold.
    When I listen to what he tells me, it saves me years of learning it myself. That’s the power of coaches.
    Great advice is worth exactly what you pay for it, too. Coaching ain’t cheap. It’s not easy to put their knowledge into action, either.
    But it’s so worth it.
    Coaching helps catapult you forward. It instantly establishes momentum. Momentum creates wealth.

    Takeaways

    • Put in effort to gain things that can’t be taken away
    • Quality relationships with quality people are priceless & worth everything you can spend to maintain them
    • Knowledge is power (when put into action)
  • Cross My Palm With Silver

    Cross My Palm With Silver

    “Free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.”

    ~Romany Saying

    Have you ever encountered an “askhole?” It’s someone who constantly asks you for advice, but then does the complete opposite of what you told them to do.

    There are few things that are more frustrating, right?

    Why is that?

    Wisdom of the Romany

    Imagine I’m a tarot card reader, and you come to me for a reading.

    It’s insightful, explains exactly what part of your life needs the most work, and then spell out exactly what you can do to get on the right track. It’s nothing short of the best advice you’ve ever gotten.

    But you pay nothing for it.

    You know what would happen? Probably nothing. You’d say thank you, walk out, and think “That was interesting,” then never worry about it again.
    Imagine you paid me $20,000 for that exact same reading.

    Now, how motivated do you think you’ll be afterwards?

    $20,000 worth!

    Before I started coaching, I used to share my thoughts freely with anyone who would listen. Over time, I’ve not only realized that free advice is essentially worthless, but a client’s motivation to put it into practice is directly linked to how much they had to pay for that information.
    They paid nothing for the info? There’s zero incentive to apply it.

    I’d give people great information & advice, but then they’d ignore it. They’d run into the problem I’d warned them about, and then have to work twice as hard to recover from it instead of avoiding it in the first place.

    At the end, we’d both wasted our time. Mine for sharing with someone who didn’t value my input, and theirs for spending time listening to it, experiencing the problem, & then recovering from it just to be right back at square one (but a little wiser hopefully).

    Nowadays, people pay me for my knowledge & experience. Since clients are willing to pay for their guidance, they tend to consider my thoughts much more carefully before making future decisions. My personal goal is to help my clients get 10x more value out of our time together than they pay me.
    This makes coaching much more rewarding in every sense of the word.

    Feels good to help people avoid costly mistakes. It’s nice to get paid for what you’re good at. And it’s nice to have significantly fewer askholes in my life.
    To some people I charge way more than they can afford. To some people it’s a drop in the bucket. Regardless of how much I stand behind, that’s always going to be the case, so there’s zero reason to race to the bottom of the barrel.

    I’ve found that the people who are highly motivated and invest in results are the best clients to work with.

    “Gypsies” figured this out generations ago.

    The amount you’re willing to pay for the solution to a problem tells the person with the answer how much they should care about your problem. You don’t care enough to pay? Then why should the coach care more than you do?

    Silver, Time, & Attention

    Now, I’m not saying you should have a money-based relationship with everyone in your life.

    Money isn’t the only currency that matters.

    You can pay in time. You can pay in effort. You can pay attention and really listen to what you hear.

    If I consult with someone who may not have the finances to spend on my insights, I have 3 guidelines I look to.

    1. My time (& yours) is valuable. Spend it wisely.
    2. You may never be able to pay me back directly, and that’s OK. If you’re ever in the position to pay it forward, do that.
    3. You don’t have to blindly follow my advice, but sure as hell think twice before ignoring it.

    You can see how there’s still a price to be paid, even though it’s not in terms of money. It’s still win-win!

    The nature of a successful coaching/mentoring dynamic (valued in either money, time, or effort) is achieving specific goals in a sensible time frame with metrics along the way to gauge results. With this dynamic, the client stays accountable, and the coach stays dedicated to the project.

    The coach is getting value in seeing their client succeed, and the client gets value in achieving their goals.

    Value for value is the only way the world works.

    (Otherwise it’s stealing.)