Well, you’ve found yourself here reading this article – I commend you because you’re obviously looking to gain more from life. You see, we all have a very limited resource in life and that resource is time. There are many valuable things in this world, but they don’t quite compare. You total your car, buy a new one; lose your house in a fire, buy a better one; gone bankrupt, go earn more money. Although all challenging setbacks, these types of valuables are renewable and plentiful. However, time is a resource that is not. You can’t save it, borrow it, extend it, store it, or anything else, you have to spend it.
We’re all given the same number of hours in a day, so what you do with that time is of huge significance. This eventually culminates into what will be your life, so make it count!
Taking Back Control
The first step to gaining more from life is taking back control. By taking control of your time and working towards an ideal future, you live a life worth living. Don’t allow your environment to dictate how you spend your time, soon enough it’ll be gone with nothing to show.
Taking Control in My Own Life
An example of how I took control in my own life was after earning my bachelors degree. Unfortunately for me, I had no clue what I wanted to do while in college, so I bounced around from Accounting, to Business Administration, Communications, and finally to Music Industry and Technology with a concentration in Recording Arts. I love playing and listening to music, so I just followed my passion at the time.
Well, upon graduation in 2009 (during the market crash), I found that it was nearly impossible to get a job in my field, let alone a job at all! Well over 100 resumes sent, walked into a number of businesses, received maybe three calls and no job offer. I was completely broke, but had a car and roof over my head, thanks to my parents kind graces. It’s at this point in time I decided, I need to improve my skill set.
Taking Initial Control
I hit the books and started learning video editing software, as it went hand-in-hand with my audio knowledge. Shortly thereafter, I applied and was accepted as an intern at a local digital media company. It’s here where I gained an immense amount of knowledge about cameras, lighting, video editing, chroma key, motion graphics, design software, and basic web development. I spent all day working at the internship and spent my entire evenings continuing to learn and practice my craft. Keep in mind, this was an unpaid internship and sustained myself off of an $80 dollar weekend live sound gig. So all in all, I was working about 60+ hours a week for about $80…pretty humbling. That said, I spent my time wisely and learned a ton in a short amount of time.
Taking Further Control
My internship and live sound gig went on for about a year. I gained a great amount of experience and even created my own video/motion graphics “reel”. Eventually, I realized there was little to be gained financially in my current situation and again decided I need to up my skill set to the next level in order to secure my financial future. I lost my live sound gig due to financial cuts and was completely broke once again. It’s here where I applied to graduate school to earn my Masters degree in Web Design & New Media from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. I was accepted into the program and was even able to waive a number of classes because of the abilities shown in my reel. The next three years were packed with classes, projects, thesis work, paid internships, and part time jobs in the field of User Experience/User Interface Design.
Continuing Control of My Time
Well, it’s been three years since I graduated and have no doubt it’s gotten me to where I am today. It took a lot of hard work and student debt, but I believe it was worth it. With that said, I still find myself reaching for more. It’s this desire for more that has led me to create Succeed at Scale. I have no clue where it will lead, but I’m finding myself passionate about online business and personal finance. Again, I’m taking classes, reading a number of books, following tutorials, going to Meetups, attending workshops and anything else to improve my knowledge and skill set even further. Yes, a rather long story, but the point is this:
Spend your time wisely!
I could have squandered those years watching TV, going to happy hour, playing video games, and working a job that afforded me a lower standard of living. Instead, I took control of my situation and worked to improve not only my education, but quality of life! It’s easy to fill your time, just be sure to fill it with the right stuff.
“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” – Bill Watterson
Focus On The One Thing
The most common complaint I hear when talking to people about reaching higher goals is, “I just don’t have the time, you know?”. To be honest, this complaint makes me roll my eyes because as I said, we all have the same number of hours in a day. So, how is it that some manage to accomplish so much in life and others don’t? I believe it comes down to dedication and focus. When I hear someone say they don’t have time, I hear it as, “it’s just not that important to me”.
If you want something bad enough, you make it happen.
With time being a limited resource, I recommend focusing on the one, most important thing that will move you forward. Sure, you need to take time to exercise, work at your job, spend time with the family, etc, but make sure to achieve the one thing you set out to accomplish for the day/week. By doing so, you’ll build discipline in your life and eventually see your hard work pay off. The idea is to think about what you want and decide whether or not a certain activity will add or detract from your vision of life. Now, get more from life – it’s go time!
How are you spending time improving your own future? Leave a comment below!
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