A sample dialogue between me and me follows.
Me: I really don’t think you should pay someone to fix the faucet in the sink.
Me: Oh yeah, why not?
Me: Because this is something you could learn. You really like problem solving and it will serve you well down the road. Plus, it will save you money to learn it yourself.
Me: But time is money. And by saving time, I will, in effect, save money. Or at least be able to make more of it.
So there’s lot’s to unpack there, right? We could look at some residual issues I have with money. We could examine a slight subtext of control. We could also dig into the need to justify what it is I want. Since I’m not terribly interested in the former two at this moment and I’ve already explored the latter here, let’s look at something else entirely.
Time is money.
The argument is understandable. With time you can make money. If something – or someone – takes up your time, it – or this someone – also deprives you of your ability to make more money. As a business owner, I get this. If I am fixing the faucet, I am not coaching, writing, submitting proposals, attending workshops or leading my own. I am doing something other than those activities that allegedly bring home the bacon. And bacon (especially tempeh bacon) is mighty delicious.
It just so happens that “time is money” doesn’t really reflect my deepest values, at least not in the way we typically understand the concept of money.
A former college professor and friend on facebook shared a blog posting entitled, A Calendar is a Moral Document. Its author asserts that your calendar reveals what’s most important to you. How you spend your time (like how you spend your money) is both a reflection of and a way for you to express your deepest values and beliefs.
Fixing the faucet is good. So is working on my business.
But time isn’t just money. Time is also laughter. And my husband’s complex hazel eyes. And playing fetch with the cats. And feeding the hungry. And helping a friend move. And watching the trees bend in the wind.
As my wise mother said this weekend, “We’re really only on this planet for a short time.”
How are you spending it?
