What A Year
What a year it has been… Im not talking about 2022 either! It’s only been 20 days yet 2023 has already proven to exceed my expectations, limitations, and requirements. One thing that is clearly evident is that I’ve got to master my time.
Every single second, of every minute, of every day it becomes more apparent why time is so vital. I’ve been focused on the importance of time for the past several years and I believe my subconscious was preparing me for this moment. That’s also why I stress what you think about is important because it becomes your reality.
In the past 480 hours I’ve traveled to and from a new country; visited four Islands; started bartending classes; created more content than I can edit; consulted the start of 2 new Black Owned businesses; started an additional role at work as the Global Board Operations Co President of the Black Employee Network at a Fortune 5 company; paid off one of my loans; and I even had time to finish a few chapters in a book I am reading.
Despite all of these accomplishments, there are still a ton of other things I could have completed if I would have just capitalized on my time. Too often as people we accept the constraints of time, instead of meticulously analyzing and enabling it as a tool to reach our desires.
The point I am trying to make is that my perspective is constantly shifting around time. Although I’ve been able to accomplish a lot, I still have quite a few things that fell by the way side. I am holding myself to a different level of accountability because I am at a different point in my life.
It’s like I finally realized how important my time is and I can’t waste it. Not only for me, but for all the people who are dependent on how I utilize my time. My family, my relationship, my friendships, my network, there are so many people who need the God given gifts that I have been blessed to possess.
What’s even more important than my self realization, is that I realized everyone needs to have this new perspective for themselves. If only you really knew how valuable you are to this world, you would then pay more attention to how you are utilizing your talents.
I think it hit me most, when I looked at my weekly screen time on my iPhone and I saw that I spent 13 hours on Instagram in a week. At first I was livid. 13 hours is quite bit of time to spend on anything. At the 2023 New Jersey minimum wage of $14.13 ($12.93 for businesses with fewer than 6 employees) that’s an extra $183.69 a week, $734.76 a month, and $9,551.88 annually. Could any of you use an extra nine and a half racks a year? I pray no one said no.
I make well more than minimum wage so when I started to think about the monetary value of the time that I wasted, I started to get even more angry. That anger also initiated me to start thinking of all the tasks that I could have completed in 13 hours.
Most tasks on my to do lists are made up of tasks that take 30 minutes to an hour, maximum maybe 2-3 hours. Doing the math, that’s anywhere from 4-26 additional tasks that I could have been completed if I just deicded not to be on instagram for a week.
After my initial phase of anger, I started to reflect and ask myself a few questions. Why did I spend such a significant amount of time on that app? Did I gain anything? A Business Idea? Did I learn a new skill? Did I get information that I otherwise would not have gotten if not on the app? Or did I simply entertain myself by consuming someone else’s content instead of making my own?
With these tough questions, I also have to remember that there is a balance to life. Should I completely eliminate Instagram? No, that’s not what I am saying. There clearly was a reason why I spent the time on it. The more important question, is how can I become more efficient and be more concessions of my time because of how important I am to my family and the world as a whole?
Although I sound hypercritical, I am very proud of myself. Like that balance I mentioned earlier, I also understand there is so much required. 2022 was the year of Becoming the Boss, 2023 is the year of Being the Boss. Let’s keep chasing those Million$!