I’d like to make you an offer. What if I gave your $86,400, but with a catch? At the end of the day, the balance of your account drops down to $0. Not to worry, the offer is valid tomorrow too. A brand new $86,400 coming your way. As you might have guessed, the same catch still applies. You end the day with $0. What would you do with such a large sum of evaporating money each day?
If you are like most people, your answer is that you want to get up early and make the most of every cent. You would not want to waste a second, because you know that in just a few short hours, the opportunity is lost. Sound too good to be a true? Would you move fast or would you let it slip away?
I believe most people would actually just let it slip away. Sound crazy? Who would pass up on such an awesome opportunity?
The truth is that more than 99% of us have this deal and waste it every day. The deal is not for dollars. The deal is for seconds. Each day has a total of 86,400 seconds. If you roll over and hit the snooze button when your alarm clock goes off, sleeping in for just 20 minutes costs you 1,200 seconds. That is 1,200 that is lost forever. FOREVER.
We all have dreams and things we want to accomplish. The problem is that we think we have all the time in the world, so what does it matter if I spend an extra hour looking at cat pictures on the internet, or schmoozing with my friend? I am still young! What is one hour? One hour, another 3,600 seconds. GONE.
Every day that you do not pursue your goals is another 86,400 seconds that have gone to waste.
Sounds quite dreadful, but it is actually an opportunity. When you wake up, you have have 86,400 seconds to invest in improving your life, the life of those around you, and even the entire world. If you go out and do something, then you are making the most of those precious seconds. Stop for a moment and realize the value of every day. Live your life as if today is your last day, because we never know when the time bank account will stop replenishing.
You can choose to spend your 86,400 seconds however you like. I am not saying you shouldn’t enjoy your life. Quite the opposite. I hope you do enjoy your life by building that building that business of your dreams, or by spending your days basking in the light of Torah. You can spend your 86,400 seconds doing acts of kindness, and putting a smile on the face of another. Whatever you do, make sure you use those 86,400 seconds to the fullest, and not squandering them away.
Life is too short to do things you don’t like. If you hate your job and want to go back to school to find a better life, don’t put it off. Now is the time. If you always wait for tomorrow, eventually the time bank account dries up, and you have nothing to show for it.
Whatever that dream is that you have always had, use today’s 86,400 seconds to start making it a reality.
Don’t wait.
Today is a new day. What will you do with your 86,400 seconds? The clock is ticking.