If there is one thing in life that you can never take back no matter how hard you try, it is your time. There is only a limited amount of it; once it is used up there is no getting it back.
Over the past few months, college life has made me learn that there is extreme value in the time you spend on certain things or with certain people, and I feel like there are a lot of college kids who truly do not understand that their time means more than they think,
My dad always taught me that if I do something, I will give it my best effort. I never really understood why this was so important, but as I grew older I began to realize why he stressed this so much. He didn't care about winning or losing, or being the best or the worst, he cared about me learning that time spent towards a certain goal or objective is very valuable.
These days there are so many distractions that can keep people from spending their time in a productive manner, from social media to Netflix and everything in between. It is a common occurrence to get sidetracked from spending your time in a way that is productive.
While I completely understand the need to relax and have some leisure time, there is a difference between relaxing and wasting time.
Other than with school work, the main way I see people in college struggle with the concept of valuing time is when it comes to relationships. Far too often, I see people who waste either their own time or the time of their significant other while in a relationship, or while single. There have been countless examples of people leading someone on, wasting their time, and that is just frustrating for all parties involved.
Think about all of the seemingly infinite ways in which a person can spend their time. If they choose to spend it with you, you should be grateful for it.
In college, it can be hard to balance school work, a social life and a semi-normal sleep schedule, all while trying to spend time with certain people. That is why I have learned to really appreciate it when somebody wants to spend their free time with me, because I understand the many different ways they could spend that time.
As someone who is busy virtually 24/7, I know that it can be difficult to make time for everyone that you wish to spend your free time with. The excuse of "I'm busy" is a frequently used one, however I have come to learn that if someone is really important to you, you will find a way to make time for them.
If there was one piece of advice I would give to my fellow college students, and anyone else for that matter, it would be to really think about how you spend your time and who you spend it with. There's only so much of it that you have and there is no taking it back. Spend it wisely.
