Value of time

Counting the Days of Your Life

We usually measure life in terms of years, but thinking in days can change your perspective

When my father was in his late 80s, he began counting his age in half years as well as years, much like children do.

Recently he noted that he is 92 and a half — and he’s as sharp as he ever was.

I guess when you get to that point in life, those half years are as important as they are to youngsters.

But have you ever thought of your life in terms of days?

My father has lived more than 33,785 days. That’s a lot of days.

Les Goldberg says thinking about life in terms of days puts the spotlight on the value of time.

“Use your time wisely. Don’t waste it. You only have so many days, and you need to make sure each one counts.”

Goldberg is the founder, president and CEO of LMG, a world leader in entertainment technology, and CEO of Entertainment Technology Partners, LLC. He is also the author of When All the Stars Align and Don’t Take No for an Answer.

Goldberg calculates that the first 7,300 days (20 years) of our lives are primarily consumed by learning. The next 11,000 days (30 years) are occupied with finishing college, building a career or a business, and raising a family. He says:

“Then you hit 50. You’ve lived more than 18,000 days. At best, your life is half over — unless you are one of those rare people who live past 100. It’s time to take stock of how you’ve used your days so far and how you’ll use the ones you have left. Don’t waste even one of those days.”

Of course, you don’t have to wait until you’re 50 to do that self-analysis. And if you’re past 50, it’s still worth doing.

In practice, Goldberg’s respect for the value of time goes to increments smaller than days. He believes in maximizing minutes.

He calls time a non-renewable resource and stresses how important it is to be completely present in every moment, regardless of what you’re doing.

Equally important, he says, is to respect the time of others. Be punctual and don’t do things that will cause others to waste time.

Be a model for the value of time.

Live your life so you won’t regret how you spent your time — not even a single day.

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