Practical Wisdom from the Entrepreneurs Creative Edge by William Reed

At the beginning of a new year you often hear people talk about how fast time flies, like an arrow. Of course the longer you live, the shorter an hour feels relative to the number of hours you have lived. But the feeling of time having flown past is also a reflection of missed opportunity, that perhaps you could have spent or invested your time better.

Perhaps there is a more useful metaphor for thinking about time. What if time was more like a fluid force, rather than an object moving in a straight line like an arrow, or in circles like a clock? Perhaps time is not a fixed entity at all, but rather a relative experience as Einstein discovered. Perhaps our experience of time depends very much on how we think about, use, and measure it.

What if we thought about time as if it was a fluid force, like an ocean, like the rain, or like a flowing river, which can be travelled, harnessed or simply enjoyed? What if there were ways of effectively using time that might be analogous to the way we collect, funnel, and move water, such as dams, irrigation, and plumbing? Perhaps we could gain more value from this image of time, and use our time more effectively, than simply regretting that time has passed us by, like the flying arrow.

It is hard to estimate the impact of the metaphors we accept on the life we live. Benjamin Franklin originally said that Time is money. Depending on how you interpret this, these same words might turn one person into an impatient efficiency expert, and another person into a wise wealth master. The wisdom is not in the words, as much as how we read them.

The implications of this metaphor are profound, and lead to practical steps on how to apply this in your life and business. We are all given the same number of hours in a day, but we do not all value those hours the same. The first step is to value your time as you value your life. They are closely interwoven. There are key words which will help you do this.

Collect your resources Find containers to collect your output over time. This can be a blog, a diary, a book, a product, anything which takes a shape that remains over time for other people to recognize its value and potential. And that value will grow over time as the contents become increasingly relevant.

Connect with people Find networks to connect with people over space. This can be a group or association, online or offline, any group that regularly communicates and trades through a system over the same channels, and one which grows stronger by association. That value too will grow over time as your contribution to the network becomes increasingly evident.

Collaborate on projects Form partnerships to collaborate with others whose resources and networks complement and enhance your own. This can be a project, a product, a company, or even volunteer venture based on trust, similar values, and mutual merit, a bond which strengthens through action. The value of this too will increase through synergy, as the value of the partnership exceeds the value of the separate partners.

Celebrate by sharing Make commitments to share the benefits with others who recognize your value and want to share in the process. This can be a social enterprise, donation of money or services, teaching process, or rally of support, one which gains momentum through inspiration and gratitude.

If you can value and use time in this way, you will never lack for ideas or support.

Are you ready to collect, connect, collaborate, and celebrate in the year ahead?

Do you have the motivation to act, but need help in finding containers, networks, partnerships, and commitments in which to invest your time and effort? With the right processes and tools in your hands, there are actually oceans of opportunity. You don’t have to drift.

Visit me online at www.williamreed.jp and discover ways in which you can navigate that ocean to move in the direction that you choose.

William Reed WEBSITE: http://www.williamreed.jp NANBA: http://www.nanbanote.com JAPANESE SITE: http://www.reedcom.jp BLOG: http://www.EntrepreneursCreativeEdge.com