What Would You Do with $86,400?

It is not uncommon to find people who have a very good life but are not truly enjoying it. In fact, looking back in history, most of the time, life was far more difficult and threatening than it is today. Yet we are the ones having trouble being happy.

This “blah” feeling and being unmotivated in the absence of any significant problem may be a sign of a low level depression. Being unmotivated is the outcome caused by an emotional block, such as depression.

First, check out any aspect of depression with a physician to ensure there is no organic/biological cause (e.g. hypoglycemia, thyroid problems, etc.).

Then look at diet (e.g. vitamin B deficiency, stress, exercise and sleep cycles, etc.). All can have a strong impact on emotional health, including irritability, anxiety and depression.

Next, look at what you are doing to make your life interesting. More people have low energy and feel blah as a result of their attitudes and lifestyle than anything else.

Here are a few things you can DO:

1. Spend time doing things that are social and for your pleasure and enjoyment. Learn to accept compliments, and acknowledge your strengths.

2. Speak to yourself positively as you would a good friend, using your first name.Take time alone for yourself, and do something that is emotionally rewarding.

3. Plan activities that are fun and playful. Be silly and childlike? Yes… definitely!Eat right. Get enough sleep, and exercise enough to get the heart pounding.

4. Do things that stimulate thinking, learning or personal growth. Very important.

5. Do things that are creative or helpful to others. Doing good feels good.

Imagine that you had $86,400 dollars given to you each and every day for the rest of your life, but at the end of the day, this money would be written off. Basically you have to use it, or lose it.

BUT...you can only spend this money on experiences. You can’t buy anything tangible with it. You can learn the piano, go on a trip, go to the gym, have a wonderful meal, take a friend out for dinner, etc. But, at the end of the day, whatever is left over that you haven't spent is written off. Goes away. Then you get another $86,400 the next day. What would you do?

You have 86,400 seconds to use or invest each day.

Well, that’s what you have: 86,400 seconds to use or invest each day. Invest it wisely, and it will pay you long-term dividends in health, skills, knowledge and relationships. You can’t save it directly, but you can spend it so that it pays you dividends for a lifetime.

You were born with a finite amount of “Time Dollars.” Every second of every day, you are spending these Time Dollars. No one knows for sure how many Time Dollars you have in total, but one thing is for sure, you do not have an endless supply of them.

It’s been said that “time is money.” But that is not true. Time is not money. You cannot put time in the bank, save it and then borrow on it in your later years. People will use the “time is money” phrase when they are trying to stick someone with a bill, but in reality time is not money.

In reality, your time is much more valuable than money! Because once spent, you can never get it back.

The question then is, “What will you spend your Time Dollars on?” Misery, depression, anxiety and anger? Adventure, learning, sharing, creating, being happy and productivity?

If you are going to be spending time, it is better to spend it on fun, positive, productive and fulfilling activities. While it is left up to you to make your activities enjoyable, you could have no better challenge than to make your life fun and interesting.

Let’s face it, if you don’t do things to improve the quality of your experience on this planet, who will? If now isn’t the time, when is the right time for you to enjoy your life more?