Bi-weekly Passing of ‘Go’

RE: Kaizen
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

It took three years before I made enough of a track record as a real estate agent to becoming employed at a development company for a salary.

A part of me misses that freedom lifestyle that being an agent provides, however, the other part of me knew I took the freedom for granted. Gone are the days where I could sleep in, run a few errands and make a few showings before calling it a day. There was valuable time that could have been spent making bigger things happen.

Now, I realize the contrast is so different. To be expecting to put in your time and trade them for dollars is so ordinary and so average. However, there is a hidden benefit in this schedule — routine.

While the certainty provided in the paycheck reduces your time allowed to develop yourself and to grow, there is a predictability element in your life. The analogy to life being a game of monopoly is quite apt here, as each time you pass go is the equivalent of two weeks of your life.

Have you done anything different since the previous turn?

Are you any further ahead since the last time you passed go?

If not, then there is an urgent need for a strategy. You can plan your schedule. Budget your finances and make time for things you’ve always said you’ll do ‘someday’.

“Either the day runs you, or you run the day”

— Jim Rohn

A simple calendar shows that you are spending somewhere from 9AM–5PM is an 8 hour workday but exclude that lunch hour makes it 8AM–5PM. So that’s 9 hours sitting at the office, with 1 hour on top of that for commuting on a good day. That’s at least 10 hours a day you are spent doing something other than yourself. I’m not even including the time you spent just getting ready for work or unwinding after work. Think packing lunches, getting dressed, and making your morning coffee. That takes time too.

Everything adds up.

In that case, work needs to be something that develops you too. It cannot be something that doesn’t challenge or drive you to become a better version of yourself. You must be constantly learning and pushing for more at the workplace. While you may have enough of a workload as it is, try delegating the tasks you already know how to do. Better yet, teach someone else so that you can move onto bigger things. Your workplace environment will improve as you give value back to your company and create more time for yourself.

Outside of work, the remaining hours are even more critical for your success. What are you doing in those hours we consider non-working hours?If what you are doing at work is only wearing you down, you need to double down on the time out of the office. Success comes largely from what you do in private, when all things are settled down — the kids are asleep, lunches packed, and the house is quiet. Are you just lazing around the house, trying desperately to catch up on the sleep from last night because you binged watched the latest episode of your favorite current TV show? Or did you go out late last weekend and it’s catching up to you mid-week?

Those hours had better count.

Your life matters.

Weekends are a time to recover, replenish, and set yourself up for the week ahead. Use that time to plan, schedule, and budget appropriately.

Focus on you instead of the fake drama the shows create. The beauty is that life is not exactly like the monopoly game — you can create your own destiny.

You could be learning, growing, and setting yourself up for improvement for a better tomorrow. Sacrifice now so you can get what you want later. It’s completely up to you how you play the game of life, so the choice is yours.

Nothing will change if nothing changes.

Make the hours count.

RE: Kaizen

Written by

Real estate agent. Business owner. Traveler. Talk to me about investing, businesses, psychology, growth-hacking, and life.

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