While sitting at lunch a few days ago with my co-workers and bosses, the conversation of an apocalyptic doomsday came about; much like the movie World War Z. Now, of course we were just hypothetically speaking, but one of my co-workers mentioned how they would like to invest in land and fence it off such as a fortress to protect anyone from getting in. They mentioned, in due time that they would have such property. In the course of the conversation, one of my bosses brought up the keen fact that there are only two finite resources. One being land, the other being time.

The definition of finite means to have limits or bounds. You cannot produce more time; therefore it is considered a finite resource. I cannot replicate May 28th, 2008; when I graduated high school. Nor, can I replicate October 16th, 2012; the day I quit my job working for the Florida Senate. These moments are etched in time, they are not capable of being replicated nor can I add on to the days to change them. I couldn’t give my grandpa more time to live, or surely I would’ve done so. Time comes, time goes, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

When I quit my job on October 16th, 2012 I made a conscious decision to do so in order to begin an IT Managed Services and Web Development company with my brother. Together we made quite a team. Together we were both quitting steady jobs to pursue what both of us truly wanted to do. Between October 16th, 2012 and August 30th, 2013 we made a lump sum of $500 between the both of us.

I can think of only handful of people who would consider that a success, and every single one of them are under the age of 5. Rightfully so, most everyone beyond the kindergarten level would consider our venture a failure. Surely I have ideas now about how to go about things differently, but to me, that time brought about an intrinsic value that can’t be replicated elsewhere. For the first time in my life, I failed at something that I truly tried at, that I undoubtedly wanted.

Throughout this venture I learned about failure, I learned about celebrating the small successes, the thrill of going into peoples office, people who were once in your shoes, people more successful than I, and trying to convince them of something I couldn’t’ even convince myself of. I had never worked for a web development company; I merely had a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State. I didn’t have the 6 years of experience to show for. Time was not on my side.

What makes this a success though, what makes this venture not a failure, is that we sped up time and we did what most everyone is afraid to do. In those 10 months, we aged 10 years. In those 10 months we learned what 16 years of schooling couldn’t teach. We went for our goals. In those 10 months, we were truly happy.

The fact is people are so comfortable to have a steady paycheck that they will sacrifice their happiness for stability. They’ll sit there at their desk job that they don’t want to be at and day in and day out they’ll utter the words “one day”. One day I’m going to do this, one day I’ll have that, one day things will be different.

That one day is never going to come unless you finally make it happen. Time is a finite resource. You only have the time you are given and there’s nothing you can do to prevent that.

On October 16th, 2012 I decided I had done enough time. On that day I took control of my time and it lead me on a whirlwind 10 months that I wouldn’t change for anything. It ultimately lead me to where I am now, working for who I work for now, doing exactly what I love. I may be back on that steady paycheck, but I’m on a steady paycheck doing exactly what I want to be doing. I could’ve stayed in that job and just kept uttering “one day” but I didn’t; and at that moment I made time start working for me.

My challenge to you now, is to make time work for you. If you’ve had something that you just “need more time for”, whatever it may be, stop what you’re doing and make it happen now.