Value time (S4) S37:E3

Welcome to another powerful episode of Inspirations for Your Life. I’m your host, John C. Morley — Serial Entrepreneur, Engineer, Marketing Specialist, Video Producer, Podcast Host, and Podcast Coach. But most of all, I’m a passionate lifelong learner dedicated to helping you unlock your true potential. Today, I want to talk about something that’s often overlooked but more valuable than money, more important than titles, and more fleeting than we realize—your time. Because when you learn to value time, you learn to value your life.

So, let’s dive into 20 timeless lessons that will transform the way you look at every second of your day.

1️⃣ Time is your richest currency—don’t waste it. Think about it: money, status, possessions—these things can come and go. But time is different. It’s finite. Every second you let slip is one you’ll never get back. Treat time as your most valuable asset, because that’s exactly what it is.

2️⃣ Money comes back, time never does. You can make a bad investment, lose a client, or even go bankrupt—and still bounce back financially. But no one has ever bounced back from lost time. Every hour you waste is an hour stolen from your dreams, your family, and your purpose.

3️⃣ Protect your hours like treasure. Imagine your time as gold bars in a vault. Would you just hand them out to anyone who asked? Of course not. Start guarding your hours the same way. Choose wisely who and what gets access to your time.

4️⃣ Every “yes” steals a “no” from your future. When you say “yes” to things that don’t align with your goals, you’re automatically saying “no” to the opportunities that could move you forward. Learn to say no more often so you can say yes to what really matters.

5️⃣ Don’t spend life on what drains you. Energy vampires, pointless tasks, toxic habits—these things are black holes for your time. If it doesn’t energize you or bring value to your life, it’s not worth the investment of your minutes.

6️⃣ If it’s not growth, it’s theft of time. Ask yourself: “Is this helping me grow?” If the answer is no, then it’s stealing from you. Growth is the only interest worth earning on the currency of time.

7️⃣ Busy isn’t progress—focus is. We live in a culture that glorifies being busy. But busy doesn’t always mean productive. It’s not about how many hours you work, but about how many of those hours are spent moving the needle on your real goals.

8️⃣ Minutes make years—use them well. People often underestimate small daily habits. But minutes stack into hours, hours into days, and days into years. Tiny choices compound into massive results—or massive regrets.

9️⃣ Time lost = life lost. This isn’t just about being efficient. It’s about recognizing that wasted time is wasted life. Value each moment like it’s a piece of your soul—because it is.

🔟 Your calendar shows your values. If you really want to know what you value, look at your schedule. Do your daily actions match your stated priorities? Or is your time being hijacked by things that don’t align with your goals?

1️⃣1️⃣ Respect time, and people respect you. When you show that you value your own time—by being punctual, prepared, and intentional—others take notice. Respecting your time teaches others how to treat you.

1️⃣2️⃣ Don’t kill time—invest it. Too often we hear people say, “I’m just killing time.” But time isn’t something to kill—it’s something to grow. Think of your time like seeds. Plant them in things that will multiply back into your life.

1️⃣3️⃣ The clock is always cashing out. Whether you’re aware of it or not, the clock is ticking. Every tick is a withdrawal from your life account. The question is: are you spending it on things that count?

1️⃣4️⃣ If it’s not worth your time, it’s not worth your life. Time is life. They are one and the same. Don’t give hours, days, or years to things—or people—that aren’t worth the essence of who you are.

1️⃣5️⃣ Small choices eat big years. It’s not usually one giant decision that steals your time. It’s the little ones—scrolling too long, procrastinating, saying “I’ll do it later.” Add them up, and they can swallow entire years of your life.

1️⃣6️⃣ Guard time like gold—it’s rarer. Gold is valuable because it’s rare. But even gold can be mined. Time is rarer—it’s irreplaceable. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Treat every second like it’s a jewel.

1️⃣7️⃣ Say “no” more to say “yes” to you. Your most powerful tool isn’t your calendar—it’s your ability to say no. Every “no” creates space for you to say yes to the people, projects, and passions that really matter.

1️⃣8️⃣ Time doesn’t pause for excuses. Life won’t wait until you’re ready. Excuses may sound convincing, but the clock doesn’t care. It keeps ticking. The only way forward is to take action now.

1️⃣9️⃣ Design your time or distractions will. If you don’t have a plan for your time, distractions will create on

Episode Transcript

(00:23):
Well, hey guys, welcome to Inspirations for Your
Life.
It is so great to be with you
on Inspirations for Your Life.
Tonight, it is Monday and this is September
8th and it is really a privilege.
A pleasure and honor to be with you
guys tonight.
If you're new here, well, let me please
say thank you and welcome to you.

(00:44):
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And come on back to the show.
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(01:05):
So definitely hurry on back.
And if you have not checked out BelieveMeAchieved
.com, what are you waiting for?
Go check it out.
That is after the show.
All right, guys, welcome.
In case you guys are wondering, I'm sure
you probably are.
You're probably saying, John, you know, what is
that master topic?
Well, I'm going to let you know what
the master topic is.

(01:26):
That master topic is a really, really good
one.
That is the mindset shifts that change.
And so our granular topic is tonight, Value
Time, Series 4, Show 37.
And in case you guys are wondering what
show that is, well, we're on episode number

(01:47):
three.
All right, guys, without any further ado, let's
get this show kicked off.
All right, everyone.
All right.
Well, welcome to another powerful episode of the
ever popular Inspirations for Your Life.
I am your host, John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
podcast host, and podcast coach.

(02:08):
But most of all, I am a passionate,
lifelong learner dedicated to helping you unlock your
true potential.
Tonight, I want to talk about something that's
often overlooked, but more valuable than maybe money,
more important than titles, and more fleeting than
we realize.

(02:28):
What is it?
Your time.
Because when you learn to value time, you
learn to value your life.
Pretty simple, right?
So let's dive into 20 timeless lessons, no
pun intended there, that I hope will transform
the way you look at every second of
your day.

(02:48):
Because after all, we all get the same
amount of time every day, but how do
you choose to use it?
Number one, time is your richest currency.
Yes, it is, guys.
Your richest currency.
So don't waste it, okay?
Think about it.
Money, status, possessions, these things can come and

(03:10):
they can go.
But time is different.
It is finite.
Every second you let slip is, well, one,
you'll never get back.
Treat time as your most valuable asset, because
that's exactly what it is, guys.
Number two, money comes back.

(03:30):
Time never does.
You can make a bad investment, lose a
client, or even go bankrupt and still bounce
back financially.
Yes, you can.
But no one has ever bounced back from
lost time.

(03:51):
Every hour you waste is an hour stolen
from your dreams, your family, and your purpose
of life.
Number three, guys, protect your hours like treasure.
Imagine your time as gold bars in a
vault.
Would you just hand them out to anyone
who asked?

(04:11):
Of course not.
Start guarding your hours the same way.
Choose wisely who and what gets access to
your time.
Number four, guys, every yes steals a no
from your future.
We've talked about this before.
When you say yes to things that don't
align with your true purpose and goals, you're

(04:33):
automatically saying no to opportunities that could move
you and propel you forward to even greater
success.
Learn, ladies and gentlemen, to say no more
often so you can say yes to what
really matters in your life.
And it's not rude to say no, because
you need to live.

(04:55):
You need to have that full cup, and
then you can help others.
Number five, guys, don't spend life on what
drains you.
Energy vampires, pointless tasks, toxic habits, these things
are black holes for your time.
If it doesn't energize you or bring value

(05:17):
to your life, it's not worth the investment
of your minutes or even your precious seconds
or your milliseconds.
So don't waste another on it.
Number six, guys, if it's not growth, it's
theft of time.
Ask yourself, is this helping me grow?

(05:38):
If the answer is no, then it's stealing
from you.
You see, growth is the only interest worth
earning on the currency of time.
Number seven, busy isn't progress, focus is.
We live in a culture that glorifies being

(05:58):
busy, but busy doesn't always mean productive.
It's not about how many hours you work,
but how many valuable moments you spend to
move the needle on your real goals and
priorities.
Number eight, guys, minutes make years.

(06:22):
Use them well.
People often underestimate their small daily habits, but
minutes stack into hours, hours into days, and
days into years, and tiny choices compound into
massive results or massive regrets.

(06:43):
Number nine, guys, time lost equals life lost.
This isn't just about being efficient, guys.
It's about recognizing that wasted time is wasted
life.
Value each moment like it's a piece of

(07:05):
your soul, because it is.
Your calendar shows your values.
If you really want to know what you
value, look at your schedule.
Do your daily actions match your stated priorities,
or is your time being, well, hijacked by
things that don't align with your true purpose

(07:27):
or your goals?
Remember, your core values, that's extremely important.
So many people think that they're working on
the right thing until they realize that their
core values are not really being respected.
Number 11, learn to respect time, and people
will respect you.
Learn to respect time, and people will respect

(07:48):
you.
When you show that you value your own
time by being punctual, prepared, and intentional, others
will take notice about that.
Respecting your time teaches others how to treat
you.
Number 12, don't kill time.

(08:08):
Invest it.
Too often, we hear people day in and
day out say, I'm just killing time.
But time isn't something to kill.
It's something to grow.
Think of your time like seeds.
Plant them in things that will multiply back

(08:29):
into your life.
Number 13, guys, the clock is always cashing
out.
Whether you're aware of it or not, the
clock is ticking.
Every tick is a withdrawal from your life,
that life account you have.
The question is, are you spending it on

(08:51):
things that count and really matter?
Number 14, if it's not worth your time,
it's not worth your life.
Let me say that again.
If it's not worth your time, it's not
worth your life.
If it's not worth your time, it's not
worth your life.
Time is life.
They are one and the same.

(09:14):
Don't give hours, days, years to things or
people that aren't worth the essence of who
you are.
I know that can sound harsh.
But hey, you're here for a reason.

(09:35):
You're here for a purpose.
You're not here to waste it.
Number 15, small choices eat big years.
It's not usually one giant decision that steals
your time.
It's the little ones scrolling too long, procrastinating,
saying, I'll do it later.

(09:56):
Add them up, and they can swallow entire
years of your life.
Number 16, learn how to guard time like
gold.
It is much rarer.
Gold is valuable, yes, because it's rare.
But even gold can be mined.

(10:16):
Time is rarer than gold.
That's right.
It's irreplaceable, irreplaceable.
Once it's gone, it's gone forever.
There's no getting it back.
Treat every second like it's a jewel.

(10:37):
And I hope that when you understand that,
you'll realize that every precious second, every precious
moment, every breath you take is so very
precious.
Number 17, guys, say no more to say

(10:57):
yes to you.
You are the most powerful tool.
Isn't your calendar?
It's your ability to say no.
Every no, guys, I've said this so many
times, but I'm saying it different ways, hopefully
it hits home.
Create space for you to say yes to
the people, projects, and passions that really matter

(11:20):
in your life.
Now, you might say, John, I don't know
what really matters in my life.
Think about it.
Take some time.
If you had to go to a movie
or you had to go spend time with
friends, who are you gonna spend the time
with?
You might say, I don't care.
Yes, you do.
You care.
Think about it.
Number 18, guys, time doesn't pause for excuses.

(11:46):
Life won't wait, guys, until you're ready.
Excuses may sound convincing, but the clock doesn't
care.
It keeps ticking.
The only way forward is to take action
now, not tomorrow, not two days from tomorrow,
not the end of the week, not next

(12:07):
week, not two weeks from now, not the
end of the month, not the end of
the quarter, right?
Not the end of your year.
Now, take the action right now.
All right, 19, design your time where distractions
will.

(12:27):
Design your time where distractions will.
I like to always say, and I use
Google Calendar, but you can use almost anything.
If you're not on my calendar, it's not
happening.
That tells people they need to get on
my calendar.
I have automated ways that people can get
on their calendar, but I only give people
15 minutes if it's not something that I

(12:48):
have directly chosen.
Maybe it's a 15 or 30 minute chat,
like a pre-chat or something like that,
but that's all I give.
And usually I only give 15 minutes to
most things, especially if I don't know the
value of it.
That's about all I'll give.
And I won't keep giving that same time
to the same person if they waste it.
And if somebody misses an appointment with me,

(13:09):
I'll give them a second chance to make
an appointment.
If they blow that one off and don't
apologize for either of those two, forget the
third one.
They're never gonna get a chance to make
an appointment.
My time is too valuable.
That's not being rude.
That's being understanding and knowing how precious my
time is.

(13:29):
If you don't have a plan for your
time, guys, distractions will create one for you.
And it won't be what you really wanted
to spend it on.
Social media, other people's agendas, endless noise, it
will all eat your day if you don't
take control.
I'm not saying to not do these things.

(13:51):
I'm just saying, understand the amount of time
you spend flipping, rolling, whatever it is, be
mindful of that.
If I check social media, it is very
quick.
It's not long because I know I need
to do that in a quick amount of
time and get off.
That's important, guys.
All right, 20, legacy is just time well

(14:16):
spent.
When it's all said and done, your legacy
won't be about the things you owned.
It will be about how you spent your
time.
Legacy is simply the ripple effect of your
minutes turned into meaning.
Now, I know that sounds really crazy.

(14:39):
And I wanna share a story with you.
So I was working on something.
I'm not gonna go into the personal details,
but I was working on something with someone
that I knew for quite a few years
in a business opportunity.
And we were at a certain point and
I checked with some other professionals that work

(15:00):
for me.
And I said, gee, is this a good
move?
Is this a good investment?
And everyone said, John, it's probably not really
worth it.
Okay.
So I told him, if you don't hear
from me, then that means that I'm uninterested.
Well, I got a call today from somebody
telling me that if I don't take the
opportunity, okay, if I don't do it, then

(15:25):
when I need something in the future, they're
not gonna extend it to me.
Because I was told, we have to be
fair to everyone and you're not special.
That made me feel a little bit terrible.
And when I heard those words, the first

(15:45):
thing I said to myself is not to
be nasty, then maybe I don't need you.
Maybe I need to find a new service
that provides X.
And I thanked him.
I said, I thank you for all these
years of being helpful, but I didn't realize
how you're now holding me to the fire

(16:08):
because you want me to do something that's
gonna put money in your pocket, but it
might not be the greatest thing for John
and his ventures or his companies.
That was selfishness acting.
And I said to them, you know, I
got a gut reaction that I shouldn't do
this.
And they're like, why?
I'm like, it just doesn't seem right.

(16:29):
I don't get a good feeling about it.
And of course they kept saying, well, John,
you know, you have to do this because
something could go later on in life and
then we won't extend you courtesies.
I said, so are you threatening me?
We're not threatening you.
We're just telling you that we're probably not
gonna be as helpful to you as we
were in the past.

(16:50):
And I said to myself, it sounds like
they're really threatening me.
I said, it sounds like I might need
to replace you.
It's funny how when sometimes people get too
comfortable with you, they think you can't replace
them.
They start acting like that.
Guess what I'm planning to do?

(17:12):
Replace them.
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.
Or maybe divest them so they're not the
only ones that are part of the opportunity.
And I learned that people do things, unfortunately,
for their own best interest.
Now that's not a bad thing, but you

(17:33):
cannot manipulate someone to do something because it's
gonna be the best thing for you.
I'm just being honest, right?
These same people were so nice, were so
friendly.
But the minute I decided to say, you
know what?
I don't think I wanna do it.
I got all this pushback.

(17:56):
It's my choice to not do it, but
I got all this pushback.
I'm like, what happened to the friendship?
What happened to all the support?
Well, you know, you had the opportunity and
you're not gonna take it, so we're not
gonna extend you courtesies in the future.
I was like, what the?
Like, seriously, is that, that's how this goes?

(18:16):
And it really opened my eyes.
You know, there's a great song, you know,
open your eyes to how people act and
how I was going to be manipulated if
I didn't wake up and say, hey, John,
wait a minute.
This isn't the right thing for you.

(18:41):
And the more I thought about it, I
say, you know what, John?
You made the right decision to not do
this because the more these people try to
press onto you, trying to manipulate you, because
remember, it was gonna probably put money in
their pocket to decide to throw it in
my face.
That's wrong.

(19:03):
That's manipulative behavior.
I don't work with people like that.
When I find out people treat me like
that, I drop them like a hot potato.
That person that I was working with for
a while, I've already decided to stop making
time to see that person, handle things to

(19:25):
another person, all part of the same company.
But I've also realized that I think maybe
I need to move away from this firm.
It's sad how people can just think they've
got you by the you know what, and
that you have to basically sink or swim.

(19:48):
And if you choose to not take the
life raft they're throwing you for the opportunity
that they want you to do, you might
sink.
You may swim, but they're gonna make you
believe that you're gonna sink.
I'm not saying you're gonna sink, but they
put a fear in you that you're probably
gonna sink.

(20:10):
If I operated my whole life on probabilities,
like, oh, I probably this, probably that, I
wouldn't be anywhere, guys.
I wouldn't have a podcast show.
I wouldn't be on TV.
I wouldn't be a lot of different places.
Thinking about this for a moment, your time.

(20:30):
That phone call that I had this afternoon,
if I look back at my records here,
I think it lasted, I think I have
it right here.
That phone call lasted, let me see here
what I've got.
That phone call lasted three minutes and 46
seconds.
It was actually a call that I received

(20:50):
on my business line on my cell phone
through my office app.
I was getting in the elevator and I
still stayed connected, which was kind of weird.
But the minute I decided to say no,
they're like, well, why not?
Because I don't think it's a good idea.
Well, why not?
Well, because I talked to this person, talked
to this person, these other people advised me.
They said it's not a good idea.

(21:10):
Well, you know, you have an opportunity.
If you don't go for it, okay.
I hate when people do that.
It's so wrong.
It's so disrespectful.
And that's manipulative behavior.
I know one thing in my business, or
any of the business I own, I never
manipulate people.

(21:31):
I say, look, if you want to fix
the problem, it's perfectly fine.
If you don't want me to teach you,
it's perfectly fine.
I'm not going to make you feel bad
because you don't use our service or make
you feel bad because you don't want to
get my instructions, no.

(21:53):
See, that's a waste of my energy.
And this three minutes and what was your
46 seconds that I was on the phone
with this person, they were trying to get
me to move forward and sign this deal.
And I knew I wasn't doing it.

(22:13):
But the minute I put my foot down
and said, this isn't the right thing, they
decided to pull the card that, you know,
we're just gonna maybe not be here when
you need us.
And I'm like, what a lousy thing for
somebody to do.
All the years we've done business together.

(22:34):
Just when you think you know somebody in
business, you find out a very harsh truth.
I think this is the thing that separates
good business from bad business.
I don't care whether you're a small company,
whether a multi-billionaire corporation publicly trade or
not.

(22:54):
If you're activating only to make money, but
you don't wanna help the customer.
I always wanna help my customer and my
clients.
I always wanna make sure I can do
the best for them.
If you operate in a vacuum, a way
that says, okay, I'm only gonna do this

(23:17):
if, okay?
I'll give you an example.
Somebody decides it doesn't need services anymore, am
I gonna be nasty to them?
Absolutely not.
They call back, they have a question, be
happy to answer the question.
They want me to come out and do
free service?
Absolutely not.
But I'm still gonna be cordial, right?

(23:37):
But what should have happened today on this
phone call was like, hey, John, just checking
to see when you're gonna be signing the
paperwork.
And it was me on the other end
of the phone.
I'd be like, just checking to see when
you're gonna be signing the paperwork.
And they said, no.
I'd be like, I understand.

(23:58):
I hope you'll reconsider.
It's definitely a good option to have this.
But I understand if this is something that
you don't wanna move forward, it is a
big step.
I would be empathetic and sympathetic to the
person because I know that even though it's
gonna put money in my pocket, it might
not be the best thing for their pocket

(24:19):
or their business or their infrastructure or even
their life.
But too many people that I see day
in and day out, I was having a
great conversation today with an author who asked
me to spend some time with him, which
I rarely do.
But this person that sent me the request
came across, it was very genuine.

(24:40):
And I felt like I wanted to spend
some time with him.
I gave him an hour, which again, that
was a long time.
But I felt that I was able to
contribute.
I was able to help.
I don't do that often.
But when people think they can just push
your buttons, because if they do, you're gonna
respond, that is first-class manipulation.

(25:04):
Hands down, guys, manipulation.
And so you've heard the saying before, if
you can't take the heat, get out of
the kitchen.
I'm happy to get out of the kitchen,
but don't be nasty to me to get
out of the kitchen.
Don't curse me out of the kitchen.
Don't knock me out of the kitchen.

(25:25):
Ask me to leave the kitchen, I'll be
happy to leave the kitchen.
But today, this person that I thought I
knew for, oh gosh, probably over at least
nine or 10 years, somebody that really I

(25:46):
thought had my back in business, I learned
doesn't care about my back, just cares about
the money they're putting into their own pocket.
And when I was threatened today, not directly,
but I was indirectly threatened that if I
don't do this, well, then they may not

(26:06):
be available when I need them in the
future.
I didn't make a big nasty comment.
I just said, well, if that's the way
you're gonna play that kind of game, I
didn't tell him it was dirty.
I said, well, if that's the way you
guys are gonna play, then I might just
go find somebody else.
And I could tell you guys to just
stick it.

(26:28):
And I think they knew at that point
that they were wrong.
And I wasn't trying to be rude to
them, but I did wanna convey the fact
that they were abusing me.
And they really thought they were gonna spin
me on the dime to get me to
do it.
And I wasn't, I was set to say

(26:49):
no.
No matter what, I learned that certain support
systems might not be in place for me,
but I just knew that it wasn't the
right thing.
You know what I mean?
I just knew it wasn't the right thing
to do.
And that's something that's hard when you're with

(27:10):
somebody for a long time, whether it's a
business or a relationship, and all of a
sudden that person turns on you because it's
about making a buck.
That's pretty sad.
And it definitely got me to realize that
that person's, the trust I had for that

(27:31):
person, it went from 100 down to maybe
a 50 or even lower.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know who
I am by now, let me introduce myself.
I am John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
You know, it's always such a privilege, guys,
a pleasure and honor to be with you
guys every single time I'm here on Inspirations

(27:52):
for Your Life or any other show that
I put out.
Please do check out BelieveMeAchieved.com for more
of my amazing, inspiring creations.
And remember, ladies and gentlemen, your time is
your most valuable resource.
Don't waste it and choose who you really
wanna spend it with.
Have a great one, everyone, and be well.