What's the most valuable asset we all have?
I would argue with anyone that it's our time.
It's truly the one constant that we all have.
No matter what, we all get the same 1440 minutes every day to make the most of.
What we each do with those minutes is what separates us from each other.
I was listening to a discussion online a couple weeks back and this exact subject was being discussed, time.
How often have we all made the excuse, "if only I had more time" or "if I wasn't so busy..."?
I think we've all made that excuse before, I know I have.
Another way to think about it is this, "how many hours do you have in a week?"
I want you to really think about what your answer is for a minute...
If you're like most people, the first number that probably popped in your head was 40...or maybe 50, 60, or even 80.
But, in reality, we all get 168 hours a week.
What we do with those 168 hours is what helps define our success.
In other words, time is precious.
The beauty is that we all get the same even playing field of having the same time constraints on a day, which in turn, means we each have the same amount of time to go after the things we want.
I know I haven't mentioned anything about hockey yet, but, I wanted to get you thinking about things a little different first. I wanted to help give you some perspective.
The point of this is to start appreciating the time that we have. Everyday at the rink, doing something you love, is a blessing.
If you really want to become a better hockey player, stop wishing for it to happen and start developing a plan and putting a process into place to get you where you want to be.
If you guys remember the post that really got this blog going, it was essentially calling myself out for making excuses. Excuses suck, plain and simple.
Be willing to own your shortcomings and acknowledge how you're going to overcome them.
Don't be envious of another players success, work to create your own. Don't complain when things get hard, work to overcome the obstacles. Don't take the things you love to do, like hockey, for granted, learn to appreciate everyday you get to spend at the rink.
It's a message that I've been talking to my teams about since I became a coach. I think partly because it's still hard for me to believe I'm no longer a hockey player (and I've been out of college for 12 years now!). But, more importantly, because every year I hear the same thing as the season is winding down... where did the time go?
If you knew you only had one more day to lace up the skates and play, how would you play? How passionate would you be? How hard would you work?
Time is an incredibly precious thing.
Don't waste a day, and don't waste an opportunity.
Remember, we all get the same 1440 minutes each day and it's ultimately our choice of what we decide to use them on.