Excerpt from Liz’s Book The 1440 Principle: COURAGE

 Hi friends! This is a little sample of my book, The 1440 Principle: How to stop wasting time and make the most of your life. Just by way of explanation, "1440" is the number of minutes in your day. I ask you to consider your time as you would money, paying it out to the various thoughts and actions in your day. In the book, I give you ways you can increase the value of your time and live the powerful life destined for you.  I hope you enjoy it!
(Click the book if you want me to send you a copy!)

Oh one other thing: There is a challenge when you get to end of this chapter so read on. 

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There is a story in the Bible about three servants. Their master gathered them together and informed them of an upcoming trip. He would be away from the estate for a time and while he was away, each servant would be entrusted with a sum of money. The currency in the passage is interestingly referred to as a talent. The master left talents for each servant, the number corresponding with the level of the servant’s responsibilities and abilities. The most talented was given five, the next, two and the least was left with one talent. The master didn’t reveal when he would return and interestingly, he left no instructions for the servants. He simply went away.

Some time passed, and the time came for the master to return. Upon his arrival, he gathered the servants back together in a group and asked them to account for the talents they were given. The highest-level servant doubled his talents by bartering and investing the master’s money. The second servant did the same, turning the two talents into four. As a reward, each servant kept not only the talents they were given, but also the results of their hard work.

The master continued down the line until he got to the final servant, the recipient of the single talent. Different than his peers, this servant chose not to grow what he had, digging a hole somewhere on the property and burying his talent for safekeeping. I imagine the coin in his outstretched hand, covered with dirt, as the servant breathed a sigh of relief. Describing the master as a hard man who built a life on the backs of his staff, the servant explained he had been afraid what would happen if he lost the original investment. So he buried it.

The servant did not get the response he desired. Instead, the master responded quickly and harshly, calling the third servant wicked and slothful. The master wanted effort, stating even if the servant couldn’t produce the same results as the others, at the least he could have put the talent in the bank to gain some interest. He took the talent from the unfortunate servant and gave it to the servant with the most talents and asked him to leave his property forever.

I remember hearing this story as a child. It all made sense until I heard the master’s response to the servant with one talent. Of course it is better to bring back more than you have been given—but is it really so bad just to not lose? I related to the servant who buried his talent in fear. I understood the burden of expectations and the creative paralysis that sometimes comes with those expectations.

But as the years have gone by, while “wicked” is not the term I use, I see fearful and unimaginative lives as an incredible waste. These minutes are gifts. If you still have visions and dreams of the future, yet you aren’t willing to go outside of your to-do lists and careful planning, you are missing the investment opportunity. It will take courage to invest your time, to do more than fix up your house or take luxurious vacations with your friends.

If you listen, you will hear your soul calling you to invest in your life. It is sparked by a cause you see on television. It is an idea that hasn’t gone away since you were in grade school. It will require you to step out of line and be different from your friends. It’s likely when you look around, you don’t see other adults put it all on the line and follow their passions. So many people couldn’t be wrong. They must know something, right?

The call may not be so grand on the outside. It takes courage to learn to swim, or to date again after a tough divorce. It takes courage to have another baby after a miscarriage. It takes courage to reach out to your friend after an argument or get your GED as a mature adult. It takes courage to start a business or walk away from a career.

Most of what we see around us came from an investment in talents and time. Most of what we enjoy came from a risk. The lightbulb, the constitution, even sliced bread. At some point, someone had to have the courage to follow the call, to invest the talents they were given.

The hard part in all of this is there are no guarantees of success. I can’t promise you will have the same results as the first and second servant. Sometimes, on the outside, it will simply look like a loss. But there is never a loss when you invest your minutes. You will gain experience, confidence and understanding. You will become more agile and wily. You will get tougher and you will learn to get up and try again. Your ideas will become more refined. You will become more valuable to your community through your experiences.

I can’t promise you success but I can guarantee you will change for the better.

Courage is an investment. There is no shame in doing the right and safe thing with your time and money. You are simply respecting time as a resource. If you want to make time work for you, courage will change the game. Be brave. I’m not saying every day has to be a wild adventure. I don’t think you have to risk it all, over and over again. To have the courage to listen to your heart, to hearken the whisper telling you to act, that will make your minutes increase in value.

Challenge

Describe a vivid dream you are ready for, but just need a bit of courage to take the first step.

One thing I know for certain—you are uniquely qualified to live out your best life. Even if the first steps don’t go as planned, exercise your effort and the courage you need to summit the mountain of your success.