When people are asked what they most value in life, they often say ‘time’. The value of time differs from person to person – but it is an irrefutable fact that we only have a certain amount of time in this life and we cannot buy anymore when our ‘time is up’, no matter how wealthy we might be. The value of time in life is priceless when one considers that people can always make money, but no one can ever regain lost time.
Not all time is equal
The way you spend your time can have a huge impact on your life and what you want to achieve from it. People who spend their time working hard on profitable work, tend to make more money. People who invest their time in others usually have better relationships while those who use their time to create a flexible career, have more freedom. To come to an understanding of what the value of time is in your life, it is important to determine what is valuable to you and then spend your time working to achieve that.
Making the most of your time
In a recent article, we discussed mindfulness, which is the practice of paying close attention to the present moment with an attitude of non-judgment. Instead of just letting time pass you by, you wake up to time and wake up fully to the human experience. In the practice of mindfulness, every moment in time is important as you become fully present and aware of what you are doing and what you are consciously not doing.
Achieving your goals
Whatever your goals are in life, time is the determinant of the successful realisation of them. Lack of time management, usually results in not achieving what you set out to do, unless you have mindfully decided to just sit and do nothing!
Prevent putting things off
To truly value your time, one of the most important things you can do is to prevent putting things off. Many of our clients have already left South Africa and plan to do financial emigration at some point – but keep putting it off, even though it can benefit them financially.
Or perhaps you know you’d like to emigrate from South Africa, but the reams of paperwork that this involves mean you never quite get to starting the process. Whatever you are putting off, it’s important to realise that the best thing you can do is start the process. As you start taking control of your time, you will achieve greater results. In the wise words of Harvey MacKay:
“Time is free, but it’s priceless
You can’t own it, but you can use it
You can’t keep it, but you can spend it
Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”
If you are a South African living abroad and would like to know more about how you can maximise your finances through the financial emigration process, accessing your South African retirement annuity and our tailor-made tax solutions for South Africans around the world, contact FinGlobal today.