The importance of a second is lost on us. We barely take notice as the long hand of the clock ticks away fleetingly into irretrievable oblivion. Who among us while checking the time ever notices the second in a minute? Even if we all ignore it, there will be no minutes or hours without seconds just as there can be no rain without shine.
We can take seconds for granted but not for those in sports. The importance of time and the difference which a single second can make was reinforced on Tuesday in the match between the Super Eagles and their Burkina Faso opponents in the ongoing AFCON. The memory of the match will remain etched in my mind for a while longer not really because of the pain of throwing away a precious win that could cost us the group qualifications but for the role time plays in determining the affairs of men. The only distance between the future and the present is time and the quality of the future is a function of what you do with your present time. Each tick of the clock brings us closer to the future. Back to the Eagles game. The game was as good as won and at 94 minutes the referee had positioned his whistle waiting for the last kick to end the game. In a golden second opportunity, Alan Traore scored a goal that teaches us that in life; every second counts.
Cast your mind back to the last game of the English Premier league (sorry if you are not a football enthusiast). The goal that ended Man City's 44 years wait to lift the title came few seconds to the end of the match. It shows that you can't give up if it not time up. One second can make the difference. Don't waste the seconds, make it count. Still talking about the importance of one second, the world's fastest man shattered history books by achieving a rare feat just seconds 'earlier'. Usian Bolt, the man we now know as the fastest man alive knows more than anyone else that every second counts.
We may not all be sports men and women but we are all guided by time. We can't control it but we can manage it. The richest among us can't buy time, the brightest among us can't manufacture it neither can the wisest among us save up time for future use. Why then do some people prosper more than others despite having equal time? It is simple; God has given us 24 hours to trade with, what we become in life is a profit of what we made trading with time. While some trade their time for productive gains, others simply squander theirs. Time is an honest employer; it rewards accordingly not necessarily for how long you work but for the value you create will doing the work.
Whatever anyone owns is a return on time invested (ROTI). The worlds best player (Messi) rakes in millions of pounds for his mesmerizing display during 90 minutes of play. Oprah is celebrated for what she does with her time (talk). Apple products are products of long hours of research and the billions Bill Gates control is a reward for the time he invested innovating microsoft.
2013 is already counting, the future is here seize it. You can never change your life until you change what you do with time. So the time to start is now. Don't postpone till tomorrow, what you can do today. There is no time like 'a good time', make every time good. Remember, you can't escape tomorrows challenges by evading today's responsibilities. The Chinese has a saying 'the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the next best time is now'.
I urge you to make every second in 2013 count. Quit wasting precious time on things that won't yield positive gains. Ping less, spend fewer time on movies, cut down on frequent visits that take all your time. Treasure time, Invest time, Manage time and Enjoy time.