The Election and Wasting the Greatest Resource

The election is over. My first reaction is ‘Thank goodness!’

You might be elated. You might be depressed. This is not to endorse one side or the other.

Instead I want to point out how much major elections like this affect people. And these days politics in general.

Especially in this age of social media.

The whole election season reminded me of this quote I first read years ago:

“It would be thought a hard Government that should tax its People one-tenth Part of their Time, to be employed in its Service. But Idleness taxes many of us much more, if we reckon all that is spent in absolute Sloth, or doing of nothing, with that which is spent in idle Employments or Amusements, that amount to nothing. Sloth, by bringing on Diseases, absolutely shortens Life.” - Ben Franklin From "Father Abraham's Speech," forming the preface to Poor Richard's Almanac for 1758.

You can find Ben’s full text of the speech here.

We often talk about tax policy during an election. Yet Ben Franklin brings up a much more important tax that people don’t talk about.

Your time.

Specifically wasting your time. Time is everyone’s most precious resource. I especially see it in the assisted living world. As people approach the end of their life, time becomes even more valuable.

How many of us spent a ton of time scrolling on our phones during this election season? Or debating with family and friends. Or with strangers on social media.

How much time do we waste every day on trivial things? I’m very guilty of it as much as anyone else. That’s time we can never get back.

Here is a short video of the 24 regrets people most often bring up to Hospice nurses as they are dying:

The quotes revolve around having a purpose in life and wishing they didn’t hold back in pursuing what they really wanted to do.

Fear is a great obstacle to making the most of your time:

• Fear of what others may think

• Fear of something going wrong

• Fear of making a mistake

The election is a perfect example of this. Politicians love to drum up fear of the other side to persuade you to vote for them.

Yet most of politician’s predictions never turn out to be true..just like many of their promises.

Arguing on social media, along with lots of other things you do in a day, is a way to avoid facing fears. It’s a way to avoid facing your fears and pursuing what you really want out of life. Anyone can anonymously post on social media.

Have you ever convinced someone online to change their position? I didn’t think so. It is a convenient escape though.

Now that the election season is over, maybe take a moment to think about how to avoid those ‘taxes’ on your time. Think of ways to use your time doing what is really important in your life.

One of the reasons I write this newsletter is that it forces me to research topics that will help both myself and others. Especially around health.

Find a way to reduce your ‘time taxes’. Then maybe one day when you’re near the end, you won’t have those regrets.