Bear Bryant, the legendary Alabama football coach, used to carry around in his billfold two slips of paper. On one was written the prayer below. The other told a story about the magic bank account. Both are excellent descriptions of “why time counts.”
The “Big Trade” Prayer top
“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss …good, not evil … success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.”
The Magic Bank Account top
Imagine that you had won the following *PRIZE* in a contest:
Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your personal use.
However, this prize has rules. The set of rules are as follow:
- Everything that you don’t spend each day will be taken away from you.
- You may not simply transfer money into some other account.
- You may only spend it.
- Each morning, upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for the new day.
- The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say,“Game Over!” It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.
What would you personally do with your prize?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even for people you don’t know, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every penny, and use it all, because you knew money would be replenished in the morning, right?
Actually, THIS GAME IS REAL. Shocked ? Yes! Each of us is already a winner of a much more valuable *PRIZE*. We just don’t seem to realize it.
The prize is *TIME*
- Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
- And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.
- What we haven’t used up that day is forever lost.
- Yesterday is forever gone.
- Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING.
So, WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR 86,400 seconds today?
Those seconds are worth much, much more than the same amount in dollars. Think about it and remember to enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy life! Here’s wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start “spending” your valuable *PRIZE* wisely.
Related Pages top
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- Look To This Day – My favorite poem about time.
- The Big Trade Prayer story – Some more background on this story.
- Some other interesting coach Bear Bryant stories – E.g., did you know how he converted to Christianity.
- Top of Page, Index Page and Home Page
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