Value is the reason we pursue anything.

Value is determined by scarcity. In every category of life, there is scarcity, whether it is money, time, supply of items, friendship, community, or education.  Scarcity, especially the scarcity of good things in our lives, determines what we hold to be important in our lives and how we value others, ideas, and objects.

Think about this: how many times have you heard others say they have objects that they say have “a sentimental value,” to them.  This could be a photo album of the family or a gift from a loved one.  The reason such an object has so much value is because it is a one of a kind; there is nothing else like it due to the way and from whom they received such an object.

So, how can we keep the good things in our lives valuable?

1. Assigning a time of day, month, or year for talking or meeting with someone

We are in the Christmas season, and people are traveling to spend time with loved ones and friends.  In a way, this is assigning a time to be with those we value.  So, in order to keep the good things in our lives valuable, we should assign a time for those things.  Schedule a time to spend with a friend every so often.  Schedule a time to read a book.  Set goals to getting that education you want such as when you will take classes and how many you will take at a time.  By setting time apart for what you value, you will make what you already have even more valuable.  It will also highlight the scarcity of what you value.

2. Making time for what you value

“I don’t have enough time,” is the poorest excuse one may make.  No one has more or less time than anyone else.  It is the same 24 hour day, 168 hour week that everyone has to live in.  The difference is how we allocate that time.  People make time for what they value.  If you value an education, then you will allocate time to go to school.  If you value your faith, then you will be in your church.  If you value your family, then you will be with them regardless of whether you “have enough time” or not.  The reality is people make time for what they value.  If you make time for others or an activity, then you are giving up time for something else, and this shows that you are willing to hold specific things in higher value than other things.  This trade-off shows what each and every one of us values.

3. Working hard for what you want

A third way for you to keep value in your life is to work hard for what you value otherwise it loses that value.  If someone has a family and does not spend any time with them, then that person does not value that family as much as he or she does other things.  If you value an education, then you will spend time hitting the books, researching, and refining your work.  If you value your faith, then you will spend time in prayer, seek the guidance of your priests, and reflect upon your life.  If you are willing to work for what you have, including investing your money in what you value, then this is a sign of what you hold valuable and important.

Where one puts his time and money, there you will find what he values.

Now, what can hurt value?

Having everything with ease or without cost

The reason dust has no value is because you can find it everywhere, it costs nothing, and you do not have to allocate time for it.  In the same way, if everything comes to you without work or cost, then you will not value it.  In order for something to have value, you must give up something else for it; you must exchange it with something.  Where that exchange happens, value appears.

Who or what do you want to allocate time for?  What valuable thing(s) do you already make time for?  Where do you put your time and money?