Nerrick’s Time Philosophy
I sometimes come across like an asshole when I am pestered to do things for people for free, there really is a deeper reasoning behind me saying No. I have given up time to people only to have them betray …
I sometimes come across like an asshole when I am pestered to do things for people for free, there really is a deeper reasoning behind me saying No. I have given up time to people only to have them betray me in the long run. I have a technical background and people always assume, that because I am technical, I am going to help them out with whatever issue they may have. There were times that I have done this, but it has always blown up in my face at some point.
I am sure that you may have heard this before, as there have been many before me to ask this question. What is the one thing that once lost, is gone forever? Time, yes that’s right Time is the most valuable resource that you have’ that you can never get back once it is gone. There is something that comes along with time well spent, that is knowledge. If I am spending my time wisely, I can gain knowledge. This knowledge comes from spending my time focusing on things I need to learn, reading books, researching problems I have encountered.
So why am I not so willing to just freely give my time away to others? It’s simple really. If I give that time away, I can never have it back. If I give my time away freely it comes at a cost to me, the loss of time spent with my significant other, family, taking part in my hobbies outside of the time I spend at work. I could be utilizing my time to further build my knowledge by reading books and doing further research.
For the same reason, time is valuable so is knowledge, I spent the time gathering the knowledge I do have’ and that came from an investment of time. So, if I am being asked for my knowledge, I tend to make sure that I am compensated for said knowledge which came at a sacrifice of my time spent acquiring said knowledge.
I look at it this way, we live in a time where most people expect things right now and they also feel entitled to it without a cost. This is not the way it should be, if you are wanting to take shortcuts to gain knowledge from those that have invested their time into gaining it, you should be compensating them for it.
When you go to the mechanic because your car is not running as it should, you are paying the mechanic for their time. The time that they are investing in your problem utilizing the knowledge they sacrificed their time to acquire. You can try to get the mechanic to give you his time for free, but that will most likely not work out in your favor as the mechanic in this situation understands the costs associated with his time.
I am like that mechanic, if you want my time you should have to pay for said time. If you don’t want to compensate for the time spent in the pursuit of knowledge that can never be reclaimed, then you should look at investing your time to research and gain the knowledge with your time rather than expecting someone to give you their time for free.
