In every aspect of life, one glaring fact one finds is that there really is no middle ground. He who fails to plan plans to fail. A deliberate refusal to be responsible and succeed is a sublime decision to remain irresponsible and woefully fail.
Taking our bearing on this issue from resources of whatever kind: money, human resources, and such like, we find that what use it is put to, and its resultant effect determines on what side of the line it falls, whether good or bad, profiting or simply wasted. The resultant effect of any engaged resource is wasted, poor, or just bad because it did not meet desired expectations or because it functions below capacity.
Money is the commonest and cheapest resource available. It is also the most spent one. Ideas too are resources because they can be transformed to bring about a result. They are more scarce and more profitable than money.
Now, it should be noted that Life, (that is, that one is alive) is a resource too. It is a resource in that it affords every living person abilities to accomplish tasks. Of all resources there may be none is as unique as the resource of Life.
This far, it can be gleaned from the foregoing that money can be spent and replaced. It is common and cheap, therefore affordable. Ideas can be generated time and time again. That one is alive is a guarantee that he will never run out of ideas. Life as a resource however, comes to everybody just one.
Flowing from the above, if one spends his resources of money and ideas wastefully, there would be undesirable and adverse repercussions, setbacks and stagnation. Much worse it is for a person who decides to spend the resource of his life wastefully. Such does not only suffer setbacks and stagnation, he is filled with regret because by this time, he would have lost his life.
At this juncture, the currency of Money, in Nigeria, is the Natural. The currency of Ideas is Thoughts. The currency of Life is Time. It must be pointed out that Money, Ideas, and Life, are mutually inclusive. The resource of Life is the umbrella that houses the other resources of Ideas and Money; just like Petroleum and its many byproducts of petrol, kerosene, diesel. This is so because without Life, Ideas cannot spring forth, and without Ideas, Money will be difficult to come by. Therefore, by putting to use and spending the resources of Money and Ideas, one is actually spending his resource of Life. One therefore spends his resource of Life by spending the resources of Money and Ideas.
Note that the quality of your resource and the quality of the venture into which it is put, are determinant factors of the quality of the outcome, the end product. In order not to live a wasted life, amongst other things, one must be careful about the way he spends components of his Life — about the way he manages his resources of Money and Ideas. This will require a lot of discipline. It would require also a lot of knowledge. Only a disciplined person can be frugal. Only a knowledgeable person can be prudent, and think quality thoughts to produce great ideas. William Golding, in his book "LORD OF THE FLIES" said, 'The greatest ideas are the simplest'.
Moreover, it should be noted that Life itself can be spent, itself being a whole resource, a single currency note. The best way to spend is to invest. The best way to spend life is to put it all in that person who guarantees you eternal life. This is the most profitable transaction. Here, you give up your life, which has a span beyond which it cannot go, for the life that is invincible and indestructible, everlasting and never-dying. This is The Life.
In order therefore, that Life is not squandered, it is important to first trade one's life for The Life. When one has The Life, the discipline and knowledge that is necessary to make something out of life is better and more thoroughly attained. The results of every endeavour under the climate of this transaction is perfect. However, even if discipline and knowledge is attained without the prevalence of this transaction with The Life, such life is wasted. At death, he would have squandered his life because it wasn't spent well to achieve the best results.
In conclusion, 'To succeed in life, you must seek God's direction, prepare yourself, work hard, and invest in the right thing.' Substance is made out of life only when that life has first been given up for The Life. With the virtues of discipline and being knowledgeable added, the very best is achieved. Done in this way, one would have successfully evaded wastage of life and resources. Such would not be a squandered.
Always remember, 'Don't squander it!'
