I am young. Genuinely. I’m physically young, chronologically young, young at heart, and young in my mind. My birthday is on February 3rd, 2003, that makes me 20 years old.

It’s obvious right, so why make a point about it? Sometimes I forget obvious things, perhaps because they are obvious things. They slip through my thoughts, perhaps because I never give them any attention.

What I forget sometimes is what time can do. Time fosters growth.

When you’re a kid, it’s time that lengthens your legs, and builds your muscles. When you’re an adult it’s time that compounds your investments and increases your wealth. And when you’re learning it’s time that gives knowledge its breadth and depth. Time is among the most valuable resources in existence. Your time is perhaps the most valuable thing you’ll ever poses, and it’s always fleeting.

When I look out into the world, I see people. What they have, what they’ve done, what they’re capable of doing, and sometimes I’m left in awe: they’re amazing!

I ask myself: How have they acquired their expertise? What blessings have imbued them with such talents? What divine genius has enabled their accomplishments?

I conclude: some people are genius, some people are gifted, some people savants. I conclude that it’s some mix of intrinsic features and rigorous work. And, while that’s half true, it’s also half not. It leaves out a critical piece. The secret ingredient in the concoction they brew is, invariably, time.

If you’re driven and if you practice, time alone will enable your success.

We look out into the world and we see the talented, the genius, the accomplished, and we stand in awe. But, little bird, lest we forget how rich we are in time. We haven’t spent ours yet.

What will become of our time is another question, a personal question. The moral is that the riches of time spent are everywhere and can leave us feeling poor but, in reality, we stand among the wealthiest. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Remember that.