Time - our most valuable resource Published March 19, 2013 By Lt. Col. Kevin Bullard 5th Flying Training Squadron commander VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Let's face it; life in today's Air Force is busy. While we deal with shrinking budgets and manpower reductions, the mission remains and the demands are high -- especially the demands on our time. Work schedules, additional duties, TDYs, professional military education, academic degrees and various military functions are all vying for our time. And I haven't even mentioned any of the things that compete for our time in our personal lives. I would be lying if I told you I had this whole "time" thing figured out, but here are some of my thoughts on the subject for your consideration. Time has value -- We've all heard the phrase "time is money." It is so true. In fact, a large majority of our nation's workforce is either paid an hourly wage or has been contracted to work a certain number of hours each week. Think about rental equipment. Any company looking to make a profit won't simply allow you to pay a flat fee and use their equipment until you decide to bring it back. They're going to charge you by the amount of time you keep their equipment checked out. So I think we can all agree that time does have value. Respect others' time -- No matter how much value you place on your own time, you have to respect the value of others' time too. I'll just give one example, and if it hits too close to home, then I apologize. One of my biggest pet peeves is meetings that don't start on time. If you call for a meeting and show up late, it displays a complete lack of appreciation for those who gathered for your purpose or agenda. I mean, just think about it. How effective will a meeting be if the attendees feel you don't value them or their time? Quantity vs. quality -- I had the honor of meeting Air Force Brig. Gen. Robin Olds just a couple years before he passed away in 2007. As we were talking, he mentioned his concern about how much money the Air Force was going to spend on the F-22 Raptor which, in turn, would reduce the total number of fighter aircraft in our arsenal. Although he loved the advanced technology and increased capabilities of the F-22, he was worried our future adversaries would potentially overwhelm us by sheer numbers of cheaper, less-advanced aircraft. He ended his point with this thought: quantity has a quality all of its own. I believe the same is true with time. I'll use my 9-year-old son as my case-in-point. My son doesn't seem to really care if we are fishing, throwing football, going to a movie, reading a book or just watching TV. All he really wants is to spend time with his dad, and more time is better than any supposed "quality" time for him. Our days are numbered -- No matter your beliefs, we all have to acknowledge that our time on Earth will eventually come to an end. I think the psalmist hit the nail on the head when he asked God to "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12. In this passage, he brings forth the truth about the finiteness of time and relates it to a higher level of thinking and decision making. In essence, he says we will make wiser choices when we understand how precious our time truly is. So now you have to ask yourself, "What is my time worth and how will I spend it?" Will you use your time to make a positive difference in the lives of others or will you waste it chasing things that really don't matter in the long run? As I said before, I'm no expert when it comes to the subject of time, but in my opinion, time is indeed our most valuable resource.